On the road to enlightenment
ANOTHER group of celebrity pilgrims hopes for spiritual revelation tonight, as seven stars embark on a journey of self-discovery.
In this series, they are following the path of the revered St Columba, starting in Ireland’s Donegal before travelling into the Scottish Highlands and the Outer Hebrides.
The group includes interior designer Laurence LlewelynBowen, who identifies as a Pagan, practising Muslim and comedian Shazia Mirza and agnostic former Countdown host Nick Hewer, who declares his soul is ‘for sale’ as he searches for answers later in life.
All of them are open to learning more about each other’s beliefs, while also digging deeper into their personal faiths.
The first leg of the walk proves physically challenging for ex-Goggleboxer Scarlett Moffatt, who also admits she is self-conscious about discussing her Christian beliefs with friends, worrying there is a stigma around being openly religious.
She gets support from former cricketer Monty Panesar, who is an active Sikh and helps her rally for the second day of walking. The group hits an emotional moment when they find a religious relic on the route and Scarlett is upset that her fellow pilgrims don’t treat the spot with enough respect.
Meanwhile, it’s not just the blisters and lactic acid causing problems, it’s navigation too, as Shazia leads the group in completely the wrong direction thanks to an unhelpful phone app.
Also walking this path is former Emmerdale actress Louisa Clein, who hopes the experience will help her better understand her own complex relationship with Judaism.