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In October 2020, I walked the Pilgrim’s Way from London to Canterbury on my own, just before the second UK lockdown. In this interview, I discuss the pilgrimage with Kevin Donahue from Sacred Steps Podcast.

You can find more reflections in my book, Pilgrimage: Lessons Learned from Solo Walking Three Ancient Ways.

You can watch the video below or here on YouTube, you can listen here or on your favorite podcast player, and there is a transcript below with lots of links. Go to SacredStepsPodcast.com for more episodes.

Kevin: Buen Camino, Pilgrims. And welcome back to the Sacred Steps Podcast. On this show, we’re walking virtually alongside pilgrims and authors, connecting a community of pilgrims from across the globe.

I’m Kevin Donahue, pilgrim, backpacker, and author of Sacred Steps of Pilgrimage Journal. On today’s episode, we’re walking virtually alongside English author, Jo Frances Penn, a fiction writer with more than 20 titles to her credit.

Jo set out alone from her home near London during a break in the COVID lockdown to complete Britain’s Pilgrim’s Way from London Southwark Cathedral to Canterbury Cathedral. An unlikely pilgrim, Jo had never before attempted a solo multi-day hike like this. Of course, Canterbury Cathedral is one of England’s most revered shrines and the pilgrim pathway to the church, called The Pilgrim’s Way, is one of my upcoming pilgrimages.

The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Christ at Canterbury is the seat of the Archbishop, the leader of the Church of England, and is part of a World Heritage Area. It’s one of the most important churches in the United Kingdom for its historic and spiritual significance and is a must-visit if you enjoy ecclesiastical architecture.

You can find detailed information about the cathedral and visiting options at www.canterbury-cathedral.org. In this article, I include pictures from my visit in October 2020 as part of The Pilgrims’ Way.

Canterbury Cathedral before restoration work began. Photo licensed from BigStockPhoto

From Wikipedia: Founded in 597, the cathedral was completely rebuilt between 1070 and 1077. The east end was greatly enlarged at the beginning of the 12th century and largely rebuilt in the Gothic style following a fire in 1174, with significant eastward extensions to accommodate the flow of pilgrims visiting the shrine of Thomas Becket, the archbishop who was murdered in the cathedral in 1170. The Norman nave and transepts survived until the late 14th century when they were demolished to make way for the present structures.

Before the English Reformation the cathedral was part of a Benedictine monastic community known as Christ Church, Canterbury, as well as being the seat of the archbishop.

Transience And Permanence. Jo Frances Penn On The Sacred Steps Podcast

Canterbury Cathedral, England

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