Walsingham

A pilgrimage to Walsingham is the perfect summer holiday

From our UK edition

Every tribe has its rituals; mine - Oxford undergraduates in the last gasp of the vacation - is no exception. As Michaelmas term looms, my Instagram feed becomes the site of a curious annual competition, over the whiteness of beaches, the depth of tans and the performativity of poses. This year I chose a different path. I spent a week trudging alone across Norfolk on the Walsingham Way. The Walsingham Way was once among England’s great medieval pilgrimage routes I am not especially religious, but I had wanted to go on a pilgrimage for some time. My Gold DofE, despite my school’s best efforts, had not put me off the prospect of oversized waterproofs and blister-inducing boots.

The true valour needed to go on pilgrimage in Britain

From our UK edition

Every summer solstice, thousands of people gather at Stonehenge to greet the longest day of the year. Judging from the druids in the crowd, you might think this tradition dates back to pagan Britain. In fact, it was started in 1974 by members of a hippy commune who decided to host a free festival among the stones. The Pope, the Dalai Lama and John Lennon were invited, along with a handful of British Airways hostesses. These ‘interactions between ancient and modern faith’ fascinate the travel writer Oliver Smith. On This Holy Island is a journey across Britain, telling the story of a dozen pilgrim destinations and the spiritual seekers drawn to them. As well as recounting the history of these places, it explores how later generations have re-enchanted them.