In the summer of 2023, I very much enjoyed walking for ten days in my home county of Herefordshire, where I lived as an older child and teenager. Starting and ending at the shrine of St Thomas of Cantilupe at Hereford Cathedral, my trip focussed on the north of the county as this was the area with which I was least familiar.
With my route seemingly taking me through the countless apple orchards for which Herefordshire is famous, I made my way to the historic market towns of Ledbury and Leominster, as well as quiet villages close to the Black Mountains and the well-known Golden Valley.
As always, it was the unassuming faithfulness of church life in rural areas that most impressed me, as well as the artistic and architectural gems tucked away in these ‘off the beaten track’ places.
This was definitely a pilgrimage to be extended into the south of Herefordshire in the not-too-distant future!
