UNMISSABLE UK PILGRIMAGE ROUTES: 19 of The Most Beautiful & Sacred Walks.
Step into a world where hiking meets spirituality as we guide you through the most captivating pilgrimage routes across the UK for 2024!
Whether you’re drawn to stunning landscapes or seeking a deeper connection, join us on a journey through England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales.
From centuries-old trails rich in history to modern paths that embrace diversity, let’s embark on an inspiring exploration of 19 unmissable routes that blend the beauty of nature with the essence of the soul.
Don’t Miss Our Incredible European Pilgrimage Guide too!
Table of Contents
Why do a UK Pilgrimage?
Why do a pilgrimage in the UK? There’s something truly enchanting about tracing the footsteps of ancient pilgrims amidst the stunning landscapes of the United Kingdom.
These sacred journeys offer more than just a physical trek; they provide an opportunity for inner reflection, spiritual growth, and connection with nature and history.
Whether you’re seeking solace, inspiration, or simply a break from the hustle and bustle of modern life, a pilgrimage in the UK offers a chance to slow down, immerse yourself in the land’s beauty, and discover a more profound sense of meaning and purpose.
See also – The Vatican City Pilgrimage & The Camino de Santiago Pilgrimage!
Best Times to Embark:
Planning the perfect pilgrimage involves considering the seasons and weather conditions. Spring and autumn often offer milder temperatures and vibrant landscapes bursting with colour, making them ideal times for hiking.
Hiking in the UK can get hot in summer, so drink plenty of water for a summer pilgrimage! Believe it or not, it is possible to get sunstroke here! You can also hike in the UK in winter, but it will likely be cold and damp, and I would not advise it.
Most Popular Routes:
Among the numerous pilgrimage routes in the UK, several stand out for their historical significance, natural beauty, and spiritual allure.
The St. Cuthbert’s Way, stretching from Melrose in Scotland to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, offers breathtaking views and ancient sites along the journey.
The Pilgrims’ Way in England, which follows the path from Winchester to Canterbury, is steeped in history and mythology and attracts pilgrims from all walks of life.
Prices Along the Trails:
The cost of embarking on a pilgrimage in the UK can vary depending on accommodation, meals, transportation, and any guided tours or services you utilize.
Accommodation options range from hostels and guesthouses to camping sites and luxury hotels, accommodating various budgets. Pilgrim hostels or shelters along the routes typically offer affordable lodging options, ranging from £20 to £40 per night.
Daily expenses for meals and snacks can amount to approximately £10 to £40, depending on your preferences and dietary needs. Additionally, consider budgeting for transportation costs, including bus or train fares to and from your pilgrimage’s starting and ending points.
Investing in quality gear and equipment, such as hiking boots, backpacks, and waterproof clothing, is also essential and may incur additional expenses.
The 19 Best UK Pilgrimage Routes
ENGLAND Pilgrimages
The Pilgrims Way
(Winchester to Canterbury)
The Great Cloister at Canterbury Cathedral marks the end of Pilgrim’s Way, arguably the most notorious of the UK pilgrimage routes. This 10-day, 141-mile journey is a purebred British pilgrimage from Winchester to Canterbury Cathedral.
The shrine of St. Thomas Becket is buried in Canterbury Cathedral. Enjoy splendid views, outstanding landscapes, and a vast array of little churches, including 900-year-old St Benedict’s in Paddlesworth, Kent.
This route is for adventurous hikers and promises an unforgettable couple of weeks.
The Stonehenge Pilgrimage
(Glastonbury Tor to Stonehenge)
Featuring the Iconic Stonehenge and Glastonbury Tor, you cover some of England’s most sacred and famous ground UK pilgrimage routes! Both are ancient pilgrimage destinations, a trail shrouded in mystery, myth, and legend.
This 42-mile pagan route is a magical journey. Starting at Glastonbury Tor, which is said to be the heart chakra’ of the world, and ending at the 3000-year-old stone circle, Stonehenge, a famous UNESCO historical landmark around the globe. You can get to Stonehenge quickly, as London’s only 2 hours away.
The Old Way
(Southampton to Canterbury)
This intense 240-mile route should take you roughly three weeks. It is an Iconic route that passes through the southern tip of England. This beautiful route linked European and British pilgrims seeking Thomas Becket’s shrine in Canterbury.
