Anglesey's New Pilgrimage Festival Brings History, Heritage and Adventure Together

Walk in the Footsteps of Saints at Anglesey's New Pilgrimage Festival.

Discover Anglesey's new Gŵyl Cybi a Seiriol pilgrimage festival, featuring historic churches, guided walks, music, ancient landmarks and stunning coastal scenery.

If you've ever watched a programme like Pilgrimage and thought, "I'd love to try that," then a brand-new festival taking place on Anglesey this summer could be right up your street.

From 3–5 July, Gŵyl Cybi a Seiriol will invite visitors to discover one of Wales' most fascinating pilgrimage routes, combining history, heritage, stunning scenery and a healthy dose of adventure.

The route stretches an impressive 57 miles across the island, linking churches, ancient monuments and some of Anglesey's most breathtaking coastal landscapes. Inspired by the story of sixth-century saints Cybi and Seiriol, it offers a chance to explore the island in a completely different way.

Even if you're not planning to tackle all 57 miles, the festival programme is packed with events designed to bring the route's rich history to life.

Along the way, pilgrims and visitors can discover remarkable landmarks including St Cybi's Church inside the Roman fort at Holyhead, the dramatic coastline around Rhoscolyn, the beautiful St Gwenfaen's Well, Wales' last working windmill at Melin Llynon, and the ancient Lligwy Burial Chamber, which dates back around 5,000 years.

Other highlights include the Royal Charter shipwreck memorial near Moelfre, the Iron Age hillfort of Bwrdd Arthur, St Seiriol's Holy Well and the historic Penmon Priory.

The festival itself will feature guided walks, talks exploring local history and sacred landscapes, a cello recital at Penmon, a special performance inspired by the Royal Charter shipwreck, a pilgrimage service and blessing, and a traditional Cymanfa Ganu at Holyhead.

The route is rooted in the legend of Saints Cybi and Seiriol, who established religious communities at opposite ends of Anglesey. According to tradition, they regularly met in the centre of the island to pray together. Their journeys even inspired local folklore, with Seiriol becoming known as "Seiriol Wyn" and Cybi as "Cybi Felyn" because of the way the sun shone on their faces during their respective walks.

One particularly charming feature of the route is the pilgrim passport. Visitors can collect stamps from 11 churches along the way, with the stamp designs created by local schoolchildren to reflect the history and character of each location.

Best of all, the festival events are free to attend, although advance booking is required for most activities. Whether you're interested in history, faith, walking, music or simply exploring somewhere new, this unique festival offers a wonderful way to experience the stories and landscapes of Anglesey.

Organised by the Diocese of Bangor, the festival aims to introduce more people to Anglesey's churches, landscape and Christian heritage. Archdeacon of Anglesey John Harvey said: "We're seeing growing interest in pilgrimage across Wales because of programmes like BBC Pilgrimage. People enjoy the chance to walk, discover new places and learn about some of Anglesey's historic churches."

https://bangor.eglwysyngnghymru.org.uk

Shropshire: A Dog Walker's Guide

Shropshire: A Dog Walker's Guide is a new book by author and dog owner Judy Smith.

 It is published by Countryside Books in paperback and costs £7.99.

The book is a godsend for people who either live in Shropshire or are planning a holiday in the county. "I know from my own experiences," points out the author, "that it's hard to be sure once you are off your home patch, where you can walk safely with your dog without the frustration of getting lost, finding your route blocked with impassible stiles or encountering busy roads. I have put together this collection of dog-friendly walks so that others can discover Shropshire's wonderful countryside without these frustrations."

The book contains 20 circular routes, all designed to have maximum off-lead time with minimum exposure to roads and with varying lengths from two to seven miles. Each of the walks has a host of information from the distance, the terrain, what types of livestock you are likely to encounter, the number and types of stiles you will be faced with, and even the contact details of the nearest veterinary surgery.

Besides the clear and numbered route instructions, each section also includes a matching numbered map, details of how to get to the start of the walk and places of interest on each of the routes. It also lists suitable cafes and pubs that are dog friendly.

Walks covered include some of the most beautiful parts of Shropshire such as The Long Mynd, Grinshill, Brown Clee, the unmissable Llangollen Canal at Ellesmere and Grindley  Brook, where you will be able to see the canal boats. Watch out for the dogs who live on the boats, most are friendly but care should be taken. 

There's the mysterious stones at Mitchell's fold, the open grasslands at Stapeley Hill, Wenlock Edge, ancient woodlands like the Wyre Forest and Mortimer Forest and the Wrekin Hill, technically a mountain, but a very small one!

You can also visit the Ironbridge Gorge with the Hay Incline Plane, Bedlam Furnaces and the Blists Hill Victorian Town, the ramparts atthe Iron Age fort at Bury Ditches, the ruins of Haughmod Abbey and the impressive Llanymynech Heritage Area. Each chapter also includes suggestions on other dog friendly walks in the immediate area.

The book is well written and well researched, it contains useful general guidance to dog walkers and is nicely illustrated with photographs and the maps.

Judy Smith knows Shropshire well. he lives in the beautiful Welsh town of Llangollen, just seven miles over the border. She is the author of several books on walking and travel, including Kiddiwalks in Shropshire.

The book is available from all good bookshops and Internet retailers (just use the Amazon search box on That's Books) and some garden centres.

The ISBN Number is 978 1 84674 235 4

www.countrysidebooks.co.uk