Bookings have recently opened for our 2025 Walking Pilgrimage, the Jubilee Pilgrimage of Hope, taking place from 9th to 24th August 2025. Join us in celebrating 50 years of walking pilgrimages, 60 years of the Arundel & Brighton Diocese, and the Holy Year proclaimed by Pope Francis. Crossing varied terrain across Surrey and Sussex, the route visits every Deanery in the Diocese, together with churches of many denominations that we pass on the way. The pilgrimage is open to all – we already welcome pilgrims of many faiths and from around the world. You can join for a day (or less), a few days, or the whole 2 weeks. Organised entirely by volunteers, our pilgrimages are very affordable.
Our 2025 publicity material is now available to download – please share and/or print and display, and encourage your friends to consider joining us.
On 31 March, Easter Monday 1975, 25 intrepid pilgrims set out from Arundel Cathedral to “beat the bounds” of the Arundel & Brighton Diocese, marking the 1975 Holy Year and the 10th Anniversary of the creation of the Diocese. Little did we know what we were getting ourselves into!
Taking place after an early Easter rather than in August as in later years, we encountered quite a lot of weather. There was snow lying on the South Downs on the first day; heavy rain most of day 3 as we traipsed across Ash Ranges; a blizzard in far East Sussex as we approached Rye. It was weather we were ill equipped for, but it didn’t dampen our spirits.
As we followed the coast West from Rye towards Brighton we started doing “Ring-a-Ring-o-Roses” at each pier we passed. I suspect this started as an attempt to keep warm as we waited for the pilgrims to regroup, but it became part of our identity. On the final day back into Arundel, Bishop Michael Bowen and his dog Jamie walked with us. As we came through Arundel Park approaching our destination, holding hands in a line across the valley, we stopped for one more “Ring-a-Ring-o-Roses”. Most of the pilgrims were still at school, a few of university age, a few older. We were delighted to see that even Bishops “all fall down”.
And that was the start of a 50-year journey, still continuing. For the many youngsters involved in those early years it was a cheap, fun holiday but also a relaxed encounter with their faith. Over the decades our demographic has evolved, but that core quality has remained. It is a religious activity, a pilgrimage, but not only for the converted. So many people, at different stages of their faith journey or even on different paths altogether, have walked with us, brought blessings to us, and been blessed by us. We often encounter pilgrims-of-old who no longer walk with us, but they always remember the pilgrimage fondly: everyone has some recollection of their time “following the orange arrows”.
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From the very start we stopped at churches of all denominations on the pilgrimage, and welcomed pilgrims whatever their background (2 girls from the Baptist Church walked that first pilgrimage). In 1981 we joined forces with Churches Together in Sussex to celebrate St Wilfrid, Apostle of Sussex, and the pilgrimage became officially ecumenical. The manifestation of ecumenism has also evolved over the years, but it’s core to our identify, even in a year when we’re celebrating our roots on Arundel & Brighton Diocese.
The years have taken us to so many places – grand cathedrals, humble chapels, urban landscapes and all kinds of countryside. Not to mention the pubs! With our visit to Rutland in 2024 we have probably visited every (traditional) English county, and many in Wales. We’ve enjoyed great hospitality, overcome some huge challenges and a couple of tragedies. We’ve become a community on the move – both literally and evolving as things change around us. But we are all pilgrims at heart, ready to stand up and sing “He who would valiant be” at the drop of a hat and to follow the orange arrows that will lead us home.
We have so much to be thankful for: the “founding Fathers” Bill Haynes, Bob Garrard and Hans Burgman; those who took up the baton when Bill needed to take a back seat; pioneers and leaders including Alan Fox, Patrick Reeve and Peter Doran (and all those who’ve taken on the Coordinator’s role); all those who worked on the support team shifting our kit, keeping us fed, watered and safe, finding accommodation and routes; the locals who have opened churches, led us in prayer, provided refreshments; and EVERY SINGLE PILGRIM who has brought their own contribution to the pilgrimage.
50 years on, we thank God for the blessings we have received and pray for the success of our 2025 pilgrimage and those to follow.
Bookings are now open for the Jubilee Pilgrimage of Hope in August 2025. Celebrating 50 years of our walking pilgrimages, 60 years of the Arundel & Brighton Diocese, and the Holy Year, this pilgrimage will visit all of the deaneries of the Diocese, whilst continuing our ecumenical tradition by stopping at churches of many denominations along the way.
