The pilgrim’s progress
Contemporary pilgrim Anne Hayward has penned a new book that’s sure to inspire more people to explore Wales’ ancient pilgrimage routes, writes Jenny White
FOR almost a decade, Anne Hayward has been following pilgrimage routes around Wales and further a eld. Now, with Where the Saints Came From, she o ers a detailed account of Christian faith in Wales from late Roman times to the present day, supported by details of more than 40 o -the-beaten-track religious sites and artefacts.
ese are spread across Wales, although a handful of them are in England, Brittany, the Isle of Man and Scotland. All have relevance to the story of the Christian faith in Wales, and all are places she arrived at on foot during the course of her pilgrimages.
Anne’s fascination with pilgrimage goes back to 2014, when she was planning a long-distance walk. She had always been aware of the importance of pilgrimage in the medieval period and its place in many world religions, but now she found herself becoming more aware of pilgrimage in a contemporary sense.
“I had originally thought that I would walk across Wales from Cardi to Conwy but, as I began to think things through, I realised that there was a signi cant and ancient religious site roughly in each corner of Wales, that is Holywell, Ynys Enlli (Bardsey), St Davids and Llantwit Major,” she says. “Visiting these places provided the basic structure of my rst pilgrimage, walking around Wales in 2015.”
Since then, she has completed thousands of miles of pilgrimages, ranging from a major trek to Brittany and back in 2016, to a 10-day pilgrimage in Herefordshire last July.
“Each of my treks seems to acquire a signi cance and a theme of its own, at least in my own mind and thinking,” she says. “Something that really stands out, though, is walking from home near Abergavenny to Holyhead in 2017. I was heading for the ferry to Dublin and the very early Irish place of pilgrimage in Glendalough, south of Dublin.
“I still nd that I feel a great sense of wonder at having walked across such glorious scenery and fascinating villages and towns in Wales on that particular walk.”
When she set out on her rst pilgrimage in 2015, she had recently taken early retirement from secondary school teaching. She now spends two to three months of each year walking on pilgrimage.
“At the risk of sounding rather hard-hearted, I just block out big chunks in my diary and, barring any very serious situation with my family, I just go for it,” she says. “I always like to point out that I am available to anyone on my pilgrimages, but just not at home.
“I now describe myself as a long-distance walker and contemporary pilgrim, but this also involves not only writing but also giving talks and presentations to a variety of groups, such as history societies and the U3A, general interest groups, such as Probus and the WI, as well as walking groups and church-based groups.”
She is also a lay minister and takes services in churches and chapels in her local area, as well as being involved in community ministry in the Christian tradition in settings including a local care home. On top of this, she has recently been
nd accepted to join the chaplaincy team on Ynys Enlli (Bardsey Island) and is looking forward to serving as chaplain on the island for a week this summer.
is island, along with the other sites visited in her rst pilgrimage (St Davids, Holywell and Llantwit Major), exempli es what Wales has to o er the contemporary pilgrim.
“I would also suggest visits to the wonderful church of St Melangell at Pennant Melangell in the Berwyn Mountains,” she says. “Another tremendous but very di erent place is the Margam Stones Museum near Port Talbot. is is one of the great sites of south Wales, if not the British Isles.
“Go to Margam and gaze on these extraordinary ancient stones and read the information provided at the exhibition. Combine it with a visit to Margam Abbey (this is now the local parish church, with the museum being close by), which is
Each of my treks seems to acquire a signi cance and a theme of its own, at least in my own mind and thinking
TV programme featuring celebrities walking the North Wales Pilgrim’s Way, is also certainly adding to the interest in pilgrimage.
“I think pilgrimage is special because it’s as if you’re giving yourself permission to have a very di erent sort of time, where the emphasis is on re ection and letting the places you visit speak to you. Even a walking holiday can be very busy.”
Anne always walks alone, although occasionally a friend or family member is able to join her. Each year, her now annual pilgrimage (this year’s is her 10th) is from her home to an ancient religious site, but she also visits all sorts of churches and other places of interest along the way.
“My main concern when I plan is to nd somewhere suitable to stay and this, in e ect, de nes my actual route,” she says. “I’m a lightweight camper – including having a tiny stove on which I can cook simple meals – and stay at campsites where I can; but I also, if necessary, stay in hotels or hostels and am sometimes able to spend the night with friends or family.
“In addition, each year I also do a further shorter pilgrimage which builds on places I have already got to. is has allowed me to get as far north as Iona o the west coast of Scotland and to walk from Carlisle to Lindisfarne, as I did last September.”
She nds delight in all the places she visits and is always struck by the wealth of places and artefacts waiting for their next visitor.
“One especially poignant place, which was a surprise to me, was the Roman Catholic church of Our Lady Queen of Martyrs in Beaumaris, where you can see the very moving memorial to Blessed William Davies, a Tudor martyr from the time of Queen Elizabeth I,” she says.
Asked to sum up what she has gained from being a pilgrim, she adds: “is is almost impossible to put into words, but I would say that I am lled with a sense of great privilege and thankfulness. Above all, I am grateful for my own good health and the life skills and experiences, as well as the ongoing support I have from my
nd husband Martin, which enable me to do what I do.
“It’s been great to be able to share something of the places I have visited in the process of writing the book. My rst book – A Pilgrimage around Wales – was based around the many conversations I had as I walked in 2015, whereas the second – A Celtic Pilgrimage – dealt with my trek from home to Brittany, but I still found myself wanting to write something with a very de nite focus on history, which is what I studied at university and which remains my rst love.
“I hope it’s a good armchair read, but above all I would hope it encourages people to enjoy the bene ts of pilgrimage, slow travel and joys of quiet discovery.”