Latin Mass Society

Walsingham Pilgrimage Information Pack

The Latin Mass Society’s

Walking Pilgrimage

from

Ely to Walsingham



Information For Pilgrims:

What to expect,

how to get there and back,

& what you will need.


  1. Introduction

  2. 1. What is it like?

    1. 1.1 Walking

    2. 1.2 Baggage

    3. 1.3 Camping and sleeping indoors

    4. 1.4 Food and special diets

    5. 1.5 Liturgy, Confession, and Spirituality

    6. 1.6 Singing and the Pilgrim’s Handbook

  3. 2. Should I go on the Pilgrimage?

    1. 2.1 A Note on Children

    2. 2.2 Volunteering on the Pilgrimage

    3. 2.3 Day Pilgrims

    4. 2.4 Pilgrimage Benefactors

  4. 3. Practical questions

    1. 3.1. Registration and late arrivals

    2. 3.2 Getting to Ely and home again afterwards

    3. 3.3 The conclusion of the Pilgrimage: Sunday afternoon

    4. 3.4 Staying on Sunday night and Mass on Monday

    5. 3.5 What you need for the Pilgrimage

    6. 3.6 B&Bs in Ely

    7. 3.7 B&Bs in Walsingham

    8. 3.8 A Note on getting to the Catholic Shrine by car

    9. 3.9 How to apply

  5. 4. The LMS and you: insurance and disclaimers

  6. Appendix: Typical walking schedule for the Walsingham Pilgrimage



Journeying together to shrines and taking part in other manifestations of popular piety, also by taking one’s children or inviting others, is in itself an evangelizing gesture.” Let us not stifle or presume to control this missionary power!

 

Pope Francis Evangelium gaudii (2013) 124


Introduction

Walsingham was one of the great shrines of Medieval Christendom, alongside Santiago de Compostella, Rome, and Jerusalem. Of these, it was the only one dedicated to the Mother of God. Thousands of pilgrims, both rich and poor, travelled great distances to pray at a shrine modelled on the Holy House, built at the request of the Blessed Virgin Mary herself, by a Saxon noblewoman—perhaps King Harold Godwinson’s Queen, Edith the Fair—before the Norman Conquest.

These pilgrims frequently walked, not only out of necessity, but out of devotion, often doing the last stage barefoot: a practice adopted even by Kings.

The despoliation and destruction of the Shrine in 1537, with the shrine image being burnt in London, is a symbol of the avarice and sacrilegious vandalism of that era. The restoration of true devotion to Our Lady of Walsingham is a cause all English Catholics should hold dear. They can advance that cause by going in pilgrimage to the restored Catholic shrine, raised to the status of a minor Basilica by Pope Francis in 2015.

The Latin Mass Society has organised pilgrimages to Walsingham since its own earliest years. In 2010 we had our first walking pilgrimage from Ely, with a dozen pilgrims. Since then we have refined the organisation of the Walking Pilgrimage, and grown to our present size, of between 70 and 90 people.

Our Pilgrimage was inspired by the walking pilgrimages to Walsingham of the Middle Ages, and of the Guild of Our Lady of Ransom in the more recent past. Similar pilgrimages have been restored by Catholics attached to the Church’s ancient liturgy in many countries, notably the great Chartres Pilgrimage in France, and the Christus Rex Pilgrimage in Australia; similar pilgrimages flourish in the USA and Canada, Russia, and elsewhere.

The Walsingham Pilgrimage is physically demanding, but in equal measure, if undertaken in the proper spirit, it is rewarding. The seriousness of the walk—of about 59 miles, completed in two and a half days—expresses the seriousness of our devotion. If you feel called on to take part in the Pilgrimage, this booklet has been designed to give you the information you need in advance.

The date of the Pilgrimage each year is fixed by the UK August Bank Holiday, which falls on the last Monday of August. Our Pilgrimage takes place from Friday to Sunday leading up to that Monday, with an additional Mass on Monday morning for those who have stayed overnight in the area. On Sunday we are joined by other pilgrims, and the Society arranges a coach for the day trip from central London.

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Part 1. What is it like?

1.1 Walking

Adults should not take part in the Pilgrimage as walking pilgrims unless they realistically believe they can complete it on foot. §§2.2, 2.3 and 2.4 explain about alternative ways of taking part in the Pilgrimage without doing the walking.

