The Pilgrim Cross experience of group walking pilgrimage

Alison Gelder • September 2, 2024

In this post Alison Gelder shares her experience of group walking pilgrimage drawing on many years of taking part in Pilgrim Cross during Holy Week.


Pilgrim Cross (formerly Student Cross) is a distinctive pilgrimage experience. It only takes place once each year, in Holy Week (the week before Easter). The destination is the shrines (both Roman Catholic and Anglican) of Our Lady of Walsingham. We walk in groups (legs), carrying big wooden crosses, and we walk on roads as well as footpaths. 


The first Student Cross took place in 1948, inspired by the 1946 cross carrying peace pilgrimage to Vezelay in France. A group of ex-servicemen and students walked from London to Walsingham, arriving on Good Friday and celebrating Easter at the shrine. They had such an amazing time that they decided to do it again the next year and so it has continued. There are now twelve legs, most walking for a week, five for over 18s, two for teenagers, two for families, and an all age leg that walks for one day, Good Friday. For more information about the legs


Pilgrim Cross is not a charity or a formal organisation. We elect a National Director each year on Holy Saturday and there are a few other elected/volunteer positions such as music director and recruitment/marketing lead. Each leg is autonomous and elects its own leadership every year. Continuity is provided by experienced walkers, previous National Directors and through the Student Cross Association (SCA), a charity that supports pilgrims and the pilgrimage. 


We mainly sleep on church hall floors and our food is provided by the parishes who are hosting us or we cater for ourselves. All the baggage is carried by support vehicles. As well as the large wooden cross we also wear red crosses to show that we are pilgrims. Our routes are not waymarked and tend to change a little each year as roads become too busy to be safe for walking or as new footpath options open up. The costs of the pilgrimage are covered by the pilgrims, with support from the SCA, some of the parishes along the routes, and other generous donors. The price for the week (including food and accommodation) ranges from around £200 for a working adult to around £50 for a student or unemployed person. 


About half of the legs have ordained chaplains (who could be Roman Catholic, Anglican or Methodist) but all the legs have a person or team who are responsible for organising the liturgies and the rhythm of prayer that shape our days on and off the road. Several times a day we pause to rest and to share a reflection offered by one of the pilgrims. We also develop and share our prayer times and liturgies with the communities we visit. Typically a leg will visit three or four communities and their churches each day. 


Making music together and singing, on the road, liturgically, in pubs and churches, and especially when we arrive in Walsingham, is a big part of our ethos. You could say it’s a particular charism of Pilgrim Cross.


Challenges

Building community. Every Holy Week, in each leg, a new community is created as the group of 20 - 30 people come together to carry their cross to Walsingham. One of the challenges for the leg leadership team is to foster the growth of community between the pilgrims on their leg and at the same time to nurture relationships with the parishioners who so generously welcome us along the way - we cannot be an inward facing community. The shared experiences of walking, praying and living together often lead to strong bonds within the leg; many people form lifelong friendships and think of Pilgrim Cross as an extended family. There is then another challenge when the leg reaches Walsingham, to open up the community to become part of the whole of Pilgrim Cross. 


Obedience

Just as in any religious community there is a need for some structure, for bones to support our community and our individual formation as pilgrims and Christians. On Pilgrim Cross the objective is to get the leg and the cross safely to Walsingham and every member of the leg has a contribution to make to that task. Some of the lessons I have learned as a participant in Pilgrim Cross are about managing with limited personal space and quiet time, and about receiving as well as giving. There is a particular need for a level of discipline when walking on roads. People have to accept that they must keep together, and listen to and follow the road leader’s instructions. It is important to keep to time when hosts are waiting for us with refreshments. There can also be an issue about wanting to walk every step of the way. In my opinion a pilgrimage is not a sponsored walk and can be completed through serving the group in other ways than as a walker. But sometimes there are difficult conversations to be had with pilgrims who are tired or injured and yet want to continue to walk.


