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.

Winter 2020 update:

My talks and presentations planned for this winter have had to be postponed because of the restrictions in place as regards the pandemic. However, I hope to resume this aspect of Pilgrim Street in the coming year. I am also beginning to plan a 2021 pilgrimage to St Albans.

Above all, I am very pleased to have been able to work around the Covid-19 situation and to make my 2020 pilgrimage to Winchester as planned and to also to walk peregrinatio in the south-west of Scotland this autumn.

Books by Anne Hayward

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