The route is approximately 20 miles on Friday, 22½ miles on Saturday and 16½ miles on Sunday: a total of 59 miles. We walk at a fairly brisk pace, averaging 3mph (excluding scheduled breaks). We have breaks at roughly 2hr, or shorter, intervals: a morning break, a lunch break, and an afternoon break. (See the Schedule at the end of this booklet for typical details.)

This may sound daunting, but it is significantly shorter than the route of the Chartres Pilgrimage, and importantly there are few, and very gentle, hills. You don’t have to be an athlete to do it. For young and habitually active people it generally does not pose a problem, but it can be a challenge for young children, and for older or more sedentary pilgrims. For these, some kind of physical preparation for the Pilgrimage will pay dividends. Generally speaking, if you are in reasonably good physical shape, you’ll be able to do it.

For reasons of road safety we are obliged to keep the column of pilgrims, organised into two or three ‘chapters’, in a condensed form, without gaps forming within chapters or stragglers strung out behind. Those falling behind or unable to walk further for any reason are picked up at pre-arranged points, after the column has moved on, at spots where it will be safe for pilgrims to wait and safe for a vehicle to stop to pick them up, as indicated by the marshals, who will inform the support drivers. Pilgrims will be taken either to the lunch stop (in the morning) or the evening stop (in the afternoon).

It is impossible for us to provide portable lavatories. At some of our stops, pilgrims can use the facilities of a nearby public house; at some others, a lift to a public convenience may be possible.

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1.2 Baggage

As well as a ‘day sac’ (small rucksack) with what is needed for the day’s walk, pilgrims have a larger bag with everything else, plus tent (if camping outside) and bedding. Before we set off each morning these are loaded into our luggage van, which will take them to the evening stop. It is not possible for pilgrims to get access to these bags during the day.

The luggage van can only take proper bags which are closed and secured; we cannot ferry plastic carrier bags and the like. Luggage must not contain bottled water, as the bottles will be crushed and leak.


1.3 Camping and sleeping indoors

On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings we have the use of playing fields for pitching tents.

We also have the use of some indoor accommodation for these nights: the floor of the hall where we have supper. This can be used by female pilgrims and children of 12 and under, if they prefer not to sleep in a tent. They will need a sleeping bag and mat.

At our overnight stops there are extremely limited facilities to dry wet clothes, and on Friday and Saturday evenings, but not Thursday, there are a small number of showers.

On the Thursday evening, in Ely, it is possible to book a B&B or hotel, which is worth considering because of the proximity of the campsite to Ely Station, which can be noisy until late at night. We give some suggestions in §3.6 below.

On Sunday evening pilgrims who wish to stay in Walsingham must make their own arrangements. See §3.7 for suggestions.

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1.4 Food and special diets

Our volunteer cooks provide hot evening meals on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and breakfast (bread with butter and jam &c., cereal, porridge, and hard-boiled eggs) on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. On Friday the evening meal is meat-free.

Bread rolls are provided at lunch time, and water is provided at the stops.

Our cooks will provide those pilgrims who have indicated special needs in advance, with vegetarian or a gluten-free evening meals. Other dietary needs are the responsibility of individual pilgrims.

All pilgrims will need to bring supplementary food for lunch each day. Please note that you will not have access to refrigeration, cooking or washing-up facilities, or hot water.

It should be noted that the cooking team greatly appreciates offers to help with the washing up, and with the clearing away of tables and chairs, following meals.

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1.5 Liturgy, Confession, and Spirituality

The heart of the Pilgrimage is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, we have Sung, and normally High, Mass (with deacon and subdeacon). On Friday and Saturday this is arranged early so pilgrims can have their breakfast after Mass. Low Masses are said for those volunteers unable to attend the main Masses each day.

These Masses are in the Extraordinary Form or Vetus ordo, that is, the Traditional Latin Mass. They are accompanied by a Gregorian Chant schola of walking pilgrims, and celebrated by our chaplains. All the texts of the Masses are provided for pilgrims.

The venues for the Masses are the Catholic parish church in Ely, St Ethelreda’s (Friday); the family chapel of the recusant Bedingfeld family, the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception and St Margaret, at Oxburgh Hall (Saturday); the Reconciliation Chapel at the Catholic Shrine in Walsingham (Sunday); and the Slipper Chapel at the Catholic Shrine (Monday).