Safeguarding

Obviously we have a safeguarding policy with different aspects for different groups, for example families and single adults. Issues can be raised with chaplains, leg leaders and the National Director. We have worked on a behaviours policy and a statement that all pilgrims sign up to. For us the most serious issues that have arisen have been about safeguarding individuals who are attracted to Pilgrim Cross at times of crisis in their lives and experience mental distress during the walking week. We need strategies to care for them, to get them to a place of safety and to care for the rest of the group at the same time. 


To find out more visit our website, https://pilgrimcross.org.uk/about-sca/ or follow us on instagram, pilgrimcross or Facebook, Pilgrim Cross.

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St Luke's Way The eastern Pilgrimage of Hope Way from the Cathedral Church of St John the Baptist in Norwich to the Cathedral Church of St Barnabas in Nottingham via the National Shrine of Our Lady at Houghton St Giles and the Pontifical Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham at King's Lynn. Patron : Julian of Norwich (c. 1343 – after 1416) English anchoress, mystic and theologian. Julian's writings, now known as Revelations of Divine Love, are the earliest surviving English-language works attributed to a woman. They are also the only surviving works by an anchoress in English. Her feast is celebrated on 13 th May. Overview St Luke's Way starts at the Cathedral of St John the Baptist, Norwich, leaving the city along the Marriotts Way, crossing the River Wensum towards Cawston, then taking the Pilgrim Cross route to Walsingham along country lanes to the National Shrine to Our Lady at Houghton St Giles. From Walsingham the Way follows tracks and lanes to Dersingham and then crosses the Sandringham estate to King's Lynn. The Way continues alongside the Great Ouse to Wisbech, then across fenland to Spalding and Bourne. The Way uses roads and footpaths to navigate the rolling countryside of Kesteven to Grantham, then follows the Grantham canal near Belvoir Castle across farmland to Bingham, joining the Trent Valley Way at Radcliffe, to arrive at St Barnabas' Cathedral in Central Nottingham. Essential facts: Route length: 155.4 miles Ascent: 1,883 ft Peak elevation: 443 ft (the route is generally flat) The Way can be followed using a GPX file (download below).

St John's Way (South) to Nottingham

By Phil McCarthy • September 15, 2025
St John's Way The southern Pilgrimage of Hope Way from Southwark and Westminster Cathedrals in London to St Barnabas' Cathedral in Nottingham via the Cathedral of Our Lady Immaculate & St Thomas of Canterbury in Northampton. Patron : St Anne Line (c. 1563 – 1601): English married lay woman, convert and martyr. After the death of her husband, who had been banished for attending Mass, Anne was active in sheltering clandestine Catholic priests. Finally arrested, she was condemned to death and executed at Tyburn. She was canonised in 1970. Her feasts are: 27th February (individual), 25th October (with the Forty Martyrs of England & Wales), 30th August (with SS Margaret Ward and Margaret Clitherow). Overview The Way starts at the Cathedral of St George in Southwark and crosses the River Thames to reach Westminster Cathedral. It then passes through Royal parks to the Shrine of the Tyburn Martyrs. At Paddington the Grand Union Canal is reached. Apart from optional diversions to churches the Canal arm is followed to Northolt where the Way joins the Dog Rose Ramble and then the Hillingdon Trail. At Bayhurst Woods the Way diverts W to Harefield and soon rejoins the Grand Union Canal. Apart from diversions to Rickmansworth, Abbots Langley (birthplace of Adrian IV, the only English pope), and Leighton Buzzard the Canal is followed to Newport Pagnall. After the town the route follows the Three Shires Way, then the Midshires Way, the Northamptonshire Round and finally the Nene Way to Northampton Cathedral. The path leaves the city and rejoins the Midshires Way to Arthingworth and soon after follows the Brampton Valley Way to Market Harborough. The Way continues N on the Rutland Way and then the Leicestershire Round. Where this bends W the path follows the Jubilee Way to Melton Mowbray. The Way crosses farmland to reach Willoughby-in-the-Wolds where it breifly re-joins the Midshires Way before diverting to Keyworth. The Way heads towards Nottingham, briefly following a disused railway line, to finally reach Nottingham Cathedral. Essential facts: Route length: 169.4 miles Ascent: 4,669 ft - the route is mostly very flat Peak elevation: 656 ft The Way can be followed using a GPX file (download below)

