Pilgrim's Cross

Pilgrim Cross (formerly known as Student Cross) is the annual, Ecumenical, cross-carrying, walking pilgrimage to Walsingham that takes place over Holy Week and Easter. It is the longest continuous walking pilgrimage in Britain and is walked by pilgrims of all ages. The pilgrimage was founded in 1948 by a University of London student, Wilfred Mauncote-Carter, who led a group including many ex-servicemen, on a walk from London to Walsingham, taking it in turns to carry the Cross. The pilgrimage has grown over the years and currently consists of 10 different 'legs' that start from different areas of the country and at different stages of the week leading up to the celebration of the Easter Triduum. The original pilgrimage was only open to male Catholics but it quickly expanded to welcome graduates the next year. Women were officially allowed to walk from 1967 and it became all age in 1981 with the addition of a new leg for families. The pilgrimage has been officially Ecumenical since 1972 although it still retains a Catholic flavour. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, the pilgrimage was carried out virtually with online liturgy daily during Holy Week.