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Following In The Footsteps
From the dawn of Britain's history, an important route followed the ridge of the North Downs from
Winchester and the West to Canterbury and Dover, the natural gateway to the Continent. This high trackway avoided the dense
forest of the Weald below, and was reputedly used by pilgrims to the shrine of Thomas Becket in Canterbury. Much of that ancient
Way is still available to today's walker in the form of grassy track or quiet lanes, keeping (as it always had done) to the
southern slopes of the North Downs. But because busy roads now encroach more than formerly on the quiet of the Pilgrims' Way,
the North Downs Way - designed primarily as a scenic walking route - was officially opened in 1978. Where the Pilgrims' Way
is free of traffic, the North Downs Way shares its route, but it diverges where necessary to take the walker away from roads.
The Pilgrims' Way starts at Winchester and the North Downs Way starts at Farnham. The routes are divided into 9 detailed sections,
with descriptions of the cathredrals, towns, churches and monuments along the Way. There are notes on route finding and transport
facilities, together with a wealth of maps and photographs. The whole length of the North Downs has been designated an area
of outstanding natural beauty. The Downs, with their short springy turf and glorious views, are ideal walking country.
Though this is the most famous of the pilgrim routes, there are many more,
and the purpose of this page is to, hopefully familiarise you, the reader with some of them, and to familiarise you with the
stops enroute, from historical to contemporary.
Like any pilgrimage, we have given you some road signs, in the shape of the links,
to be found, throughout this page. They are yours to walk, they are yours to explore. We'll be adding to them as often as
we can, so keep an eye open, there'll always be something new to see.
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| Holy Trinity Church, Dartford, Kent |
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For at least fourteen hundred years
the worship of God has been
offered on the site of this Cathedral,
and through the prayers of
the Church His power and
grace have shaped human lives.
next
to the magnificent
Cathedral
and within its Precincts
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praying together for
peace, justice
and reconciliation.
a very special link
very special thanks go to
Rowan Williams,
Archbishop of Canterbury
for providing this link
which can also be found
on his website
May God be with you always.
an extensive list of
churches and cathedrals
in Britain
an extensive list of
churches, cathedrals
and their websites
plus associated other
websites, all put together
and bought to you by
one page from our
The Dawning of The Day website
and a good place to start we think
the lives and times of the
real Canterbury pilgrims
an attempt, and a good one, to correlate and catalogue pilgrimage information and provide links to pilgrimage
sites and shrines. Please enjoy your cyber-pilgrimage
and take refuge in the holy places and the hospitality of God.
our website on some
churches and cathedrals
in England, plus related topics
from Charing to Canterbury
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