Travel

As an avid reader of historical novels set during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, I have often wondered what remains of the religious communities that once shaped life in the City of London. Most people know Blackfriars station, but how many know why it bears that name? What traces survive of the friars who lived, worked and prayed in the City for more than 300 years? This question inspired Os... Read More

Sharing the story of the (Stellagama) Lizard Memorial in the Palestinian village of Battir during the tours and hikes I lead has been a unique and inspiring experience. It has shown me how art, environmental education, and nature conservation can come together to convey a meaningful message to both local communities and visitors. It is uncommon to find a monument dedicated to an animal anywhere in... Read More

On Friday 29 May, Dr Phil McCarthy, founder of the Hearts in Search of God, a project promoting walking pilgrimage, arrived in Rome after completing a five-week route in the heart of Italy along the 'Via di San Francesco' - the 'Way of St Francis'. Phil described "a great feeling of achievement" and praised the pilgrim team who welcomed him into St Peter's Basilica. The Via di San Francesco is a 5... Read More

Dear ICN, I recently visited English Martyrs Church in Goring by Sea, Worthing, dedicated to the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. It is a very welcoming church, there is a window dedicated to the 40 Martyrs and also some very beautiful glass rescued from the demolition of a local convent. Most interesting of all however is the ceiling - an exact copy of the Sistine Chapel, carefully scaled down... Read More

A Musical Pilgrimage on the Augustine Camino will take place from June 8th-14th 2026. From Rochester Cathedral, we will walk about ten miles a day through the beautiful Kent countryside to Canterbury, then onto the shrine of St Augustine in Ramsgate. Each evening, Eddie Gilmore will perform a little concert in a pub en route. For more details contact Eddie for more details: gileag@gmail.com or vis... Read More

As all Holy Week processions and public services have been cancelled this year in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza - Friends of the Holy Land have brought together a series of beautiful videos filmed in the Holy Land, exploring the places, as they appear today, that Jesus would have journeyed through on His way to the cross. The one shows us the place where Jesus stopped on the Mount of Olives and w... Read More

This Easter, the Lay Community of St Benedict (LCSB) gathers at Cefn Lea in mid Wales for a community celebration of Easter, to which all are welcome to come. This is a unique way of living the Triduum. Away from chores and distractions, planted in the Welsh countryside, we pray and sing together, we enjoy a family friendly atmosphere, and deepen our love of the Lord in this sacrificial feast. Thi... Read More

The 800th anniversary of the death of St Francis of Assisi take place this year. Pope Leo XIV has declared 2026 a special Year of St Francis. Saint Francis was a pilgrim who undertook significant journeys to Rome and Santiago de Compostela and attempted to go on pilgrimage to the Holy Land. He embodied the pilgrim spirit of humility, peace building and seeking God. You could, like Eddie Gilmore, w... Read More

This pilgrim way follows St John Henry Newman's spiritual path, from Evangelicalism, through High Anglicanism and finally to Catholicism. Newman (1801 - 1890) was an English Catholic theologian, academic, philosopher, historian, writer, and poet. He was an Anglican priest, and after his conversion to Catholicism, became a cardinal. He was an important figure in the religious history of England in ... Read More

The Caritas Social Action Network (CSAN) has published a new short pilgrimage guide as a resource for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees that will be celebrated globally on 4-5 October. The guide offers short walking routes in London, Dover and Birmingham, inviting Catholics everywhere to join in pilgrimage as an act of prayer and reflection. The focus is more on solidarity and intention rathe... Read More

Pilgrims across England and Wales are being invited to take part in the Pilgrimage of Hope. The Pilgrimage of Hope is a national walking pilgrimage culminating at the Cathedral Church of St Barnabas in Nottingham on Saturday 13 September 2025, the eve of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The pilgrimage, a key initiative of the Hearts in Search of God project, is designed to inspire ... Read More

The 2025 National Jubilee Walking Pilgrimage of Hope has opened for day pilgrim registration. The Pilgrimage of Hope is a national walking pilgrimage for England & Wales with four main Ways converging at the Cathedral of St Barnabas, Nottingham, on Saturday 13th September 2025, the eve of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. It is an initiative of the Hearts in Search of God project... Read More

It is hard to beat the Suffolk Coast in Spring for old-fashioned Englishness. The tea shops shut at 4pm. Big jars of sweets, awaiting Easter and families heading for Southwold beach or crabbing in the Blythe estuary, look forlorn in Squire's tea room window. South of neighbouring Walberswick reeds are still cut for thatching. Morris dancers appear on May Day. In Suffolk there is no church from wh... Read More

Join the Stella Maris Jubilee Pilgrimage from 26 May - 31 May 2025 and follow the ancient St Cuthbert's Way, walking 62 miles in the footsteps of saints, monks, and medieval pilgrims, all while raising crucial funds for seafarers and fishers. This unforgettable six-day journey takes you from the historic Melrose Abbey in Scotland to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, traversing stunning countryside, ... Read More