August 1, 2024
Original:
Bifil that in that seson on a day,
In Southwerk at the Tabard as I lay
Redy to wenden on my pilgrymage
To Caunterbury with ful devout corage.
Modern Translation:
It happened that, in that season, on a day
In Southwark, at the Tabard, as I lay
Ready to go on pilgrimage and start
To Canterbury, full devout at heart.
— The Canterbury Tales: General Prologue
Between 1387 and 1400 Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales. It featured 24 stories told by fictional pilgrims as they traveled from the Tabard Inn near Southwark Cathedral in London to the Canterbury Cathedral. Their pilgrimage was to the shrine of Thomas Becket. He was the Archbishop of Canterbury when he was killed in its cathedral in 1170 by knights of King Henry II during a Church and Crown disagreement. He became a saint soon after and pilgrims began to visit Canterbury to view his relics.
The Pilgrims’ Way route traces the path that pilgrims, such as Chaucer’s fictional characters, historically took toward the Canterbury Cathedral. There are several variants of the Pilgrims’ Way, and we crafted a 100-mile route substituting a path along the Thames River to Greenwich and including a spur to the town of Rochester and its historic cathedral.
We set off from London on a Sunday morning from Southwark Cathedral on the south side of the Thames River, near the Tower Bridge.
Before we began hiking we visited the cathedral. A Christian establishment since the 7th century, a church was built on the site in 1106.
We marveled at the stained glass windows, including one honoring Geoffrey Chaucer (top), showing pilgrims leaving the Tabard Inn (middle), and depicting Thomas Becket (bottom).
After our cathedral visit was complete, we took the first steps of our trek.
The first half of our 11.3-mile day took us along the Thames Path, and we passed old streets with renovated docks and warehouses.
We continued following the Thames Path, viewing the more modern Canary Wharf across the river from us.
Soon after, we arrived in Greenwich. It is the location of the Cutty Sark, a restored 19th-century ship, a National Maritime Museum, and the Old Royal Naval College. We had been to Greenwich many years ago with our young daughters, and it brought back memories to walk through the same sites again.
Sites of Greenwich
England is full of ancient routes, with some dating back to the Roman Empire. We saw this first-hand as we trekked Hadrian’s Wall Path two years ago. Today, paths overlap and the same trail can have several names. We left the River Thames at Greenwich, and began hiking on a portion of the Green Chain Walk. It is a 52-mile route that winds through parks and woodlands.
We also left behind all the tourists along the river and at the Greenwich sites. For the remainder of the trek we only saw a handful of other hikers, along with many locals out for a walk. After hiking several miles on the Green Chain Walk, we turned off from a park to a London suburb neighborhood, where we checked into a rented room in a three-story house.
Exploring an Abbey, Rivers, and Woodland
Original:
Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages
And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes
To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes,
And specially from every shires ende.
Of Engelond, to Caunterbury they wende,
The hooly blisful martir for to seke
That hem hath holpen, whan that they were seeke.
Modern Translation:
Then folk do long to go on pilgrimage,
And palmers to go seeking out strange strands,
To distant shrines well known in distant lands.
And especially from every shire’s end.
Of England they to Canterbury went,
The holy blessed martyr there to seek
Who helped them when they lay so ill and weak.
— The Canterbury Tales: General Prologue
Our 12-mile stage on day two began back on the Green Chain Walk. As we hiked, we were surprised to see so much undeveloped land in proximity to London.
Our morning break coincided with exploring the ruins of Lesnes Abbey. The Augustinian abbey was founded in 1178 and dedicated to both the Virgin Mary and the new saint Thomas Becket.
Exploring the Lesnes Abbey ruins
We rejoined the Thames Path for a few miles at the town of Erith before turning away to walk through a marsh along the River Darent. We even saw some grazing horses next to the path.
Our day ended in the town of Dartford, the birthplace of Rolling Stone band members Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.
Looking down the street in Dartford; statue of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards
A warm day greeted us the next morning, with full sun, mid-80°F temperatures, and significant humidity. Most of our hike was along a portion of the 19-mile Darent Valley Path. Each time we passed under the trees, we appreciated the respite from the bright sun.
Even with the tree cover, the humidity made it stifling to walk in the shade along the River Darent. And at other times we needed to hike in the sun through fields of wheat, barley, and lavender.