Start at the port of Southampton before heading along the rugged and dramatic coastlines of southern England. See wonderous Cathedrals, mystical castles, stunning chalk cliffs, ancient woodlands, and even sacred springs…
Need we say more? A historical and spiritual journey, seeing the best of the UK’s mother nature.
St. Cuthbert’s Way
(Melrose Abbey to Lindisfarne)
The 62-mile-long Scottish pilgrimage walk trail, St Cuthbert’s Way, is between Scotland and northern England. It is loved and famous for its dramatic landscapes and wonderous ancient ruins.
Expect relaxing walks and strenuous climbs! So good fitness is required. It is one of the shorter but equally important UK pilgrimage routes.
Hadrian’s Wall Pilgrims’ Way
(Housesteads to Corbridge)
A less intense and leisurely two days and 23 miles – Start on a hilltop Roman Fort, where ‘Hooded Gods’ were worshipped. Next, follow Hadrian’s wall path and take in its astonishing views before arriving at the God of Light Temple, Mithras.
Make a wish here by leaving coins on the altars. Next, pass wooden crosses, battlefields and abbeys before reaching your destination of Corbridge, with its 7th-century church and Roman Town.
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The Peak District Pilgrimage
(The Peak District, UK)
Journey through the very best of the Peak District. 39 miles, four days. This soul-nourishing route takes you through the beautiful Peak District National Park. It passes 12 churches and some of England’s most stunning landscapes and buildings, like Chatsworth house!
The start, Ilam, has been a famous pilgrimage since the days of the Saxon St Bertram. First, you’ll pass along the old railway track ‘Tissington Trail’ to the picturesque village of Monyash.
You’ll also pass the delicious town in the peak district… Bakewell is home of the tasty Bakewell tart. Then marvel at the beauty of Chatsworth House and grounds, then through the lively village of Baslow. You’ll finish up in the quaint and beautiful village of Eyam.
The Lake District Pilgrimage
(The Lake District, UK)
175 miles and takes 2-3 weeks with an 18,500m ascent! This route provides optional rock scrambles, beautiful ‘natural cathedrals’ or even sleep under the stars! It also takes in seven iconic places of reflection where the surroundings imbue a sense of tranquillity and calm.
Pass over many summits with magnificent viewpoints that form some of the best of the country. One of the best Uk pilgrimage routes!
SCOTTISH Pilgrimages
St Conan’s Way
(Scottish Highlands. Dalmally – Iona)
This 60-mile and 6-day journey will take you through wild lands, past waterfalls, and across seas.
Starting your walk from Dalmally to Iona, six days later and two ferry rides, you will arrive on the sacred isle of Iona, a destination for pilgrims since the seventh century.
A mystical and mysterious route along the sacred lands of Scotland. This is one of the most hauntingly beautiful UK pilgrimage routes!
St Margaret’s Way
(Edinburgh to St Andrew’s)
Said to be a beautiful and varied route. It takes you to the Forth Road Bridge, along the Fife Coastal Path, ending in Shell Bay. It’s considered a leisurely four-day walk.
The terrain isn’t overbearing, and there are many cafes and places to refuel.
The Whithorn Way
(Glasgow to Whithorn)
143 miles and two weeks will lead you upon this Scottish pilgrimage trail. It takes you on both easy coastal paths, hills and hair-raising moments.
From Glasgow Cathedral to Paisley’s ancient abbey, you move out to the coast over hills and through famous Scottish towns.
Next, pass along the coast through Dumfries and Galloway, eventually leading you to the place of pilgrimage, Ninians Chapel. Ninians cave on the beach is worth a visit, too!
The Northern Pilgrims’ Way, North Scotland
(Tain to Kirkwall or vice versa)
127-131 miles, taking two weeks. This medieval pilgrim route from the shrine of Magnus in Kirkwall on Orkney, then south to the shrine of St Duthac, Tain.
This route has 12th and 13th-century pilgrimage sites at either end and several ancient chapels and holy wells along the way.
On top of historical and sacred places of interest, there are sandy beaches, dramatic cliffs and an abundance of wildlife, even a possibility to see whales and dolphins!
WELSH Pilgrimages
The Celtic Way
(Stumble Head, Pembrokeshire to St Michael’s Mount, Cornwall)
This UK pilgrimage route is the most sacred route through Wales and Cornwall! If it’s a life-changing adventure you’re seeking, then look to this whopping 758-mile route. It will take approximately three months.
