A pilgrimage from Canterbury Cathedral to the White Cliffs of Dover
The article recounts the author's pilgrimage along the Via Francigena route from Canterbury to Dover, highlighting the resurgence of pilgrimage in Britain.
Canterbury Cathedral, known for its Evensong services, remains a major pilgrimage destination. According to a 2025 YouGov survey for the British Pilgrimage Trust, 3.7 million British adults have already undertaken a pilgrimage, and nearly one in five are considering one. Torin Brown, the pilgrim officer at the cathedral, notes a resurgence in pilgrimage over the past decade, especially since Covid, as people seek meaning in ancient traditions.
The author begins with an evening service at the cathedral, where the choristers' singing and the honeyed light create a serene atmosphere. The next day, he embarks on a 20-mile walk to Dover along the Via Francigena, a route linking Canterbury to Rome. The path is marked with a pilgrim carrying a staff and overlaps with the North Downs Way.
During the walk, the author faces a heatwave that makes the journey arduous. He remembers Cilla, a volunteer cleaner at the cathedral who calls herself one of the "Holy Dusters" and has worked there for 47 years. Upon reaching Dover, he visits the museum to get his pilgrim passport stamped and finally sees the White Cliffs, a striking sight after the exhausting trek.
While the author hopes to continue exploring European cathedrals in the future, his immediate priorities are ice cream and blister plasters.
