Walk the Augustine Camino with Catholic People's Weeks
Walk the Augustine Camino with Catholic People's Weeks: Sunday, September 13, 2026 to Sunday, September 20, 2026!
When the Benedictine monk, Augustine, was instructed by Pope Gregory to sail to England on a mission to convert the pagan Anglo-Saxons to Christianity, he was less than enthusiastic. Such was the fierceness of the people of this far-flung Northern land that even the monks accompanying him pleaded to turn back. But he persisted and what happened next was to change Britain for ever. Imagine a long-distance trail which walks backward through time in Kent to the very place where Augustine first set foot on British soil, and you are imagining the Augustine Camino, a pilgrimage through the orchards, woods and vineyards of Kent.
Beginning at the Anglican Cathedral in Rochester, we arrive seven days later at the shrine to Saint Augustine in Ramsgate, having visited the Carmelites as well as the UNESCO World Heritage site which is Canterbury Cathedral and its surroundings. We return to Canterbury for our final night’s accommodation and round-up celebration of our week together. Our ‘week’ ends the next day on Sunday 20th September after breakfast and our final liturgy together.
This walking week differs from our recent walking events in that it adopts a cumulative model where each day we progress towards a final destination, staying at different venues at night i.e. like a pilgrimage. The Augustine Camino is recognised by the Confraternity of St James and distances walked on this Camino can be added, if you wish, to a later Camino to Santiago de Compostela. We will be taking on the simple life of a pilgrim, visiting ancient churches, monasteries and shrines for blessings, prayers and masses. In keeping with that simple life, we will be staying in hostels for five nights (with accommodation in single-sex dorms), one night in Aylesford Priory and one night in a pub with rooms. We hope to offer an authentic Camino experience, with an expert guide and baggage transfer for one backpack or small case per pilgrim (think overhead locker on a plane).
A level of fitness is required as the length of the walks range from 7miles on the shortest day to 13.5 miles on the longest. There are 4 steep gradients in the week and 5 descents. The last day is an almost level walk across a beautiful nature reserve and bird sanctuary, to the coast. Each day there will be time for quiet reflection, for shared prayer and celebration and the all-important evening relaxation. We also hope to include time for short talks and discussion in the CPW tradition.