We have two or more priests on the pilgrimage with us, our Chaplains, and a number of seminarians and religious.

As well as celebrating Mass, our chaplains hear Confessions on the road, give spiritual conferences, lead the pilgrims in prayers, and are available to talk to pilgrims more informally.

Each day we sing or say the Rosary, the Angelus, and a Litany, as well as many other things. There are also periods of quiet reflection and opportunities to talk to one’s fellow pilgrims.

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1.6 Singing and the Pilgrim’s Handbook

As just noted, pilgrims sing many prayers on the pilgrimage; these are included in our comprehensive, 150 page, pocket-sized Vademecum Peregrini: A Pilgrim’s Handbook. This also contains the Ordinary of the Mass, commonly used Mass Propers, numerous prayers, information about Walsingham and other pilgrimages, and a large collection of chants, hymns, and songs, many with musical notation, in Latin, English, and—as a homage to the traditions of the Chartres Pilgrimage—in French. It is a small monument to the spiritual and cultural traditions of which we are the inheritors.

The book is available on the self-publishing website Lulu. It can be collected at the start of the Pilgrimage, purchased in advance, (though your 2017 or later copy will be reusable on future pilgrimages): these options should be specified on the on-line booking form.

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Part 2. Should I go on the Pilgrimage?

We welcome everyone on the pilgrimage. As noted above, the physical demands of it should be taken seriously, as should Pilgrimage’s spiritual character. These two aspects make the Pilgrimage what it is, which has proved itself over the years to be an opportunity for prayer and penance, an occasion of many graces, and also very enjoyable at a social level, as the common purpose and experience of the Pilgrimage unites a group made up of all ages and all kinds of backgrounds.

2.1 A Note on Children

For reasons of compliance with our Safeguarding policy, anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a responsible adult on the pilgrimage. Those under 16 must be accompanied by a responsible adult at all times, for example if he or she drops out of the walk during the day. This needs to be a parent, guardian, or a person arranged in advance with the parent or guardian, known to the child. Since parents or guardians are present on the Pilgrimage, children remain their responsibility, not the Latin Mass Society’s, and for the purposes of the Pilgrimage we do not ask our volunteers to undergo DBS (Criminal Records) checks, as we would for an event involving the supervision of children.

The physical demands of the Pilgrimage are generally too much for children under 12, and if they join the Pilgrimage then it is to be expected that they will drop out for sections of the walk.

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2.2 Volunteering on the Pilgrimage

The Latin Mass Society’s Walking Pilgrimage relies entirely on volunteers to make it possible, some of them walking, and some of them in other roles. They all make the Pilgrimage, even if they do not walk it, and share in its graces.

Each Chapter of the walking pilgrims has a ‘Chef de Chapitre’, and a Cantor to lead the singing. The Pilgrimage also includes Chaplains, Marshalls, and qualified First Aiders.

There is a cooking team to prepare the evening meals and breakfast each day, and deliver bread to the pilgrims at lunchtime.

There is a team of drivers, who transport the heavy luggage, the cooking equipment, and vestments and other liturgical items, and also meet the pilgrims at stops with water, and to pick up pilgrims who have to stop walking. At the beginning and end of the Pilgrimage, they also help to take people between Walsingham, Ely, and London.

There is a small, all-male schola, led by the chapter Cantors, composed of experienced singers, who sing at Mass, and a team of servers, led by a seminarian or religious Master of Ceremonies.

All of these roles are filled by volunteers, and fresh volunteers for any of them are welcomed each year. We do not charge the full fee for those undertaking roles which make ordinary participation as a walking pilgrim more difficult or impossible.

It is particularly difficult finding volunteers with experience driving minibuses, so if you have this experience we would be pleased to hear from you.

Those interested in volunteering as a cook or driver should get in touch with the Office by the end of June. For the other roles, you can indicate a willingness to help on the on-line application form.

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2.3 Day Pilgrims

Another way of participating in the Pilgrimage, without walking the full distance, is to come for the day on Sunday: to attend High Mass, walk the Holy Mile, and take part in the concluding devotions on the site of the Holy House.

Pilgrims can make their own way to Walsingham to join the Pilgrimage there; High Mass is at 2pm in the Reconciliation Chapel of the Catholic Shrine. See §3.8 or driving to the Shrine.

