Day 8 Chilham to Canterbury (Oct. 7, 2010)

The Pilgrim's Way passes right in front of St. Mary's church, Chilham and so, of course, did we. The sun was shining and all was right with the world. Only seven miles to go to Canterbury -- piece of cake.

Past oast houses and sheep, through apple orchards, all in the glorious sunshine. Our pace quickened as we approached the Canterbury (the riding term "canter" comes from the "Canterbury gallop", the faster pace medieval pilgrims on horseback urged their mounts to as they approached the city).

We thought we would see the spires of the great cathedral from the crest of a hill, but we were well within the town when we came around a corner and saw:
Ave mater Angliae (Hail, mother of England).

We proceeded through the West Gate and into the old walled city, where cars are banned and tourists abound. We had a late lunch in an Italian restaurant and then headed for the cathedral.





On presentation of our Pilgrim Passport we were given free entry -- rather gratifying. We went over to the Information Centre and had our Passports stamped. First stamp of the Via Francigena -- Canterbury to Rome.










Once inside we went to the Chapel of The Sword's Point, the very spot where Archbishop Becket (now St. Thomas of Canterbury) was murdered by King Henry's knights, if not on his orders, certainly at his suggestion -- "Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?"

This Chapel is on the north side of the cathedral. On the south side, the Pilgrim Steps proceed to the east, past the Choir to Trinity Chapel. Here, from 1220 to 1538, was Saint Thomas' tomb and shrine and pilgrims came from all over England and northern Europe to venerate the saint. The tomb was richly decorated in gold and jewels and surrounded by a removable wooden cover. The pilgrims proceeded up the Pilgrim Steps and massed all around the outside of the chapel. On cue, one of the canons of the cathedral would raise the wooden cover (it was suspended from a rope in the ceiling) and the pilgrims knelt in veneration.

When Henry VIII broke with Rome he was determined to smash the cult of Saint Thomas, this cleric who had defended the Church against the civil power. He had the saint's bones removed and burned and the ashes scattered to the four winds. The tomb was broken up and the proceeds went to line the pockets of Henry and his courtiers. Henry's triumph was complete, or so it must have seemed.


But today, the Cathedral is once more a place where pilgrims come to venerate Saint Thomas of Canterbury. A lonely candle burns continually in Trinity Chapel marking the spot where Thomas' tomb once stood.

Day 7 Charing to Chilham (Oct. 6, 2010)

Since our ultimate destination is Rome we started the day, appropriately, at the medieval parish church (Anglican) in Charing dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul, the apostles of Rome. The vicar signed our pilgrim passports.

We can now feel the gravitational pull of Canterbury. The archdiocese of Canterbury bought the manor here in Saxon times and, since Charing is a day's travel (about 18 miles) from Canterbury, built a palace here for the archbishop, the ruins of which are still standing, incorporated into some farm buildings beside the parish church:





Pretty easy going today and we made good progress. It rained lightly off and on in the morning, but by 11:30 we had reached Boughton Lees and the rain stopped. We stopped too and had a cup of tea in the Flying Horse Inn and bought some sandwiches for our lunch:






After Boughton Lees the trail turned north, up the Stour Valley towards Canterbury. And it went up again, to the top of the Downs to the King's Wood. In medieval times Pilgrims hurried through here in fear of the robbers who hung out in the woods. Even today, there are dangers: as we entered the woods there was a prominent sign warning of wild boar. We hallooed for a while to scare him/them off, but this seemed a little silly after a while and we stopped, by now quite unconcerned, for lunch:




By 3:30 pm we had reached the delightful town of Chilham, our destination, where we found a 19th century B&B for lodging and a 14th century pub for supper. Our room had a TV and spiritual reading went out the window as we watched a crime drama.

10.6 miles tramped today in 5 hours of walking. Everything is so much nicer in the sun.

Day 6 Hollingbourne to Charing (Oct. 5, 2010)

After starting the day in Lenham with another full English breakfast, we took a taxi back to Hollingbourne where we had left the trail the day before.

