Pilgrimage

The Diocese of Swansea and Brecon covers some of the most beautiful landscapes in Wales, and there are several pilgrimage and walking routes that showcase our churches and the historic built environment. Links to these routes can be found below.

1. 50 miles · 17 churches

   The Gower Pilgrimage Way

   Located in one of Wales' Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, The Gower Pilgrimage Way links seventeen of the peninsula's historic churches, along with several chapels and other sacred Christian sites. Following a path from Penclawdd in the north-west to Bishopston in the south-east, the route is 50 miles long.

   Explore the route
2. Radnorshire · Multiple routes

   Abbey Cwmhir Heritage Walk

   Abbey Cwmhir, a small village in Radnorshire with the ruins of a twelfth-century Cistercian monastery, has several walks that link this significant historic site with local churches, including the gothic St Mary the Virgin's.

   Discover the walks
3. 36 miles · 7 churches

   Gwastedyn Trail

   This circular thirty-six mile walk links seven historic churches across the Elan Valley, Radnorshire, beginning in the picturesque market town of Rhayader and ending at the ancient village of Cwmdeuddwr.

   View trail details
4. Bannau Brycheiniog · Circular routes

   Brecon Cathedral Pilgrimage Route

   There are two circular pilgrimages that start and end at Brecon Cathedral, a former Benedictine Priory in the heart of Y Bannau Brycheiniog National Park. The first of these walks takes in the village of Llanddew, with its twelfth-century church and the remains of the Bishop's Palace, residence of Gerald of Wales while he was Archdeacon of Brecon. The second walk travels north of the Cathedral and passes two holy wells and an Iron Age hillfort.

   Plan your pilgrimage
5. Talybont · Usk Valley

   The Henry Vaughan Trail

   This trail explores the landscapes around Talybont that inspired much of Henry Vaughan's work. A metaphysical poet and physician, Vaughan was born in the Usk Valley in the seventeenth century and often wrote about the importance of finding God in nature as well as formal church worship. His grave can be found in the nearby St Bridget's Church in Llansantffraed, which inspired the celebrated war poet Siegfried Sassoon to write his piece At the Grave of Henry Vaughan when he visited the church in 1924.

   Follow in Vaughan's footsteps
6. Multi-day · Challenging

   The Welsh Cistercian Way

   One of the most challenging pilgrimage routes in Wales, the Welsh Cistercian Way focuses on the great Welsh Cistercian abbeys, including Abbey Cwmhir in Radnorshire.

   Take the challenge
7. Swansea to Hereford · Historic

   The St Thomas Way

   The St Thomas Way, which stretches from Swansea to Hereford, is inspired by the 1290 pilgrimage of William Cragh from Swansea to the shrine of St Thomas at Hereford Cathedral. Cragh, a convicted murderer, was hanged in Swansea but the collapse of the gallows was attributed to a miracle of St Thomas. Cragh walked the pilgrimage with a noose still around his neck, accompanied by the Norman ruler William de Briouze.

   The section of the pilgrimage that passes through Swansea and Brecon takes in some of the diocese's most significant churches including St Issui's in Partricio, a medieval church nestled in the spectacular Black Mountains, which retains its pre-Reformation rood screen and wall paintings.

   Follow the way