The Latin Mass Society organises a coach from London, which leaves Ambrosden Avenue, next to Westminster Cathedral, at 9:15am, and takes pilgrims to the Catholic Shrine. For the return trip it leaves the Friday Market, close to the Priory grounds where the Holy Mile concludes, at 5:30pm and arrives back in Ambrosden Avenue at 8:30pm.

Pilgrims must book the coach in advance; it costs £25 for the round trip (£20 for LMS members).

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2.4 Pilgrimage Benefactors

Another way of participating in the Pilgrimage without necessarily walking it, is to sponsor the pilgrims. The Pilgrimage fees do not cover the costs, and we need to find benefactors, for example to cover the costs of the chaplains and other volunteers.

In the Middle Ages those who could not go on pilgrimage in person would often give money to poor pilgrims to enable them to travel, and in this way share in the graces received, asking the pilgrims to pray for their intentions at the shrine. Similarly, the Guild of Our Lady of Ransom used to carry a satchel of written petitions, from supporters, to Walsingham. There is a box for such written petitions in the Slipper Chapel.

In the same spirit, the Latin Mass Society seeks sponsors for our pilgrims. In return we will: -Pray during the Pilgrimage for named or anonymous benefactors
-Offer one of the Pilgrimage Masses for our benefactors
-Carry to Walsingham, and deliver to the shrine, written petitions.

To take part in this way, please visit the sponsorship page

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Part 3. Practical questions

3.1 Registration and late arrivals

Registration is in Ely on Thursday evening, in the Methodist church hall, Chapel Street, Ely, CB6 1AD, between 4 and 7pm. A cooked meal will be served around 7pm.

If you have to arrive later please let us know in advance, in the space provided on the on-line booking form. If we are expecting you and you are delayed, please ring one of the contact numbers provided.

Late arrivals should note that the ‘under cover’ accommodation option for the ladies and young children is the same Methodist Hall where we have dinner; the open-air campsite is the Amherst Field, next to Ely Station. The luggage van will take the bags of camping pilgrims to the Amherst field at the conclusion of dinner, and collect them in the morning before Mass.

Mass on Friday morning is before breakfast, at 6:30am, at St Etheldreda’s Church, which is close to the Methodist Hall. After Mass, all the pilgrims return to the Methodist Hall for breakfast, receive the Pilgrim’s Blessing, and begin the walk.

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3.2 Getting to Ely and home again afterwards

To get to Ely for the start of the Pilgrimage, pilgrims have four options.

i. Get to Ely by rail. The station is next to the campsite we use, the Amherst Field, and less than a mile from the Methodist Hall.
ii. Get to to Ely by minibus from London, from St Bede’s, Clapham Park (58 Thornton Road, SW12 0LF), departing at 10:00am. This must be booked in advance, and there is a fee of £5.
iii. Drive to Ely and park there. Pilgrims choosing this option will have to find a place to park their cars for the duration of the Pilgrimage.
iv. Recommended for drivers: drive to Walsingham, park in a car park at the Catholic Shrine. (On getting to the Shrine, see §3.8.) Ideally, drop off baggage and passengers in Ely on your way.

For options i-iii, we will arrange a lift for you from Walsingham back to Ely or London on Sunday afternoon or Monday morning.

For option iv, we will give you a lift from Walsingham to Ely on Thursday afternoon.

The lifts work as follows. All need to be booked in advance with the online Pilgrimage booking form; some options require a small fee.

From Walsingham to Ely on Thursday: a minibus will collect people from the Shrine at Walsingham and brings them back to Ely, passengers must be ready to leave the Shrine at 4:30pm. No charge.

From Walsingham to Ely on Sunday: support vehicles and private cars take people back to Ely on Sunday afternoon, to collect their cars or catch a train. Pilgrims taking this option will be put in touch with their drivers, but they are likely to leave Walsingham at about 5:30pm and be in Ely before 7pm. No charge.

From Walsingham to London on Sunday: pilgrims can join the LMS coach which brings day pilgrims from London, and returns to London from Walsingham at 5:30pm. It goes to Ambrosden Avenue, next to Westminster Cathedral, and arrives there at about 8:30pm. Cost for one-way journey: £15.

From Walsingham to Ely and London on Monday: the minibus takes people back to Ely, for trains or cars parked there, and then on to London, finishing at St Bede’s, Clapham Park (58 Thornton Road, SW12 0LF), leaving at around 12 noon from the Catholic Shrine. Cost: £5.

