Walking Together: A Guided Pilgrimage in the North York Moors
- Melanie Burnside
- Apr 8
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 11
There is something about walking that changes how we see.
Not quickly, not dramatically, but gently. Step by step, the landscape begins to speak, conversation deepens or quietens, and something within us has space to settle.
On Saturday 9 May 2026, we will gather for a guided pilgrimage along part of the Saint Aelred’s Pilgrim Trail, travelling from Hawnby to Helmsley, with pauses along the way that invite us to notice, reflect, and simply be.
At the heart of the day is a simple understanding: pilgrimage is a journey. Not just across land, but within ourselves. As Revd Ian Robinson puts it, it is about “journeying forward into the future whilst living in the present and remembering our journeys of the past.”
Beginning in Hawnby
We begin at All Saints, Hawnby, where Ian will welcome us and introduce the day.
Pilgrimage, he reminds us, does not belong to one way of believing. It is open, inclusive, and shaped by each person who walks. “It is your pilgrimage – you decide what it is you want to focus on.”
Before we set out, there will be a moment to pause. To set an intention quietly and personally. Nothing forced. Nothing required. Just an invitation.
You can explore more about All Saints, Hawnby in Ian’s short video here:
On the Way
From Hawnby, we begin to walk.
The route carries us through changing landscape, from valley to open moor, with time built in not just for movement, but for stillness. A pause at Shaken Bridge. A longer stop at Newgate Bank, where we share coffee and cake and take in the view.
There is no expectation about how to walk the day. Some will talk, others will walk in silence. Some will move ahead, others will take their time.
The invitation is simple: walk differently. Notice more. Let things rise and pass without needing to solve them. Pilgrimage is not about getting somewhere quickly. It is about arriving more fully in yourself.
East Moors: A Quiet Place
By early afternoon we arrive at St Mary Magdalene, East Moors, a church easily missed and yet deeply rooted in the life of this landscape.
Here we stop for lunch and reflection, hearing something of the church’s story and the lives that have shaped it.
You can watch Ian’s introduction to East Moors here:
Towards Helmsley
The final stretch carries us onwards to All Saints, Helmsley, the beginning and end of the Saint Aelred’s Pilgrim Trail.
We arrive not with fanfare, but with a quieter sense of completion. A chance to pause again, to return to whatever intention we set out with, and to notice what may have shifted along the way.
As Ian reflects, pilgrimage does not need to bring dramatic change. Often it offers something smaller, but no less important: “a slight reorientation towards what matters.”
We will end the day together with tea, cake, and a final reflection.
An Open Invitation
This pilgrimage is open to all who can comfortably walk the distance in a day.
You do not need to be religious. You do not need to know what you are looking for.
Pilgrimage, at its simplest, is walking with attention. And that is something any of us can do.
If you would like to join us, you can find full details and booking here:
There are now only 8 places remaining, so do book soon if you would like to come.
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