St Matthew's Way (West) to Nottingham

By Phil McCarthy • September 15, 2025
St Matthew's Way The western Pilgrimage of Hope Way from St David's Cathedral in Cardiff to St Barnabas' Cathedral in Nottingham via St Chad's Cathedral in Birmingham and the Shrine of St Chad in Lichfield. Patron: St Melangell (c 7th or 8th Century) Welsh hermit, consecrated virgin and abbess. According to her hagiography, Melangell was a princess who fled an arranged marriage and became a consecrated virgin in the wilderness of Powys. She saved a hare from a prince's hunting dogs and is associated with protection of wildlife. Her feast is celebrated on 27th May. Overview: The Way starts at St David's Cathedral in Cardiff. The route soon joins the Welsh Coast Path to Newport and then Chepstow. Here the Way turns inland following the Offa's Dyke Path through the Wye Valley to Monmouth. The route follows the Wye Valley Walk to Ross-on-Wye where the Way joins the Herefordshire Trail to Ledbury. The Geopark Way and the Three Choirs Way (3CW) are followed over the Malvern Hills. After Malvern the Way continues on the 3CW until the River Severn is crossed and followed to Worcester. The Monarch's Way is followed to Droitwich Spa and then the Wychavon Way and John Corbett Way to Bromsgrove Spa. Here the Monarch's Way is regained until just before Illey the Way diverts into central Birmingham along the Illey Way. From the Cathedral of St Chad in Birmingham the Way follows the St Chad's Way , at first along canal towpaths. The Way passes through Sutton Coldfield before joining the Heart of England Way to Lichfield. The route joins the Trent & Mersey Canal towpath to Burton upon Trent and then on to Sawley. Here the Way diverts to Long Eaton and then follows the Way of Blessed Cyprian Tansi along the Broxtowe Country Trail and finally the Beeston Canal towpath to central Nottingham and the Cathedral of St Barnabas. Essential facts: Route length: 210.2 miles Ascent: 10,955 ft Peak elevation: 1,378 ft The Way can be followed using a GPX file (download button below).

St Mark's Way (North) to Nottingham

By Phil McCarthy • September 15, 2025
St Mark's Way The northern Pilgrimage of Hope Way from Leeds Cathedral to St Barnabas' Cathedral in Nottingham via St Marie's Cathedral in Sheffield and the Chapel of the Padley Martyrs. Patron: St Hilda of Whitby (c. 614 – 680) abbess and key figure in the Anglo-Saxon Church. Hilda founded and was the first abbess of the monastery at Whitby which was the venue for the Synod of Whitby in 664. She was widely recognised for her wisdom and learning and trained five bishops. Her feast is celebrated on 17th November. Overview: The Way starts at Leeds Cathedral and follows the Transpennine Trail (TPT) SE beside the Aire & Calder Navigation to Woodlesford. Here the path veers SW to re-join the TPT along a disused railway line and then the River Calder to Wakefield. The Way follows the TPT again beside the former Barnsley Canal and then along a disused railway to Wombwell. The route turns SW along the Barnsley Boundary Walk to Elsecar, and then across farmland to briefly join the Old Salt Rd, beside the A629. The Way soon joins the Sheffield Country Walk and follows this beside the Sheffield Canal to reach St Marie's Cathedral in central Sheffield. From here the Way joins the Padley Martyrs Way , leaving the city through Endcliffe Park and then climbing Houndkirk Moor to arrive at the Chapel of the Padley Martyrs. The path then follows the River Derwent to Matlock. The Way leaves the Derwent at Ambergate and turns east, through Ripley and then along the former Cromford Canal to Eastwood. Here the route joins the Robin Hood Way to Strelley where the Way veers E to Kingsbury and finally reaches St Barnabas' Cathedral, central Nottingham. Essential facts: Route length: 105.9 miles Ascent 3,750 ft: The route is mostly flat with the only significant climb on Day 4 over Houndkirk Moor Peak elevation: 1,388 ft The Way can be followed using a GPX file (download below).