The bad news: it rained all day. The good news: the trail was flat and quite straight. Now we were truly on the old Pilgrim's Way. In fact this route is probably pre-historic, linking the Straits of Dover ports to the centre of southern England. It follows the firm and well-drained land at the foot of the scarp of the North Downs, above the area of cultivation. It was wide enough to accommodate large numbers of people -- drovers, soldiers, pilgrims -- and livestock and it ran in an east-west direction, linking up with the superb ports of the Solent and the trails to the minerals of the West.

We saw nobody all morning on the trail with the exception of Brother Percival:


After four hours of walking we reached the lovely village of Charing at 1:30 pm and, as it was raining steadily and Wendy wasn't feeling well, decided to call it a day. We had made just over eight miles, so we were pleased.

This is a pilgrimage and not just a long distance walk. We try to start each day with prayer in a church and say the Rosary during the walk. The early stop gave me a chance to start the book I brought for spiritual reading: Introduction to Christianity by Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI). I bought the book for Lenten reading this year, read it, was very impressed and now I'm reading it again.

Day 5 Aylesford to Hollingbourne (Oct. 4, 2010)

This morning began with Mass, Lauds (Morning Prayer) and a full English breakfast (bacon and eggs, sausage, mushrooms, tomatoes, baked beans on toast) in the 13th century Pilgrim's Hall.
It would be wonderful to be able to spend each night in a monastery welcoming pilgrims, as would have been the case for medieval pilgrims (and is the case today on the Camino de Santiago in Spain). Alas, the Priory is almost alone on the contemporary Pilgrim's Way to Canterbury.

We phoned ahead and booked a room in Lenham, 14 miles away and our destination for the day. And then we set off. Pleasant walking through woods and fields, but very muddy. Soon there was a lot of up and down and quite steep. Up to the ridge line at the top of the Downs and then up and down the valleys cutting into the ridge line.

By early afternoon it was clear that we couldn't make Lenham before dark. So we stopped at 6 pm in Hollingbourne and took the train to Lenham.

We had taken 6 1/2 hours of walking to do 10 miles; less than 2 miles an hour. Lesson for the day: 1 mile on the flat is not the same as 1 mile up and down. Hope northern France is relatively flat....

Day 4 Rochester to Aylesford (Oct. 3, 2010)

After a hiatus of nearly a year we're off again. Took the train this morning to Rochester. Walked through the old Dickensian town (literally -- Dickens spent his early childhood in nearby Chatham and Rochester features in a number of his novels, particularly David Copperfield), past the cathedral and the splendid Castle. We took pictures of the latter for our grandsons.

Chaucer's pilgrims would have continued straight on from Rochester to Canterbury but the direct route they took, the old Roman Road, is now a major arterial road, the A2, so we headed south on the North Downs Way, which largely follows the old Pilgrim's Way from Winchester to Canterbury. Most famously the penitent King Henry II is said to have taken this southern route soon after the murder of Archbishop Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral on December 29, 1107.

We were soon in the woods and walking was very pleasant until it started to rain. And how it rained! Took shelter at the Robin Hood pub for a very good lunch (with only an abstemious half pint for me) and then trudged on, passed Kit's Coty, a stone age burial mound from 2000 BC. Then down into Aylesford and the Carmelite priory there, our destination for the night.

The priory is very busy with visitors and has a remarkable history. It was the first foundation of the Carmelite Order in England in 1242 under its prior, St. Simon Stock. After the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII, it became a private dwelling -- until, in 1949, the Carmelites bought their old home back.

We were zonked -- and after only 7 or 8 miles. Went to bed without supper -- too tired to go out. How on earth are we going to handle the 20+ mile days we'll face in northern France?

This Carmelite prayer seems appropriate in conclusion:

We come to you, St. Simon Stock,
to ask for your help in our pilgrimage of faith.
Like you, we honour Mary, the Flower of Carmel,
and ask her patronage.
Obtain for us, through her intercession,
protection and guidance on our journey through life,
so that we may one day reach our home in heaven
and enjoy the blessings of God's peace.
Amen.