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3.3 The conclusion of the Pilgrimage: Sunday afternoon

The final stages of the Pilgrimage are as follows. We arrive in the Catholic Shrine at about 1:15pm. This is in Houghton St Giles, a mile from the site of the Medieval Shrine in Little Walsingham. We have High Mass at 2pm in the Reconciliation Chapel in the Shrine complex.

The luggage van will take pilgrims’ bags to the Shrine car park for those with cars there. Bags need to be transferred into cars before Mass at 2pm.

At about 3:30pm, the pilgrims form a procession which walks the Holy Mile, the last mile of the Medieval Pilgrimage route, to the ruined Priory where the Holy House was located. Here there are prayers, devotions, and a final blessing. We are asked to be out of the Priory Grounds by 5pm.

On departure from the Priory, pilgrims are a short distance from the Friday Market in Little Walsingham, where the luggage van will have taken the remaining bags, for those pilgrims either taking the coach to London that afternoon, or staying the night in Walsingham.

The coach will also leave from the Friday Market, at 5:30pm.

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3.4 Staying on Sunday Night and Mass on Monday

Those wishing to stay in Walsingham on Sunday night must make their own accommodation arrangements. See §3.7 below for suggestions.

It has become a tradition of the Pilgrimage that some of the pilgrims staying overnight in Walsingham on Sunday eat together.  The meal is taken in the Pilgrim's Bureau.  Whether you are staying there or not, you must book your own meal direct with the Pilgrim's Bureau.

At 10am on Monday morning, one of the Chaplains celebrates a Sung Mass in the tiny Slipper Chapel in the Catholic Shrine complex. This is a Medieval chapel, originally dedicated to St Catherine, marking the start of the Holy Miles, which was restored to Catholic worship in 1934, and now houses the Shrine image.

The minibus departs from the Shrine to Ely, and from there to St Bede’s in London, after this Mass, at about 12noon.

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3.5 What you need for the Pilgrimage

i. Bags/ rucksacks

All pilgrims need a large bag for things you are not taking with you during the walk, and a comfortable ‘day sac’ for carrying what you need on the day. The larger bag must be able to close properly. Tents, bedding &c. may be separate, though the fewer items needing to be loaded and unloaded the better.

ii. A copy of A Pilgrims’ Handbook; see §1.6 above. iii. Food and water

As noted in §1.4 above, you will need to bring your own supplies to supplement lunch and for eating on the road. There are supermarkets in Ely, but thereafter access to shops won’t be easy, so please plan for the whole pilgrimage. You will need things which are easy to eat without preparation and which will keep without refrigeration until consumed. Many pilgrims take cheeses (in sealed packets), salami-type sausage, and food in small jars or tins, which can be eaten with the bread provided at lunch time. Salted snacks (peanuts, crisps) will also help to maintain your salt levels in hot weather. Water for pilgrims is available at the overnight stops from outside taps; at the rest stops, it is provided out of jerry-cans. It is essential therefore for pilgrims to have a large bottle or water-carrying bag which fits into a day sac, of about a litre in capacity or more.

iv. Camping items

Those sleeping indoors will need to bring a sleeping mat and sleeping bag; those outdoors will need these, plus a tent. A ‘pop-up’ or ‘festival’ type tent, which are very cheap, are perfectly adequate.

Summary camping checklist:

  • big bag
  • day sac
  • a tent (for those camping outdoors)
  • a torch (ideally)
  • sleeping bag
  • sleeping mat/inflatable mattress
  • towel
  • toiletries
  • good shoes/ boots for walking
  • sun hat
  • sun screen
  • food for lunch and eating on the road (and knife etc. for lunch)
  • water bottle or bag
  • waterproof coat/ poncho

v.The two things which most effect walking pilgrims, apart from simple tiredness, are sun stroke, in hot weather, and blisters on feet. Both are preventable.

Against sun stroke, ensure you have a hat with a brim, sun screen, and enough water for two hours’ walking: for most people, about a litre, or more in hot weather. Electrolyte tablets to add to your water, in very hot weather, can make an enormous difference, and are highly recommended.

Against blisters, you need to ensure you have comfortable shoes or boots, designed for walking long distances, much of it on metalled roads, with appropriate socks. You may need to experiment with what works best for you. Some people find surgical tape, available from chemists, helpful.

