Q: When you say ‘we carry a cross to Walsingham’, what exactly do you mean?
A: Exactly what it says on the tin! Our cross is solid wood and over six foot tall and would be far too heavy for one person to carry, but together, more is possible! The cross is carried by three pilgrims at a time, for very short periods, and then passed to others to takeover. What feels a bit awkward on Saturday morning, becomes a pretty natural rhythm by the end of day 1.

Q: Where will we sleep?
A: We sleep mainly on church hall floors and in most cases the whole group (all genders and snoring volumes) sleeps in the same room. We do spend one night, in pairs, at the homes of friendly parishioners who are kind enough to provide us with beds. Some halls have better facilities than others and there are a number of opportunities to shower during the week, but don’t expect one every day.

Q: Is everyone ‘super holy’? What if I don’t go to church regularly or still have a lot of questions? Can I still walk?
A: Every walker and every person we meet along the way is ‘holy’ because we have all been lovingly created by God. Northern is proud to be a welcoming and inter-denominational group of individuals who all walk for a variety of reasons. None of us are perfect and none of us claim to have all the answers. In fact, most of us keep walking in order to keep asking the same questions. You will not be judged on your church attendance or how well you can recite one prayer or another. All we ask is that you join us with and open mind and heart and we believe that God will do the rest.

Q: What happens when we arrive at Walsingham?
A: On Good Friday, the Northern Leg community retakes its place within the wider Student Cross pilgrimage. The Easter weekend spent at the Shrine offers opportunities for more prayer, fellowship and celebration. It would be fair to say that while some people love the atmosphere of celebration and entering in to the larger community for the weekend, others struggle with aspects of the Walsingham weekend at the end of our time together. During the week we will talk to you about what to expect at Walsingham and do our best to make sure that everyone feels included upon arrival.

Q: I have some more questions to ask – to whom may I direct them?
A: Get in touch with  via northern-leg [at] studentcross.org.uk and we will be happy to answer any questions you may have about the nature of the week.

Introduction to Northern Leg

Northern Leg's route

Northern Leg blog