A pilgrimage, tracing the steps of the monks who walked the route in 1132 AD, has been an annual event in Ripon on Boxing Day for the past 45 years.
In December 2020, Covid restrictions sadly prevented the annual event from taking place. After the easing of lockdown restrictions in July 2021, Ripon Together decided to arrange a Yorkshire Summer pilgrimage as part of its ‘Healthy Journeying’ campaign, with the aim of getting people out walking in Yorkshire.
While you can enjoy the route all year round, we are encouraging residents and visitors to Ripon to do it on this year’s delayed annual pilgrimage. Taking place on 4th September 2021, we will be tracing the steps of the original founders of the Abbey to celebrate the ongoing Walkshire campaign.
Led by Canon Barry of Ripon Cathedral, the walk will set off at 12.30pm on Saturday 4th September and should take about an hour at a leisurely pace. There are three food outlets at Fountains Abbey, while two additional concessions will offer cakes and liquid refreshments on the Abbey Green where you can also watch the Ripon City Band. Now in the national premiership of brass bands, they will play two sessions featuring some Yorkshire pieces, finishing at about 3.30pm.
The Yorkshire Pilgrimage is free to join, though we will need to know the numbers attending for safety reasons. To facilitate this, free tickets for the event are available through Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/pilgrimage-from-ripon-cathedral-to-fountains-abbey-tickets-158397195275
Paper tickets are also available from Ripon Cathedral and Fountains Abbey Visitor Centre.
