Pilgrimage 1: Some thoughts
We set off from Corfe Castle on Friday, April 4th, 2025. Sixteen of us, packed lunches in hand, some familiar faces, some new, all of us wondering what the weekend might hold. As we shared sandwiches and stories, we began to find our rhythm—one foot in front of the other, heading towards St George’s church in Langton Matravers.
The sun showed up for us, warm on our backs, while our guide, Hilary, gently invited us to slow down. To notice the wildflowers. The birdsong. The small invitations from God hiding in the hedgerows.
By the time we arrived, something had shifted. The walking had done its work. We were ready—not just to rest, but to encounter God in ways we hadn’t expected.
Here are some photos from the journey, along with reflections from the pilgrims themselves. May they stir something in you, too.
“For me, Pilgrimage was a chance to feel God with me and a chance to play with my friends. I learnt that to complete a pilgrimage you have to go through lots of different things. My favourite thing was doing a human pyramid!”
“For me the pilgrimage was an opportunity to do what I love doing (walking with nature) with like- minded folk; meeting new people, appreciating and learning so much more and even enjoying the ‘silent’ walk! None of this is possible without the love and knowledge of God who puts us all in the right place at the right time
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“For me pilgrimage was an opportunity to slow down and be thankful for all of God’s creation.”
“Pilgrimage was an opportunity to reflect and feel closer to God. I felt closest to God when standing in the middle of the church floor and when we did our silent walk. I enjoyed playing and chatting with the other kids and I found the sky larks impressive. When we did the story stick I found a buttercup hidden in some stinging nettles. I picked it for my stick as I felt it represented hope in the worst of times.”
“For me pilgrimage was about being outside in nature, real life and meeting new people. ”
“Pilgrimage was fun, sleeping in a freezing cold church. Spending time with others. I thought it was kinda cool about the skylark who sings when it goes up and comes down, but doesn’t sing when it’s on the ground. When Hilary spoke, I felt God’s presence like he was around and he was watching us”
“I used to be a climber, so it was great having my hands on rock again. But what stood out was how, at first, it can feel like there are no opportunities—like you just can’t spot the holds for your hands or your feet. But then, once you get your hands onto the rock, everything changes. It becomes this really tactile experience. All the details of the rock—the shape of the holds, the texture—they just sort of come into your hands. And you start to feel more and more. So essentially, the more you feel those details, the more depth comes out for you.”
“For me, Pilgrimage was a chance to intentionally take time out of busy life to connect with God, nature and others. I was challenged by really being present in the moment - not always reflecting on the past or thinking about the future - and how much more we notice and experience by being present. I loved both the physical journey and the spiritual journey we went on. It was such a blessing to experience the incredible beauty of creation, and to share in each others spiritual journeys. I loved the simplicity, the slower pace, and watching the kids loving life.”
“I didn’t realize it was going to be a sort of condensed down version of parts of my story. Particularly being in a wilderness season...I really had a powerful time of just realizing all that God had done and bits what I had to let go of and a simple way of throwing a stone in the water or taking something off and throwing it back to nature to die in the ground- all those sorts of things that meant I was just really thankful at the end I was able to bring that give all that to him”
“It was a chance to slow down and be. ‘Normal’ life can feel like a string of tasks punctuated with, “Next, next, next.” Both the 24 hours before and after have contrasted significantly with our time walking, reflecting and noticing together. My experience on the pilgrimage was a welcome opportunity to be deliberately present and emersed in the ‘now.’ Busyness was replaced by a more contemplative attitude and contentment was found in simplicity.”