All are welcome to join the pilgrimage and experience walking as part of our travelling Christian community, whether for a fortnight or just an afternoon! The cost is £350 to walk with us all the way, or £33 per night to book a shorter spell (£31 per night for 7 days or more, 25% discount for under 21s). “Day Pilgrims” pay just £5.
The route covers varied terrain, including the Surrey Hills, the South Downs, and the Sussex Coast. These are our stopping points – further details are available in the booking system.
Horley (Crawley Deanery)
Reigate (Redhill Deanery)
Ashtead (Epsom Deanery)
Weybridge (Weybridge Deanery)
Frimley (Woking Deanery)
Farnham (Guildford Deanery)
Haslemere (Guildford Deanery)
Midhurst (Cathedral Deanery)
Tangmere (Cathedral Deanery)
Goring-by-Sea (Worthing Deanery)
Brighton (Brighton Deanery)
Seaford (Lewes Deanery)
Eastbourne (Eastbourne & St Leonards Deanery)
Modern health and safety considerations mean we cannot squeeze as many people into church / village halls as we used to, which makes it a bit more comfortable than previously but means that numbers may have to be limited. Therefore I would urge early booking to avoid disappointment.
This year we are hoping that parishioners of the deaneries we are passing through will come and join us for some or all of a day. In order to manage numbers we are asking day pilgrims to pre-book this year. This ensures everyone is covered by the Diocesan insurance and we can do appropriate risk assessments.
If you have questions, please address them to our bookings secretary Clare (contact details on the booking page). If you’ve not been before, Clare notes that it is often easier to chat on the phone than exchange emails. If you are thinking of coming for the first time, look at our diaries from previous years which give a good flavour of what goes on, and read the information on the booking page. Oh, “read the information on the booking page” applies to old hands too!
On Saturday 5 April we are holding a reunion to mark 50 years since our first pilgrimage (31 Mar – 13 Apr 1975). All current and past pilgrims are invited to join us for lunch and reminiscences, together with a service of thanksgiving and prayers for deceased pilgrims. For those who wish to join, there will be a morning walk. Limited overnight “floor and breakfast” will be available the nights before and after the reunion. If you can’t make it, comment on this post to share a memory.
Venue
The reunion will be based at the St Philip Howard Centre, Southgate Drive, Crawley, RH10 6RP (formerly DABCEC). There is plentiful parking, and it’s on several bus routes (Southgate Avenue stops)
Walk
The morning walk will take us from Horsham Station to the Centre – we will leave the St Philip Howard Centre at 08:30 and walk to Crawley Station to catch to 08:57 train to Horsham, arriving 09:10. Pilgrims could optionally meet us at either station. If you can, please buy your ticket in advance to avoid delays!
Lunch
A buffet lunch will be served when the walking group has returned to the centre. Please ensure you advise us of any dietary requirements.
Schedule
Friday 4 April
19:00 onwards
Arrivals No food provided, but option to bring your own.
Saturday 5 April
07:00
Breakfast
08:30
Depart for station
08:57
Train to Horsham
09:10
Start walk at Horsham
11:00-11:30
Colgate, Prayers
13:00
Return, St Philip Howard Centre
13:30
Lunch
18:00
Close
Evening
Overnighters take away / pub dinner (not included)
Sunday 6 April
09:00
Depart
Cost
£10 for the lunch, £5 for each breakfast, or any donation you wish to add. Any surplus from the reunion will be donated to charity. Pay on the day. Please book in advance and let us know if plans change, so that we can avoid waste.
50 years ago a group of priests, looking to find a way for young people to celebrate the Holy Year of 1975 and the 10th anniversary of Arundel & Brighton Diocese, planned a walking pilgrimage “beating the bounds” of the Diocese. This became an annual event, the pilgrimage we know and love, going to diverse destinations across England and Wales, becoming Ecumenical, and with an evolving demographic. Over the years this institution has meant so much to the regulars, the “one-off” pilgrims, and people we’ve encountered on the way.
So 2025 will be a year of celebration for us, and we’d love to see old and new pilgrims at two events we are planning. So please SAVE THE DATES!
