Saints pilgrimage to Wick church for 'milestone moment'

A historical group that has been highlighting the ancient paths of saints through Caithness was given a major accolade on Saturday morning at an event in Wick.

The Northern Pilgrims’ Way Group (NPWG) was given a bronze award at a presentation held in St Fergus Church, that was given to Cllr Karl Rosie, chair of the group, by Fiona Mitchell, trustee of the Scottish Pilgrim Routes Forum (SPRF).

Cllr Rosie said: "We're delighted that Fiona has travelled north to present us with the bronze accreditation. The Pilgrim's Way provides a fantastic opportunity for walking and tourism in the county.

"There's now an opportunity to aspire to a higher standard, so silver and gold, and then we can hopefully work in partnership with other groups and agencies with the desire to improve the infrastructure for tourism. There's a real opportunity to work with local and national government in line with improving the standards."

Ms Mitchell from the SPRF said she was very pleased to have presented the bronze award after the NPWG had met all the specific criteria required and had "made a very good start".

She added: "I'm here as a trustee of the Scottish Pilgrim Routes Forum and I'm here to present the bronze accreditation certificate. The Pilgrim Routes Forum have an accreditation scheme, bronze, silver and gold." Ms Mitchell said that the forum was set up to promote Scottish pilgrim walking routes throughout the country and various other local groups were awaiting accreditation.

The event also provided an opportunity to find out what the group has achieved so far and, for those who had not already seen them, to admire the two information panels organised by the Northern Saints Trails Group SCIO now on the wall of Wick Heritage Museum.

The NPWG has its origins in another group – the Caithness Book Club. It was research undertaken by members of the book club that highlighted the history behind the pilgrimage route and inspired others to re-establish this route.

Jane Coll is secretary of the group and had dressed appropriately for the occasion in medieval pilgrim's attire and had stitched together shoes and a bag out of leather. She had also baked traditional beremeal bannocks for NPWG members. She said: "This is the first step towards official recognition and it's the first time we've been able to meet face-to-face in a couple of years. It's really a milestone moment for us."

The group is a collection of individuals from a variety of backgrounds, brought together almost by chance, says the NPWG website introduction. It continues: "What we all have in common is a desire to encourage people to explore this little-known part of Scotland.

"For some in the group, the main interest is in the spiritual benefits of pilgrimage, for others it is the history attached to these ancient pilgrims – a history that deserves to be better known, and for yet more it is a desire to improve the prosperity of the area by encouraging tourism. Of course, some of the group are interested in two or even all three of these areas."

Thanks to funding from the Whirlwind Achlachan Community Fund a guide book has been designed and printed which will not only guide pilgrims as they travel the Northern Pilgrims Way but will also provide a modest income stream for the group.

More information on the NPWG can be found at: www.northernpilgrimsway.co.uk/

Related article:

Follow the ancient pilgrims through Caithness with new guide books on Saints Trail

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