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INTRODUCTION

Stand at the crossroads, and look,

and ask for the ancient paths,

where the good way lies; and walk in it,

and find rest for your souls.


Jeremiah 6:16

The Pilgrim Ways

The outcome of the Hearts in Search of God project is for there to be a walking pilgrimage route in each of the 22 Catholic dioceses of England & Wales starting at the cathedral of the diocese and ending at a shrine within the same diocese. The Ways have all been planned and there are downloadable GPX files for them all.


The Project Lead will walk the Ways during 2023 and 2024 and once they have been walked there will be walking guidance and spiritual resources to enhance the journey. In the Documents page of this website there are downloadable pilgrim ‘passports’ and ‘testimoniums’ for pilgrims who complete the Way. The Project Lead would grateful for feedback from pilgrims who have walked the route.


All the Ways can be seen on the map in the Home page of this website.   

Churches and Shrines

Many churches are closed during daylight hours. If you would like to visit the churches and shrines it is best to check the parish website first. You can also email or phone the parish office to see is someone would be willing to open the church. Please be aware that many priests cover more than one church and so may live many miles away. 

Navigation: Maps and Apps

Getting lost is frustrating and can be dangerous. Waymarks get missed or vandalised and paths and features change. OS Maps are the traditional solution and remain much loved. You can buy maps for the areas the Ways pass through or print maps for the Ways from our downloads page

 

Using a digital walking navigation app

The advantage of this is that you can see exactly where you are on your phone or GPX device. The disadvantage is that you might run out of battery, so carry maps as a backup and/or a battery charger and keep them both dry! There are several apps offering offline digital map navigation for smartphones. The Pilgrim Ways were created using Outdooractive, which will require an annual subscription which allows you to browse the latest 1:25 and 1:50 maps (and larger scales too) for all of Britain, and import the GPX routes files from www.pilgrimways.org.uk into the app. It also has a SatNav-style voice guidance system for each route. You can turn this off in your phone settings if it annoys you!

 

How to load a GPX route from www.pilgrimways.org.uk

1.    Go to the webpage of the Way you want to walk and click on “Learn More”. This takes you to the Outdooractive page for the Way.

2.    You will see route map and topography for the Way in detail.

3.    You can print the Way map is various formats and also download the GPX file from this page.

4.    Walking guidance and background notes and downloadable maps can be found on the Way page on www.pilgrimways.org.uk in the box below the route map.

5.    If you would like to download the inner and outer way notes and walking instructions, click the “Way Guidance Information” button.

6.    This will take you to a brief questionnaire and then to the Way downloads page. Select the button for the Way you want to walk. 


Route updates, changes and corrections

Please let us know of any updates, changes and corrections that need to be made to the Way route directions. This is vital if the routes are to remain up to date for future pilgrims. Please click on the button below to contact the project lead. Thank you for your help!

By Phil McCarthy October 22, 2024
St Philomena's Way is a Pilgrim Way from the Cathedral of Our Lady Help of Christians & Saint Peter of Alcantara in Shrewsbury to the Shrine Church of Ss Peter & Paul and St Philomena in New Brighton.
By Phil McCarthy September 17, 2024
The Holystone Way is a Pilgrim Way for the Diocese of Hexham & Newcastle.
By Phil McCarthy September 12, 2024
St Joseph's Way is a Pilgrim Way for the Diocese of Portsmouth and the Bishopric of the Armed Forces.
By Phil McCarthy August 7, 2024
The St Cuthbert Mayne Way is a Pilgrim Way from the Cathedral of SS Mary & Boniface in Plymouth to the Shrine of St Cuthbert Mayne in Launceston. Cuthbert Mayne was an English Catholic priest executed in Launceston under the laws of Elizabeth I. Mayne was beatified in 1886 and canonised as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales in 1970. The Way leaves the Cathedral and crosses Victoria Park to reach the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer near Plymouth docks and then the Church of St Paul. The route leaves Plymouth and follows the Tamar Valley Discovery Trail. The River Tavy is crossed using a ford near Lopwell House to reach Bere Alston Station where a train must be taken to Calstock. The Way continues to follow the Tamar Valley Discovery Trail northwards over rolling hills and riverside meadows. After Horsebridge the route is mainly on quiet lanes to Milton Abbot. Finally the Way reaches Launceston and the Church and Shrine of St Cuthbert Mayne. NB the route involves two river crossings, one by a ford and one by short train ride.
By Phil McCarthy June 27, 2024
A Pilgrim Way for the Diocese of Menevia from the Cathedral of St Joseph in Swansea to St Anthony’s Well in Llansteffan. NB the route involves a summer only ferry crossing. St Anthony of Egypt (c251 - 356), was a Christian hermit who a powerful influence on the Celtic Church. According to local tradition a Welsh hermit, Antwn (Anthony), who had taken the name of the Egyptian hermit, settled near Llansteffan in the C6. The Way leaves Swansea heading north along the New Cut to reach the Shrine of Divine Mercy at the Church of the Sacred Heart in Morriston. The Way heads west to join and follow a disused railway line to reach the Wales Coast Path. The path reaches the Church of Our Lady Queen of Peace at Llanelli and then the Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea at Burry Port. The route passes Pembry Forest to reach the Church of Our Lady & St Cadoc at Kidwelly, and then continues along the coast to reach Ferryside where the River Towey is crossed by ferry.  St Anthony's Well is a short walk south of the village of Llansteffan.
By Phil McCarthy April 15, 2024
The Holywell Way is a Pilgrim Way for the Diocese of Wrexham from the Cathedral of Our Lady of Sorrows in Wrexham to the National Shrine of St Winefride at Holywell. St Winefride’s Well is believed to be the only British shrine that has a history of uninterrupted pilgrimage from the Middle Ages to the present day. The Way is north from the Cathedral to join the Wat's Dyke Way which then passes through a valley beside the River Alyn to the villages of Caergwrle and Hope. After 10 miles the Pilgrim Way diverges from the Wat's Dyke Way to visit the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary in Buckley, re-joining the Wat’s Dyke Way just over a mile after this. On leaving the village of Sychdyn the Wat's Dyke Way diverts from the line of the Dyke to take in a Celtic hill fort at Rhosesmor. The Pilgrim Way takes a more direct route, but the two paths coincide again shortly before crossing the A55 North Wales Expressway. After this the path follows an impressive section of the Dyke. The Way ends at the Shrine of St Winefride in Holywell, but pilgrims may wish to walk on to Basingwerk Abbey, the ruins of a C12 Cistercian monastery (1.0 miles). This is the start of the North Wales Pilgrim’s Way.
By Phil McCarthy March 11, 2024
St Theodore's Way is a Pilgrim Way for the Diocese of Salford.
By Phil McCarthy March 4, 2024
The Way of Blessed Cyprian Tansi is from the Cathedral of St Barnabas in Nottingham to Mount St Bernard Abbey near Coalville.
By Phil McCarthy February 5, 2024
The Way of Our Lady of Fernyhalgh and St Alphonsa is a Pilgrim Way from the Cathedral of St Peter in Lancaster to the Shrine of Our Lady at Fernyhalgh and on to the Syro-Malabar Cathedral of St Alphonsa in Preston.
By Phil McCarthy January 12, 2024
The Way of the Annunciation is a Pilgrim Way from the Cathedral of St John the Baptist in Norwich to the Catholic National Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham and the Church of the Annunciation in Little Walsingham.
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