Welcome to our collection of pilgrimages to Great Britain. Within our own shores there is a renewed interest in either going on a pilgrimage or visiting a holy shrine as an opportunity to experience the slower pace of life in the past – and to feel a closeness to nature as well as the landscapes and stunning architecture that is in rich abundance in Great Britain.

Iona is one of the oldest centres of Christian pilgrimage and of a monastic community in Britain. The 12th century abbey church stands where Columba’s monastery once stood. Known as St Mary’s cathedral, it is of the Romanesque style. Today the abbey is the home of the Iona Community, an ecumenical Christian community of men and women from all different Christian traditions founded in 1938.

To explore the Northern Saints, Durham is a wonderful base to explore where in 635 St Aidan came from Iona and founded a monastery on the island of Lindisfarne. This became the base for Christian evangelism in the north of England. St Cuthbert later became the abbot and his deeds were recorded by the Venerable Bede. Cuthbert died on Lindisfarne and his shrine soon became the focus for pilgrims.