It is also worth noting also that the second leg of the walk, between the morning break and the lunch break on the Friday, we walk on a path beset with tall, coarse grasses and stinging nettles, when leg coverings are advantageous. After lunch on the same day, we use a section of path overgrown with brambles. The rest of the route, on roads, tracks, and bridleways, does not present any special problems.

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3.6 B&Bs in Ely

These are not recommendations and you must take responsibility for checking out the quality, prices, availability etc. of each venue.
-Ely Guest House, 6-8 St Mary’s Street, Ely CB7 4ES Tel. 01353-665011 -The Castle Hotel, 50 New Barns Road, Ely CB7 4PW Tel. 01353-662276 -The Lamb Hotel, 2 Lynn Road, Ely CB7 4EJ Tel. 01353-663574 -Poet’s House, St Mary’s Lodge, St Mary’s Street, Ely CB7 4EY Tel. 01353-887777

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3.7 B&Bs in Walsingham

-Belonging to the Catholic Shrine is Elmham House (the pilgrims’ hostel):
Pilgrim Bureau, Friday Market Place, Walsingham, Norfolk, NR22 6EG; Telephone: 01328 820217 elmhamhouse@walsingham.org.uk -The Bull Inn, 8 Common Place, Walsingham, NR22 6BP; Tel. 01328 820333 Email: info@walsinghambull.co.uk -The Black Lion Hotel, Friday Market, NR22 6DB Tel 01328 820235. Email: info@blacklionhotelnorfolk.co.uk


3.8 A Note on getting to the Catholic Shrine by car

i. For most vehicles, it is important to avoid going through a ford just outside the Catholic Shrine to Our Lady of Walsingham.

The Shrine’s postcode is NR22 6AL. Coming from the South you are likely to approach along the Fakenham Road, leading to Little Walsingham. Google Maps directs you to take a dog-leg instead of turning left down Gray’s Lane. That is because Gray’s Lane crosses the ford, so resist the temptation to take the short cut. If your Sat Nav directs you down Gray’s Lane, ignore it and take the next, sharp, left.

The Shrine itself recommends using the postcode NR22 6AS for Sat Nav, which, when approaching from the South, takes you on a different route: the B1105, going through West Barsham, and then turning right onto Green Way. The postcode takes you to the middle of this lane, but keep going, and turn left at the junction, following the sign to the Shrine.

ii. The weekend of our Pilgrimage is also the concluding weekend of the Youth 2000 week in Walsingham. This is a very large event, taking up several fields around the Shrine, with tents, temporary car parks, and so on. Parking in the Shrine’s usual car park will not be possible, so please follow the direction of the stewards and signs to an overflow car park, and be vigilant about security.


3.9 How to apply

All applications are dealt with online, through the LMS website. We will endeavour to answer questions by email or phone. See the back of this booklet for contact details. The deadline for applications is 15th August. Places are limited and may run out before that date.

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Part 4. The LMS and you: disclaimers

Participants in the LMS Walking Pilgrimage from Ely to Walsingham are expected to be responsible adults, or, if minors, to be accompanied by a responsible adult. Ultimately, decisions about what you can and cannot do in the way of walking, whether you are drinking enough water, and so on, are yours to take at your own risk.

We do have responsibility for the conduct of the pilgrimage as a whole, however, and its effect on other road users, those providing us with overnight shelter, the custodians of the churches and chapels we use, and so on. We therefore expect that pilgrims behave in a reasonable way, and comply with the requests of Chiefs de Chapitre, Marshalls, and other organisers. We reserve the right, for any or no reason, to refuse or cancel a booking, or to exclude anyone from the Pilgrimage during the Pilgrimage itself, without appeal or refund.

As noted in 2.1 above, children remain the responsibility of the adult who is deputed to accompany the child on the Pilgrimage. Children under 16 must be accompanied by such an adult at all times, for example if he or she drops out of the walk. For our part, we do our best to look after pilgrims in difficulties. We will pick up stragglers; we are accompanied by qualified First Aiders; and the Society is covered by Public Liability insurance.

