About

Cley-next-the-Sea to Walsingham – 16 miles, 1 day (Alternative start from Morston, 11 miles.) 

Cley/Blakeney Harbour was the most used port on the Norfolk coast in the medieval era, and therefore many pilgrims would have stepped off boats here onto land in order to walk the final stage of their journey to Walsingham. This route starts at the great church of St Margaret’s in Cley, a harbour next to Blakeney, then heading on to Blakeney at the threshold point of the sea shore. It turns inland at the Freshes, where the River Stiffkey meets the sea, then it’s through the stunning landscape of Cockthorpe Common. Pass thorugh disused WWII airstrips before meeting Binham Priory, a ruined Benedictine monastery that would have given hospitality to passing pilgrims just before they arrived at Walsingham. Then you take the final stretch to the destination, the marked spot on the ground where Richeldis de Faverches had her vision of the Holy House of Nazareth, in Walsingham Abbey Gardens.

About The Walsingham Way:

The Walsingham Way is a community and ecumenical partnership enabled by Norwich Cathedral, part of their contribution to the European Green Pilgrimage Network. The heart of the project is a safe to walk pilgrim path – on green lanes and footpaths – from Norwich to Walsingham. Established in 1061, the Holy House and Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham was to become medieval England’s premier pilgrim destination, drawing pilgrims from far and wide. Many on their way to Walsingham passed through Norwich, second only in population and importance to London. Suppressed at the Reformation, the Holy House, Shrine and pilgrimages were re-established in 20th Century. Today, the imperative of developing low carbon tourism and renewed interest in walking pilgrimages combine to makes the Walsingham Way a project for our time.

Pilgrims can extend their Walsingham Way experience by a further 38 miles, if they set out from Great Yarmouth on the Wherryman’s Way. Alternatively, the Great Yarmouth to Norwich leg can be walked as a pilgrim route in its own right – tracing Christianity’s journey from 7th Century mission stations by the seaside, to the modern cathedral city Mother Julian called home.