Walking through the fields in full sun on the warm day
During the 13.1-mile stage, we also trekked under two railway viaducts. The Horton Kirby Viaduct contains 10 arches and spans 390 feet. It was open for use in 1858.
Built in 1862, the Eynsford Viaduct has nine arches and is 75-feet high. As we hiked by, a train was passing through.
Later, we reached Lullingstone Castle. Set on 120 acres, the castle is one of England’s oldest family estates, dating back to the 11th century. It is currently occupied by the 20th generation of heirs.
At the town of Otford we joined with a Pilgrims’ Way path originating from Winchester Cathedral. We had left Dartford early to beat the heat and had almost two hours to kill in Otford before our check-in time at a local B&B about a mile further down the road. So we found a pub (dating back to 1512) and sat in their shady beer garden, enjoying some cold refreshment before finally finishing our stage.
A Cooler Stage of Hiking to a Rest Day in Rochester
Original:
“My lord, the Monk,” quod he, “be myrie of cheere,
For ye shul telle a tale trewely.
Loo, Rouchestre stant heer faste by!
Ryde forth, myn owene lord, brek nat oure game.”
Modern Translation:
“My lord the monk,” said he, “be of good cheer
For you shall tell a tale, and verily.
Lo, Rochester is standing there hard by!
Ride up, my own liege lord, break not our game.”
— The Canterbury Tales: The Monk’s Prologue
We started walking our fourth stage with the weather about 10°F cooler than the previous day. After road walking with some busy traffic, we turned onto a series of paths that paralleled the North Downs Way National Trail at times. The terrain alternated between dense areas of trees and bushes and ridge views of fields and hillside.
Hiking on the trail paralleling the North Downs Way
After completing 13.8 miles, we reached the village of Halling. There, we boarded a local train to ride a few minutes to the town of Rochester.
Rochester is the site of the second-oldest cathedral in England (after Canterbury). We took a rest day in the city to explore its quaint historic area.
Our main focus in visiting Rochester was a trip to its Norman-style cathedral. It was founded in 604, with the present building initiated in 1080.
Of special significance is a pilgrims entrance where the worn steps into the church can still be seen.
We took our time exploring the expansive church and viewing its beautiful quire (choir area), where renovations uncovered a partial Rota Fortunae (Wheel of Life) painting, dating from the 1200s.
Partial Wheel of Life painting and view of the choir area
When we entered the cathedral we spoke to some volunteers about our Pilgrims’ Way trek. They asked if we wanted a pilgrims’ blessing from one of the clergy on duty. Before receiving the blessing, we got a short tour of the cathedral and its major pilgrimage sites.
The cathedral is the resting place of Saint William of Perth, who was a pilgrim from Scotland who was murdered just south of Rochester in about 1201. Above his resting place is a stained glass window depicting a pilgrim.
Viewing the resting place of Saint William of Perth; close-up of the stained glass depicting a pilgrim
After the tour, we received our blessing.
The blessing was as follows:
God of our pilgrimage,
You have given us a desire
to take the questing way
and set out on our journey.
Help us to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus,
that whatever we encounter as we travel,
we may seek to glorify you by the way we live. Amen.
Eternal God,
give us the courage to set off on pilgrimage.
May we travel unhindered by worldly possessions
simply trusting in you for all that we need.
Sometimes our hearts will be heavy as we plod along
and our feet will ache and feel dirty.
Other times we will rejoice as the sun shines
on the path stretching before us.
May we ponder the truth,
that the pilgrim’s journey is never finished till they reach home. Amen.
You call us Lord,
to leave familiar things and to leave our “comfort zone”.
May we open our eyes to new experiences,
may we open our hearts to your love.
Grant that this time spent on pilgrimage
may help us to see ourselves as we really are
and may we strive to become the people you would have us be. Amen.
Lord, you know our beginning and end,
Help us to realize we are only pilgrims on this earth
and save us from being too attached to worldly possessions.
May we experience the freedom to wander,
the freedom to hope, and the freedom to love as we journey. Amen.
The words of the blessing really resonated with us, as we felt invigorated by all we had seen and done during the first four days of our trek. Yet we could also feel the aches and pains that result from hiking 50 miles carrying 15 to 20 pound backpacks.
With our trek halfway complete, we still have 50 more miles in Chaucer’s footsteps to Canterbury Cathedral. Then, we will travel south to begin an even longer trek: 700 miles on another historic route: the Via Francigena that ends at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.