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Appendix: Typical walking schedule for the Walsingham Pilgrimage

#Time
hr:min
        MILES
14:00     THURSDAY
Methodist Hall opened up for caterers
   
14:30-15:00     Minibus arrives in Ely    
16:00     Pilgrims parking cars in Houghton St Giles depart by minibus for Ely    
16:00-19:00     Registration: Methodist Hall, 13-15 Chapel Sreet, CB6 1AD    
16:00-19:00     Dinner: Methodist Hall    
20:00   Dep for Amherst Field
(between Ely Railway Station CB7 4BS and the river) for outside campers except:
Schola rehearsal: Methodist Church
   
20:00     Clergy to access St Etheldreda's Presbytery    
      FRIDAY    
05:45     Wake-up call at Amherst Field    
06:30     High Mass: St Etheldreda's Church
19 Egremont St, CB6 1AE
   
07:45     Breakfast: Methodist Hall    
08:40     Pilgrim's Blessing    
08:50     Ely Cathedral    
09:15   Dep Ely Cathedral   0
  1:50     5.5  
11:05
Rest
  Arr The Swan on the River
1 Sandhill, Littleport CB6 1NT
  5.5
11:35   Dep The Swan, Littleport   5.5
  1:45     4.0  
13:20
Lunch
  Arr The Ship Inn, Brandon Creek
PE38 0PP
  9.5
14:30   Dep The Ship Inn, Brandon Creek   9.5
  2:00     5.5  
16:35
Rest
  Arr Corner before Sugar Factory stop
Map ref. 66E 96N
  15.0
16:55   Dep Corner before Sugar Factory stop   15.0
  1:50     5.0  
18:35   Arr All Saints Academy, Stoke Ferry
Wretton Road, PE33 9QJ
Dinner
  20.0
      SATURDAY    
05:45     Wake-up call at All Saints Academy    
06:45   Dep All Saints Academy, Stoke Ferry   20.0
  1:05     3.0  
07:45   Arr Oxburgh Hall PE33 9PS
NB Schola to warm up before Mass
  23.0
08:00     High Mass    
09:30   Dep Oxburgh Hall    
  0:10     0.5  
09:40
Breakfast
  Arr Oxborough Village Hall   23.5
10:30   Dep Oxborough Village Hall   23.5
  1:20     4.0  
12:00
Rest
  Arr Beachamwell stop
Opposite entrance to
Beachamwell Hall, PE37 8BQ
  27.5
12:15   Dep Beachamwell stop   27.5
  1:05     3.0  
13:20
Lunch
  Arr Forestry lunch stop
Where track crosses A1122
Map ref. 767E 095N
  30.5
14:10   Dep Forestry lunch stop   30.5
  2:10     5.0  
16:20
Prayers
  Arr Castle Acre Priory   35.5
16:30   Dep Castle Acre Priory   35.5
  0:10     1.0  
16:40
Rest
  Arr The Ostrich Inn, Castle Acre
Stocks Green, PE33 2AE
  36.5
17:05   Dep The Ostrich Inn, Castle Acre   36.5
  2:10     6.0  
19:15   Arr Great Massingham Village Hall
Station Road, PE33 2JQ
  42.5
19:30     Dinner    
      SUNDAY    
06:00     Wake-up call at Great Massingham    
06:30     Breakfast    
07:20   Dep Great Massingham   42.5
  1:30     4.6  
08:50
Rest
  Arr Painswhin Farm
NR21 7BZ
  47.1
09:00   Dep Painswhin Farm   47.1
  1:30     4.4  
10:30
Lunch
  Arr Shereford (early lunch)
Just beyond Sculthorpe Mill, NR21 9QG
  52.0
11:15   Dep Shereford   52.0
  2:00     6.0  
13:15   Arr Roman Catholic Shrine
Houghton St Giles, NR22 6AL
  58.0
13:25     Schola rehearsal, Chapel of Reconciliation
Transfer bags from luggage van to private cars in
the Shrine overflow car park.
   
14:00     High Mass    
15:30   Dep Holy Mile    
16:15   Arr Walsingham Priory Ruins NR22 6BP
Devotions: official conclusion of Pilgrimage.
   
16:50   Exit Walsingham Priory Grounds    
17:30     LMS Coach to London leaves: assemble at the
Friday Market (turn left our of Priory Grounds)
   
19:30 tbc     Dinner in Elmham House
Pilgrim Bureau, Friday Market Place, NR22 6EG
   
      MONDAY    
09:50     Schola to assemble in Slipper Chapel    
10:00     Sung Mass: Slipper Chapel, RC Shrine    
c. 12:00     Minibus departs for London from
Catholic Shrine overflow car park
   

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