Help us make our online resources free to all pilgrims

Our goal as a charity is to make our pilgrimage resources available for as many people as possible

We are a charity, and so our goal must be to make pilgrimage available for as many people as possible. Since August 2020 our Old Way Online Guide and Old Way Sanctuaries had only been available to paying subscribers.

And from May this year, 2022, the same ‘paywall’ had also existed for our other Sanctuary routes with low-cost pilgrim accommodation.

We are dedicated to growing this network, our online resources and community, our diversity of offering, geographical distribution and usage. Therefore, as of 22.11.22, you can now access our website’s Old Way Online Guide and Sanctuary Network* without needing to pay.

Help us make more resources available for free, to all

To help us continue developing our online resources further, you can join one of our guided pilgrimage events, buy our book, become a Giving Pilgrim, or make a donation.

Then, even more people will be able to make pilgrimage.

*NB: some Sanctuaries, at their request, are only open to Giving Pilgrims.

Sanctuary Network: making low-cost pilgrim accommodation available to all

We are making Sanctuary open to all, just one click away, by removing the registration and login where possible. We are aiming to make as many of our Sanctuary listings on existing routes free to all pilgrims, but there will always be a balancing act to ensure we are considering the needs of the sanctuaries (e.g. churches, church halls, village halls) and their custodians.

Some sanctuaries don’t want their contact details to be publicly visible for various reasons, and so you will find in future a mix of availability, but most are open to all. Friends of the British Pilgrimage Trust will be able to access the sanctuaries who have requested that their contact details remain behind the login.

You’ll find details of how to access Sanctuary listings for each particular route and sanctuary (for example, Golden Valley Pilgrim Way and Cornish Celtic Way ask for you to buy their pilgrim passport).

If you are browsing our website, simply filter on our map ‘Sanctuary routes’ and turn "nearby places" on to discover which routes have them, and then click through to the route page and find the link to the Sanctuaries for that route.

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Due to the demand for guidance for new low-cost pilgrim accommodation venues, we have a Sanctuary Starter Pack for those venues who want to learn about the practical details of offering Sanctuary to pilgrims. Please contact us for details.

New Sanctuaries

We would like to welcome the Northern Saints Trails to our Sanctuary network. We’re so pleased to be able to add more Sanctuaries through an additional route. The network is growing.

Hereford Cathedral will also be opening to pilgrims who want to sleep (and dream incubate) for the night, with details to be finalised in time for the 2023 season. This will mean that Hereford is the first cathedral to accommodate pilgrims within the building since medieval times.