After a great start yesterday, we started Day 2 of our inaugural pilgrimage at Lyminge, close to the source of the Nailbourne as it bubbles up from the chalk below the church of St Mary and St Ethelburga.
We walked along the Elham Valley Way to St Mary the Virgin, Elham, and then on beyond following the line of the valley and keeping as close to the River Nailbourne as we could.
After a refreshment stop at the Elham Valley Vineyard, we headed on for a late lunch at St John the Baptist, Barham.
From Barham we headed to St Giles, Kingston. Kingston, as the name might suggest, was an important site in the Anglo-Saxon period and was where the magnificent Kingston Brooch was found. We ended the day at St Mary’s, Bishopsbourne, with its amazing medieval wall paintings and the lovely view from the churchyard over Bourne Park.
The pictures in this post will give you some sense of the countryside through which we walked on this second leg of our four day journey. You can read more about the Royal Saxon Way here, where you can also follow links to more photos of the route, see pictures of the many churches along the way and see more information about the Anglo-Saxon queens and princesses who have inspired this new pilgrimage route.
Pathways to the Past 