Golden Valley Pilgrim Way

Pilgrimage of churches in the Golden Valley Herefordshire

Statistics

Walker: Rebecca (plus four others)

When: June 20th to June 25th 2021

Pack weight: 1 stone (fine) (6kgs)

Distance walked: 65 miles

No of days: 6

No of Maps: 1, Landranger 161 Abergavenny and OS on line

No of Blisters: None

Weight lost/gained: None

Money spent: £160 (includes £65 donations to churches)

Would I do it again: Yes

This year was an historic pilgrimage, my first (and possibly the first ever, or at least since the medieval period) walking and staying in churches. At last it has been achieved. This was courtesy of Abbey Dore Deanery and in particular the Rev Simon Lockett who have been working with churches in their area to develop a pilgrim way, for people of any faith or none, bringing landscape, nature, towns, villages and churches altogether in a spiritual practice. In actual practice what this meant was walking through the SW Herefordshire countryside, across meadows full of flowers, up hills to the edge of the Black Mountains, down hills to the rivers Dore and Monnow, by way of castles, manor houses, cottages and woods, eating in local pubs and welcoming sleep in churches, on our own bed roll or a camp bed belonging to the church.

Walking with others was new for me. What I found is it kept me out of my own head, no falling into reveries good or bad making me oblivious of my surroundings. So that was good. Of course we chatted, too much, but it was kept in control by half hours of silent walking, some pilgrim prayers, and walking ahead or dropping behind from time to time. Walking in a group makes the pilgrimage more about people than mystical self realisation, its different.

Sleeping in the church meant we did not have to carry camping kit, so the walk was lighter. It reinforced the place of the church in the landscape, and the spiritual element of the walk. The churches added huge interest to the walk, each was special with a long local history, the centre of the community, even though few now attend formal church services. The churches we stayed in had a toilet and drinking water (or close by), in some we were welcomed by the church warden in others we let ourselves in.

The churches open for pilgrims now, should you wish to do this walk in the same way are:

Madley, Tyberton, Dorstone, Michaelchurch Escley, Clodock,

Others we stayed in by arrangement, and others hope soon to join the scheme. Before embarking it would be best to contact Simon or Abbey Dore Deanery, as it is early days, but the churches would love you to visit as pilgrims.