Pilgrim Street – Contemporary Pilgrimage

Anne Hayward

Hello and welcome to Pilgrim Street!

Going on a journey to a significant place is important in many religions and cultures. Here at Pilgrim Street, I am working to explore pilgrimage in a contemporary setting in the British Isles, valuing the many ancient Christian sites in Britain and further afield and the traditions and rhythms of prayer that are fundamental to these very special places. However, at Pilgrim Street I also seek to re-interpret pilgrimage in the context of contemporary church life and Christian experience in an increasingly urbanised society.

What is distinctive about Pilgrim Street is that each year I walk on a pilgrimage which begins and ends at my home on the border of Wales and England in the Brecon Beacons National Park. From there, I have walked thousands of miles to ancient Christian sites not only in Wales and England but also further afield to Brittany, Ireland and the Isle of Man.

However, with so many wonderful places to visit, I also undertake what I call peregrinatio ( the old word for pilgrimage) in areas of the British Isles that are more distant from my home. These routes are always contiguous with previous pilgrimages, allowing me to extend what I have already done.

My pilgrimages have enabled me to have the privilege of visiting many very interesting churches, chapels and cathedrals with all sorts of fascinating features. Some of these things, such as ancient hogsback stones and medieval roodscreens, are included in the ‘Visiting’ section of this website. There you can find a selection of my photos on various topics and some useful information.

Above all, my pilgrimages are contemporary prayer walks, seeking to combine greater understanding of the history of Christianity with the experience of living as a person of faith in modern-day Britain.

Spring 2022 update:

Encouraged by having been able to walk on my 2021 pilgrimage to St Albans in Hertfordshire and then from Glasgow to Iona later in the year, in 2022 I will be walking from my home in Wales to the Shrine of Our Lady at Walsingham and then on to St Edmundsbury Cathedral in Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk. In the early autumn I am also looking forward to making a pilgrimage in Cornwall , starting and ending at Truro Cathedral, and also taking in the the Isles of Scilly.

As regards giving talks, although I am happy to continue to offer presentations on Zoom, I have been very pleased to now be able to accept invitations to talk in person.

Books by Anne Hayward

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