The Way of St Andrews

[sillydoll]

http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/2012/04/0 ... tradition/

A MEDIEVAL pilgrimage route to major historic religious site is to be resurrected – and organisers hope it will grow to rival a similar event in Spain.

The Way of St Andrews will allow travellers to a route taken by 11th and 12th century Christian devotees who flocked to the Fife town, once home to the largest church in Scotland.

Those behind the trail hope the 62 mile trip, starting from St Mary’s Cathedral in Edinburgh, could prove as popular as the Camino de Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain.
Hugh Lockhart, a parishioner at the Edinburgh church, came up with the idea after hearing about the Spanish journey, which attracts hundreds of thousands of participants every year, and was immortalised last year in a film starring James Nisbett and Martin Sheen.

Mr Lockhart will be part of a group of 60 pilgrims who will set off from the capital in July, they will take the old route out of the city, which is known as St Margaret’s Way..

He said: “It captured my imagination, the idea of walking through the countryside and arriving at this fantastic church, and then I heard that St Andrews had once been a great place of pilgrimage before the Reformation so we decided to give it a go and see what would happen.

 

[JohnnieWalker]

Good luck to this group trying to resurrect an old pilgrimage route hoping is could "prove as popular" as the Camino de Santiago de Compostela.

Slight difference is that the latter is in glorious, sunny and dry (a lot of the time) Spain and the other is in...Scotland!

 

[Dael]

A group of 'old' Santiago pilgrims and friends who live in the east of Scotland meet once a month and walk together. We are currently walking to St. Andrews from Edinburgh on a route known as the "St. Andrews Way" (115km/71miles) which is the subject of a guidebook first published in 2000 by Cameron Black. It probably more authentically follows a medieval pilgrim route via Dunfermline and Falkland from the Queens Ferry over the River Forth. The route SD writes about follows the Fife Coastal Path. Both are lovely routes.
As to our exiled brothers comments about the weather - its true that we often get 4 seasons in 1 day but variety is the spice of life.
p.s JW - shan't see you this year am aiming for St.A. to Iona.
Dael

 

[tyrrek]

Hi Dael!

How did you find the Way of St Andrews? I just heard about it from my aunt in Edinburgh last week and was interested. Is it well signposted, for example, and what are the options for accommodation? Is it largely off road?

Many thanks!

Keith

 

[Peter Robins]

A group of 'old' Santiago pilgrims and friends who live in the east of Scotland meet once a month and walk together. We are currently walking to St. Andrews from Edinburgh on a route known as the "St. Andrews Way" (115km/71miles) which is the subject of a guidebook first published in 2000 by Cameron Black. It probably more authentically follows a medieval pilgrim route via Dunfermline and Falkland from the Queens Ferry over the River Forth. The route SD writes about follows the Fife Coastal Path. Both are lovely routes.

For anyone that's interested, the website is at http://www.thewayofstandrews.com/ though I'd agree that the Dunfermline/Falkland route is the traditional route from Edinburgh - sections of this can still be walked http://www.heritagepaths.co.uk/pathdetails.php?path=203
The new route does though follow a reasonably authentic line from Earlsferry (like the Queensferry instituted for pilgrims), though curiously it does not visit the actual chapel on the headland. :?