50-year Reunion in Crawley, 4-6 April 2025
Unlike its successors, the first pilgrimage took place after Easter (31st March – 13th April 1975) so we like to organise an “April Reunion” to mark the major anniversaries.
Whilst the exact schedule is yet to be worked out, the main activities will be on Saturday 5th April, probably involving a short morning walk, a pub lunch, and a social afternoon tea back at the venue, where non-walkers can join us and we can share reminiscences. We’ll have some form of thanksgiving service and remember deceased pilgrims.
Overnight pilgrim-style accommodation will be available for Friday and Saturday nights.
Please spread the word to any past pilgrims you know who might not otherwise hear about the reunion.
Jubilee Pilgrimage of Hope, 9-24 August 2025
As the distances involved in beating the bounds of the Diocese (even cutting more corners than we did in 1975) are beyond our regular mileages, after some thought we have derived a route that visits each of the 11 Deaneries (future “new parishes”) in the Arundel & Brighton Diocese:
Horley (Crawley Deanery)
Reigate (Redhill Deanery)
Epsom (Epsom Deanery)
Weybridge (Weybridge Deanery)
Frimley (Woking Deanery)
Farnham (Guildford Deanery)
Haslemere (Guildford Deanery)
Midhurst (Cathedral Deanery)
Tangmere (Cathedral Deanery)
Goring-by-Sea (Worthing Deanery)
Brighton (Brighton Deanery)
Seaford (Lewes Deanery)
Eastbourne (Eastbourne & St Leonards Deanery)
Note that some accommodation is not yet confirmed, so locations may change a little.
Whilst maintaining our strong ecumenical commitment and visiting churches of all denominations along our route, we hope to inspire people from the deaneries we walk through to join us as day pilgrims. We also hope that “past pilgrims” will join or meet us along the way; and of course new pilgrims are always welcome, whatever your location, background or creed!
Bookings for this pilgrimage will open in February, once the accommodation is finalised. To make sure you hear first, subscribe to updates on our website (https://thepilgrims.org.uk/ via the “Subscribe to Blog via Email” panel)
Having reviewed the successful conclusion of the Heart of England pilgrimage in August, September’s AGM looked forward to our plans for 2025, the 50th anniversary of the first Arundel and Brighton Diocesan Walking Pilgrimage.
Summer Pilgrimage
Our original aspiration had been to repeat 1975’s “beating the bounds” but that proved too long and after a series of iterations we adopted a proposal for a route which visits each of the Moderated Parishes in the A&B diocese. This proved something of a mathematical optimisation challenge, getting to all 11 parishes with our regular constraints of time and distance, but we have a viable route, one which includes a number of places never or rarely visited before by the pilgrims.
Our vision for 2025 is that people from the local communities will join us as day pilgrims in their own areas, for as far as they wish or feel able.
Although the route is based around our Catholic diocese, we have not forgotten our ecumenical credentials and, as we always do, we will be involving and visiting church communities of all denominations as we progress through Surrey and Sussex.
The proposed route (subject to finding suitable accommodation) is shown in the table below. Moderated parish names are shown in square brackets (see https://www.abdiocese.org.uk/diocese/pastoral-plan)
Date
From
To
Sat 9 Aug 25
Horley [Crawley]
Reigate
Sun 10 Aug 25
Reigate [Redhill]
Epsom
Mon 11 Aug 25
Epsom [Epsom]
Weybridge
Tue 12 Aug 25
Weybridge [Weybridge]
Frimley
Wed 13 Aug 25
Frimley [Woking]
Farnham
Thu 14 Aug 25
Rest Day
Farnham
Fri 15 Aug 25
Farnham [Guildford]
Haslemere
Sat 16 Aug 25
Haslemere [Guildford]
Petworth
Sun 17 Aug 25
Petworth [Cathedral]
Arundel
Mon 18 Aug 25
Arundel [Cathedral]
Worthing
Tue 19 Aug 25
Rest Day
Worthing
Wed 20 Aug 25
Worthing [Worthing]
Brighton
Thu 21 Aug 25
Brighton [Brighton & Hove]
Seaford
Fri 22 Aug 25
Seaford [Lewes]
Eastbourne
Sat 23 Aug 25
Celebration Day
Eastbourne
Sun 24 Aug 25
Eastbourne [Eastbourne & St Leonards]
Home
Proposed 2025 Pilgrimage Route
Any plan is a compromise, and we can’t visit every corner of the Diocese; the proposed route is half in Surrey and half in Sussex and includes the far north of the Diocese where we’ve rarely ventured before.
