The Canal Pilgrimage: Two Churches, One Journey with God 

This September sees the launch of something new: The Canal Pilgrimage, a five-mile pilgrimage following the Leeds and Liverpool Canal between St Andrew's Church, Kildwick, and Holy Trinity Church, Skipton.

Both churches are Faith in the North Pilgrim Places, and the new route connects them through the beautiful landscape of the Aire Valley.

But there is something a little unusual about this pilgrimage.

There is no right way to walk it.

You can begin at St Andrew's and walk towards Skipton, or begin at Holy Trinity and walk towards Kildwick. Neither church is simply the starting point and neither is simply the destination. Regular buses between Kildwick and Skipton mean that you can leave the car at one end, travel to the other and walk back.

The important thing isn't which direction you travel. It is what happens along the way.

Walking beside Living Water

The pilgrimage will have two launches, one at each of the churches it connects.

The first takes place at St Andrew's, Kildwick, on Sunday 6 September, when we celebrate the Church of England's new Festival of Creation in Christ.

It comes at the beginning of the Season of Creation, whose theme for 2026 is Living Water.

There could hardly be a better theme for the launch of a pilgrimage which follows the canal.

The image of Living Water comes from the prophet Ezekiel's vision of water flowing from the Temple. What begins as a trickle becomes a river, bringing life wherever it flows. For Christians, water also speaks of baptism, renewal and Jesus's promise of living water.

As we walk beside the canal, then, the water is more than simply part of the scenery. It invites us to notice God's presence in creation and to think about those places in our own lives where we long for refreshment, healing and new life.

From Creation to Paulinus

The pilgrimage will receive its second launch at Holy Trinity, Skipton, on Sunday 11 October, as Holy Trinity marks the feast of St Paulinus.

Paulinus was one of those who carried the Christian faith into northern England in the seventh century. His story is one of journeying, encounter and sharing the good news of Christ.

The two launches therefore provide fitting bookends to our celebration of creation this autumn.

We begin at Kildwick with Creation in Christ and Living Water, celebrating the God through whom all things were made. We conclude at Skipton with Paulinus, remembering that the faith we receive is a faith that sends us out on a journey.

And between the two is the Canal Pilgrimage itself.

A landscape filled with stories

The route brings together faith, history and some wonderful Yorkshire countryside.

At one end, Holy Trinity stands beneath Skipton Castle on a site where Christians have worshipped since at least the twelfth century. At the other, St Andrew's, the ancient "Lang Kirk of Craven", has roots stretching back into Anglo-Saxon Christianity, with fragments of tenth-century carved crosses preserved within the church.

Between them, the canal carries pilgrims away from the bustle of Skipton and into a quieter landscape of water, fields and woodland.

Along the way there are stories to discover too. Near Hamblethorpe Swing Bridge, a memorial to Polish airmen who lost their lives during the Second World War provides a place to stop, remember and pray for peace.

Kildwick has its folklore. Tradition tells that Scottish raiders once spared the village because its church was dedicated to St Andrew, their patron saint.

There may even be a Brontë connection. Charlotte Brontë worked as a governess at nearby Stone Gappe in 1839. St Andrew's contains memorials to the local Currer family, and it has long been suggested that Charlotte may have encountered the unusual name here before later adopting Currer Bell as her pseudonym. We cannot know for certain, but it adds another intriguing story to the landscape through which we walk.

Making the journey a pilgrimage

Of course, you don't have to be a churchgoer to walk the Canal Pilgrimage.

You don't even have to be certain that you would call yourself a pilgrim.

A specially produced leaflet contains a map, practical information and short reflections to use along the way. Rather than telling you what you ought to think at particular places, it invites you to notice five things as you walk: stillness, water, creation, peace and companionship.

Walk slowly. Notice what is around you. Listen to the water and the birds. Stop occasionally. Perhaps say a prayer. Perhaps simply be still.

The Christian tradition has long understood that God meets people on journeys. The risen Jesus walked beside two disciples on the road to Emmaus before they even recognised that he was there.

Perhaps pilgrimage is partly about learning to recognise the One who has been walking beside us all along.

Come and walk

The Canal Pilgrimage launches at St Andrew's Church, Kildwick, on Sunday 6 September 2026. Pilgrimage leaflets will be available free of charge from St Andrew's following the launch.

The second launch takes place at Holy Trinity Church, Skipton, on Sunday 11 October 2026, after which leaflets will also be available from Holy Trinity.

The route is approximately five miles long and can be walked in either direction. Regular buses connect Kildwick and Skipton.

Whether you begin at Kildwick or Skipton, whether you come with a deep Christian faith, with questions, or simply because you fancy a good walk beside the canal, you are very welcome.

Come and walk beside the water.

Take your time.

Notice what is around you.

And see what you discover along the way.

Two churches. One pilgrimage. One journey with God.