The British Pilgrimage Gathering 2025

In October 2025, we gathered in London to reconnect with our land, stories, ancestry and spirit

We explored our intentional walking reconnects us with our land, our spirit and our stories with pilgrims and friends of the charity from all over Britain. Scroll down to see a special offer just for British Pilgrimage Trust pilgrims from our partners at Advaya.

Here are some of the stories we told:

The History of Pilgrimage: rediscovering landscape, meaning, and self

Speakers:

• Alice Loxton, historian, author
• Luke Sherlock, pilgrim, author, bookseller
• Daniel Wilson, architecture historian
• Guy Hayward (Chair)

At the opening of the Pilgrimage Gathering 2025, the History of Pilgrimage panel brought together four voices to explore how pilgrimage is being reimagined in modern Britain. Hosted by Guy Hayward, the panel featured historian and author Alice Loxton, architecture historian Daniel Wilson, and bookseller and pilgrimage advocate Luke Sherlock. Through personal reflections, historical insight, and a shared reverence for place, the panel illuminated how walking with intention can connect us to the past, the land, and one another.

See the full panel details and watch the video

Exploring the Archaic Folk Revival: belonging, resistance, and the commons

Speakers

• Jeremy Deller, Turner-prize winning artist
• Jenn Reid, folk ballad singer and historian
• Daze Aghaji (chair)

This panel discussion titled Exploring the Archaic Folk Revival delved into how folk culture in Britain is not only being remembered, but reimagined. Chaired by environmental activist and British Pilgrimage Trust trustee Daze Aghaji, the conversation brought together artist Jeremy Deller and folk ballad singer and historian Jennifer Reid. What unfolded was a vibrant, emotional and often humorous exploration of how ancient traditions can ground, disrupt and bind us more deeply to land, labour, and each other.

See the full panel details and watch the video

Nature Restoration through Pilgrimage: how this works

Speakers

• Martin Palmer, a leading advocate for the Green Pilgrimage Network
• Zofia Page, a co-founder of Friends of the River Medway
• Jonathan Weekes
• Guy Hayward (chair)

At the Nature Restoration through Pilgrimage panel, Guy Hayward led a conversation with Martin Palmer, Zofia Page, and Jonathan Weekes on how walking with reverence can heal both people and planet. From Martin’s global Green Pilgrimage Network to Zofia’s nine‑day Friends of the River Medway pilgrimage and Jonathan’s Sacred Earth Activism, the discussion explored how devotion, ceremony, and practical action unite to restore the balance between humanity and the living world.

See full panel details and watch the video.

The Return of the Witches and Cunning Folk: reconnecting with ancestral wisdom

Speakers

• The Seed Sistas, Kaz and Fi, experts in the study and clinical practice of herbal medicine.‍
• Ruth Dillon, artist and contributor to the We Are Witch project‍
• India Rakusen, broadcaster and creator of Witch and 28ish Days Later
• Daze Aghaji (chair)

This panel titled The Rise of the Cunning Folk explored cunning folk, witches, healing, and ritual. It was chaired by Daze Aghaji, environmental activist and trustee of the British Pilgrimage Trust. With India Rakusen (broadcaster and creator of Witch and 28ish Days Later), Ruth Dillon (artist and founder of We Are Witch), and Kaz and Fi (The Seed Sistas) – herbalists and self-described "herbal drama queens" – the conversation was a rich blend of storytelling, activism, herbalism, and modern witchcraft.

See the full panel details and watch the video.

Beyond the Ordinary: pilgrimage as a threshold into the unseen

Speakers

• Rupert Sheldrake, biologist, morphic resonance author and founder of Choral Evensong Trust
• Satish Kumar, peace-pilgrim, life-long activist and former monk
• Mac Macartney, founder of Embercombe
• Guy Hayward (chair)

In this closing panel of the Pilgrimage Gathering 2025, three leading spiritual voices explored pilgrimage as a path to wonder, reconnection, and transformation. Rupert Sheldrake reflected on England’s holy places and how pilgrimage bridges science and spirit. Mac Macartney shared raw stories of walking without maps or shelter, and how the 'ordinary' world is already sacred if we truly see it. Satish Kumar offered wisdom from his 8,000-mile journey on foot without money, reminding us that every moment and every person is holy. Together, they showed how walking with a true heart dissolves dogma, opens consciousness, and leads us home to the sacred present.

See full panel details and watch the video.

Advaya – the global learning platform for personal transformation – your discount code

Advaya, is the global learning platform dedicated to exploring how personal transformation and cultural change are deeply interconnected. Advaya brings together leading thinkers, storytellers, activists, artists and practitioners to help us remember our place within the living world, and to cultivate ways of being that are grounded, meaningful, and relational.

The British Pilgrimage Trust's collaboration with Advaya continues beyond this Gathering event. Together, we share a commitment to reweaving connection — with land, history, spirit, one another, and the deeper currents of culture that shape us. While pilgrimage invites us to walk our questions, Advaya offers spaces to learn, reflect, listen and grow: through courses, live conversations, practices, and community discussions that extend far beyond any single event.

As a British Pilgrimage Trust pilgrim, we are offering you 25% off Advaya annual membership, granting you access to:

• 60+ courses exploring ecology, myth, healing, culture, and the sacred.
• Live gatherings and conversations
• Community learning spaces and discussion forums

Continue your journey and deepen the themes touched on during the pilgrimage.

Use the code BPTxADVAYA-25 when you sign up for Advaya annual membership.