April Reunion
We also decided that there should be an extraordinary reunion (on a date around 31st March, the 50th anniversary of the start of our first pilgrimage). Just a placeholder at present – anyone who could host such a reunion please make contact!
Nobody had offered to organise a weekend reunion this year, so we were grateful that Anne Leggett stepped in and offered a day walk. So it was that 13 pilgrims in total gathered at her house for pre-walk refreshments on Saturday morning. It was raining when we set off but it soon cleared up and remained fine for the rest of the day.
Our route took us up Reigate Hill through the grounds of Gatton Park which are normally closed to the public but we had privileged access as Anne is a gardening volunteer. We knew that the pub we planned to stop in would be very busy so those not carrying their own food bought snacks at the Junction 8 Café on top of Reigate Hill and we sat on the benches there to eat, before proceeding on to the Sportsman at Mogador for drinks. On this walk we had no timetable to keep to so we were able to stop and explore according to whim and we had a very relaxing and enjoyable day. The walk back from Mogador took a similar but more direct route with Maurice leading some of the way. We noticed that Anne chooses narrower and trickier paths than Maurice, for example right along the edge of the North Downs escarpment.
After further refreshments in Anne’s house, the remaining 9 pilgrims concluded the day with dinner in one of Maurice’s favourite places, the Sun Inn, which is the Redhill branch of Wetherspoons. Thanks go to Anne and her brother Mike for their hospitality and Maurice for additional walk-leading expertise.
Anne Leggett invites you to this year’s pilgrimage reunion. It will consist of a day walk only (no overnight stay) starting from Anne’s house, 103 Ladbroke Rd Redhill, Surrey, RH1 1JT. This is 0.3mls North of Redhill railway station almost opposite St Joseph’s Catholic church at the highest point of Ladbroke Rd. Parking for the first 4 cars will be in the drive of the house, then others have permission to park in the St Joseph’s Church car park. Please gather at the house at 9.30am for a 10am prompt start (drink and biscuits will be provided).
Here is a map. The PW in the top right hand corner is St Joseph’s and number 103 is just before it on the other side of the road.
The morning walk will be through Gatton Park (normally only open to paying visitors, but Anne is a gardening volunteer authorised to take you through). Then across to Reigate Hill car park where there is a cafe and toilets.
If wanting a main meal, you must order it in advance from the above menu and if you want to eat in inside, book a table. We have not booked a table as a hefty booking fee is required for a table of more than 5 people. Groups of 5 or fewer pilgrims might want to book a table themselves.
Order food on the spot from the bar snack kiosk in the garden.
Eat own sandwiches on the benches outside the pub on the other side of the road.
The walk is expected to finish between 4pm and 5pm, after which pilgrims might want to attend the 5.30pm vigil mass in St Joseph’s.
If you plan to come to the reunion, please email Anne at reunion@thepilgrims.org.uk ASAP to let her know: (We need to know the numbers needed for Gatton Park access). We will put the pilgrims who have booked in touch with each other so they can organise car shares, lunch table reservations, perhaps plans for an evening meal, amongst themselves.
This year’s pilgrimage reunion will consist of a day walk only (no overnight stay). Details will follow later. For now we can announce that it will be based in Redhill. Pilgrims will be able to get to the start of the walk either by train or by car; free parking will be available. Hold the date of Saturday 19th October.
Our 2024 Pilgrimage, from Worcester via Coventry to Peterborough, will very soon be underway. Pilgrims across the world have started their journeys to Worcester ready for our start on Saturday afternoon.
If you are one of those pilgrims, welcome aboard. You may like to pass on the details below to family or friends.
If not, and you’re close to our route, you’re welcome to join us as a “day pilgrim”, walking a full day or a few yards with us, or maybe just meeting us for prayer at one of our church stops.
If you’re not able to join us this year, you can join as an “e-pilgrim”, following our progress on our web diary. Please pray for us as we will for you as we journey along.
The web diary is now live at www.thepilgrims.org.uk/2024 – for now it has our plans, to be updated with words and picture as we go along.
Diocese of Arundel & Brighton Ecumenical Walking Pilgrimage
