Pilgrimage
The Archbishop's Camino
This historic new route was created especially for Archbishop Sarah Mullally as an inspired pilgrimage leading up to her installation at Canterbury Cathedral on 25 March 2026.
Archbishop Sarah chose a six day pilgrimage as a spiritual retreat before leaving St Paul's cathedral as Bishop of London and arriving in Canterbury as the Archbishop of Canterbury.
This was the first time an Archbishop has walked a dedicated pilgrimage to Canterbury to start their post, and this camino was created specifically to take in some key Christian sites along the way, including the cathedrals of Saint Pauls, Southwark, Rochester and Canterbury, Lesnes Abbey, Aylesford Priory, and the Shrine of Saint Jude.
Archbishop Sarah walked a six day pilgrimage from St Paul's Cathedral to Canterbury Cathedral, covering approximately 140km. She walked the route, especially designed for her, with her husband Eamonn, Chaplain Richard Braddy and Canterbury Cathedral Pilgrim Officer, Torin Brown. Along the way she met various community groups, primary schools, churches for morning and evening prayer, and many people from all walks of life on the pavements and footpaths of villages, towns, and cities. From commuters, mum's out with their children, people walking their dogs, those cleaning our streets and tending gardens, and all sectors of the communities and world in which we all share our lives.
Leaving London, following a variation of the Via Brittanica, they were accompanied by Carlo Laurenzi, from the Confraternity of Pilgrims to Rome, and from Faversham were joined by Andrew Kelly, Director of the Augustine Camino, which they then followed from Rochester. They slightly deviated from this route at Chartham Hatch to visit Chartham and follow the flat path along the river Stour into the Westgate gardens of Canterbury where they received a civic welcome from the Lord Mayor, Dean of Canterbury, and the Bishop of Dover, plus many others.
This was a truly historic occasion as no other Archbishop has been recorded walking pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral.
Walk the route
Churches along the route
London - Saint Paul's Cathedral - Saint Paul's Churchyard, London EC4M 8AD
London - Southwark Cathedral - London Bridge, London SE1 9DA
London - Saint Alphege Church - Greenwich Church Street, London SE10 8NA
Erith - Saint John the Baptist Church - West Street, Erith DA8 1AN
Darenth - Saint Margaret of Antioch Church - Darenth Hill, Dartford DA2 7QY
Southfleet - Saint Nicholas Church - Church Street, Southfleet, Gravesend DA13 9NR
Istead Rise - Saint Barnabas Church - Upper Avenue, Istead Rise, Gravesend DA13 9DA
Rochester - Rochester Cathedral - The Precinct, Rochester ME1 1SX
Aylesford - Aylesford Priory - The Friars, Aylesford ME20 7BX
Boxley - Saint Mary and All Saints Church - The Street, Boxley, Maidstone ME14 3DX
Detling - Saint Martin of Tours Church - The Street, Detling, Maidstone ME14 3JU
Bredgar - Saint John the Baptist Church - The Street, Bredgar, Sittingbourne ME9 8EX
Doddington - Saint John the Baptist Church - Church Lane, Doddington, Sittingbourne ME9 0BD
Faversham - Our Lady of Saint Carmel Church and the Shrine of Saint Jude - 34 Tanners Street, Faversham ME13 7JW
Faversham - Saint Mary of Charity Church - Church Road, Faversham ME13 8GZ
Boughton under Blean - Saint Peter and Saint Paul Church - South Street, Boughton under Blean ME13 9NB
Chartham - Saint Mary's Church - Church Lane, Chartham, Canterbury CT4 7HZ
Canterbury - Saint Peter's Church - 15 St Peter's Street, Canterbury CT1 2BQ
Canterbury - Canterbury Cathedral - The Precincts, Canterbury CT1 2EH