This pilgrimage, ranging almost 800 miles from south Wales to the tip of Cornwall, reflects the long history of this route. Encounter hundreds of prehistoric Pagan and Christian sites.
Connect with the ancient stones and sacred waters of Pembrokeshire, Stonehenge, Glastonbury and St Michael’s Mount. Gaze upon an array of wild landscapes, black mountain ranges, castles, forts, megalithic monuments, stone circles, waterfalls, lakes, abbeys and beaches. An epic and sacred journey indeed.
Anglesey (Ynys Mon) Pilgrimage
(Caernarfon to Holyhead)
This 80-mile, seven-day pilgrimage remembers the Romans’ massacre of the druids on Anglesey. It starts from Caernarfon Fort and ends at the holiest place in prehistoric druidic culture, Caer y Tour (the mountain top of Holyhead).
Most of the journey is spent on the coast of the Isle of Anglesey, passing remote island ruins, holy places, magical sea-immersed chapels, and beautiful scenery whilst learning about the ancient culture of the druids.
The Welsh Cistercian Way
Caerphilly to Caerphilly (The Circle Route)
Another great Welsh adventure: an incredible 672-mile route that will take roughly three months. Immerse yourself in the Cistercian heritage and natural lands of Wales.
Journey through abbeys, cathedrals, rolling hills, thick forests, and dramatic seascapes. The Welsh Cistercian way is a comprehensive and intimate exploration of Wales, with many ancient historical and holy places of interest.
This is one of the more intense and devotional UK pilgrimage routes.
Southern Way of St David
(Pembroke Dock to St David’s Cathedral)
This path is 60 miles, taking you approximately five days to complete. In medieval times, the pilgrimage route to St David’s was as important as the Camino pilgrimage in northern Spain.
Furthermore, Pope Calixtus II declared that the St. David’s Trail was equivalent to taking one pilgrimage to Rome and three to Jerusalem! Lonely Planet has also deemed the course the best coastal path in the world.
Walk to the rolling saves of the Irish Sea, above sand beaches and sheer cliff drops, ancient Celtic churches, crosses, and sacred wells. There is also an abundance of wildlife to be seen. This pilgrimage route follows a Celtic Christian theme.
The North Wales Pilgrimage Way
(Holywell to Bardsey Island, Aberdaron)
This route is 140 miles long and will take two weeks. In the distant past, Bardsey Island drew thousands of pilgrims. They were lured there for its spell-binding sunsets, seemingly at the world’s end. The route starts in Flintshire at the holy water swimming pool, home to St Beuno’s Stone.
You can kneel on the stone completely submerged in sacred water. The route takes you to prehistoric stone circles, ageing churches, ancient stone crosses, holy springs and waterfalls, magical woodlands, rivers, mountains and salty coastal paths with heaps of history.
This truly is a beautiful pilgrimage on all levels, and to top it off; you end the trip in a small boat crossing to Bardsey Island.
IRISH Pilgrimages
Croagh Patrick Mountain, Ireland
(Start Location of Choice – End at Mountain Top)
This 764-meter mountain in Ireland, western Ireland is one of the holiest mountains in the UK and a famous and sacred pilgrimage destination.
It’s said that pilgrims have been coming here for 5000 years, dating back to the Stone Age! It’s also a popular pagan harvest celebration site. Pilgrims climb the mountain in honour of Saint Patrick, the Irish patron saint who fasted for 40 days on the peak around 440CE.
You could drive or walk along the wild Atlantic Way to get here! Ireland is a must-see destination for those with Celtic roots seeking the best UK pilgrimage routes.
UK / British – EUROPE Pilgrimages
Via Francigena
(Canterbury to Rome)
The longest and most intercontinental of the UK pilgrimage routes, verging into European Pilgrimage territory. If it is a European adventure you wish to set upon, look no further than the jaw-dropping 1180-mile Francigena Pilgrimage from England to Rome!
An incredibly famous walking route takes you from Canterbury, France, Switzerland and Italy. All the bold and brave pilgrims who choose this route will be blessed with life-changing experiences.
Basque in the wine country of the Tuscan countryside, the magnificent Alps mountain range, and the beautiful French countryside.
This pilgrimage was vastly influential in medieval times due to its holy destination, historical importance, and sacredness. It’s also an award-winning trail we believe every pilgrim should have on their bucket list in their lifetime!
Thank you for reading the best of the UK’s Pilgrimage Routes!
If you enjoyed this post, read more on Soulful Travel here!
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