The Way of St Martin
Follow in the footsteps of medieval pilgrims who travelled from the Continent to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket in Canterbury.
The Way of Saint Martin is a new pilgrimage route from Dover to Canterbury in Kent, United Kingdom. The route is a time-travelling slow pilgrimage split into 6 sections linked with public transport.
Follow in the footsteps of medieval pilgrims on this route linking Saint Martin le Grand in Dover with Saint Martin’s church in Canterbury.
The route starts on the beach at Dover and heads north to Saint Martin le Grande and the Dover Museum followed by Saint Mary’s church, Saint Edmunds chapel and Maison Dieu. The route then picks up the River Dour (one of only 200 chalk streams in the world) and heads north through Lydden Temple Ewell Nature Reserve and onto Coldred and Shepherdswell.
From Shepherdswell, the route heads across farmland to the church of Saint Nicholas at Barfreston and a chance to explore a fascinating building before heading to Womenswold. A leisurely stretch across Barham Downs follows the intermittent River Nailbourne, only running when chalk groundwater is high enough to feed its source. Join the Pilgrims’ Way for the final stretch into Canterbury to reach Saint Thomas’ church and Canterbury Cathedral.
