Pilgrimage overview
July 5 – 17, 2023
Led by the Reverend Adrian Robbins-Cole & The Reverend Margaret Schwarzer
In the spirit of Chaucer and his Canterbury Tales, St. Andrew’s will be taking a pilgrimage to England in the early summer of 2023. Our Rector, The Reverend Adrian Robbins-Cole, and The Reverend Margaret Schwarzer are facilitating our tour.The Very Rev. Dominic Barrington, Dean of York Minster (Cathedral), is helping design our pilgrimage and its itinerary including excellent local guides.
As Chaucer would expect, we will be engaging the history, the liturgy, and the fun England has to offer. We are setting our sights on Canterbury, London,and the North of England. Current itinerary includes two days in Canterbury while living on “the close” (cathedral grounds), exploring several great churches and historic landscapesof the North (including Durham, York, and Rievaulx Abbey), and enjoying the cathedrals and sites of London. We will also visit Coventry Cathedral on the way to the North. Other elements of the trip include cream teas, great pubs, and opportunities for Evensong and Sunday worship in the cathedrals of Canterbury and York.
We look forward to stepping into Chaucer’s shoes and taking on the lively spirituality and fun of an Anglican pilgrimage. We hope you will join us.
Included
- Airfare
- Hotel Accommodations
- Breakfast throughout and dinner on days 2, 9 & 12
Not Included
- Single Room Supplement
- Travel Insurance
- Any items of a personal nature
FLIGHT INFORMATION & INTINERARY
+ Scheduled flights from Boston to London on British Airways:
DEPARTURE: July 5
BA202 Boston / London 9.40 pm - 9.10 am (July 6)
RETURN: July 17
BA1327 Newcastle/ London 11.50 am - 1.10 pm
BA203 London / Boston 5.05 pm - 7.45 pm
(Please note the above flights and times are subject to change.)
+ All airport departure & passenger taxes.
+ Accommodations are:
-Canterbury Cathedral Lodge - A pilgrim lodge located within the cathedral precincts
-The Westminster - A four-star hotel in an excellent location in Westminster
-The Doubletree, York - Situated situated across from York’s medieval city wall
+ Meals - Breakfast throughout and dinner on days 2, 9 & 12
+ All entrance fees and local government taxes.
Day 1: Wednesday, July 5
We meet in the evening at Logan Airport for our non-stop flight to London.
Day 2: Thursday, july 6
We land at London’s Heathrow Airport mid-morning, and after clearing immigration and customs formalities we will head on our way to Canterbury, where we should arrive in good time to unpack before those who wish can attend Choral Evensong. After Evensong there will be a welcome drink and our opening dinner.
Day 3: friday, july 7
Today will be devoted to a thorough exploration of Canterbury, starting with a pilgrim Eucharist in the cathedral, and a full guided tour. In the afternoon, we will have a walking tour of the city of Canterbury, finishing in ample time for us to attend Evensong.
Day 4: saturday, july 8
After breakfast, we will explore northern Kent, starting with England’s second cathedral city of Rochester, also beloved of the novelist Charles Dickens. After a break for lunch (not included in the tour price), we will visit the tiny village of Tudeley, where Marc Chagall created all twelve of its stained glass windows.
Day 5: Sunday, july 9
After attending the Cathedral Eucharist in Canterbury we journey to London, to our hotel located in Westminster, a short walk from the Abbey, the Houses of Parliament and the Tate Gallery. After checking in, our evening will be free for us to explore the area and find dinner in a nearby restaurant.
Day 6: MONDAY, JULY 10
Today we will explore Westminster on foot, starting with a visit to Westminster Abbey, where the monarchs of England have been crowned for many centuries, and where King Charles III’s coronation will be taking place in May, 2023. After a guided tour of the Abbey, we will visit the Churchill War Rooms, and see where this most famous Prime Minister worked with his cabinet and senior military leaders in the fight against Hitler. Finally, there will be an optional visit to the nearby Florence Nightingale Museum, which recounts the story of this iconic pioneer of nursing.
Day 7: TUESDAY, JULY 11
This morning we will visit St Paul’s Cathedral to discover Wren’s greatest church building and learn about its life as the cathedral church of the City of London. In the afternoon, we hope to visit the Globe Theatre, with the possibility of attending a performance, depending on its schedules.
Day 8: WEDNESDAY, JULY 12
Leaving London after breakfast, we drive north, stopping first at Coventry, to see both the ruins of the medieval cathedral destroyed by bombs in the Second World War, and the adjacent modern cathedral. After a tour which will help us learn of the cathedral’s unique role in the work of reconciliation, we continue our journey north to historic city of York, which will be our home for the remaining nights of our pilgrimage.
Day 9: THURSDAY, JULY 13
Today we will journey further north to visit the city of Durham, dominated by its vast Norman cathedral and castle. We will learn of the legacy of the great Northumbrian saints, as we visit the tombs of St Cuthbert and the Venerable Bede, buried at either end of this great cathedral, and we will have free time to walk along the scenic riverbanks of the city. We will stay in Durham for Choral Evensong and an early dinner (included in the pilgrimage price) before our return to York.
Day 10: FRIDAY, JULY 14
We journey to the Yorkshire coast this morning, to visit the historic town of Whitby, where the Abbess Hild founded a monastic community that was the host of the Synod of Whitby in 664, at which the rival claims of Celtic and Roman Christianity were debated. After the chance of sampling authentic, fresh fish and chips for lunch, we return to York via the dramatic ruins of Rievaulx Abbey, once one of the most important monasteries in northern England.
Day 11: SATURDAY, JULY 15
Today will be devoted to an exploration of the city of York itself. Originally founded by the Romans, this gem of a city has played a major role in English life for centuries. We will have a guided tour of the York Minster, and an optional walking tour of the city. In the evening there will also be the optional possibility of a ‘ghost tour’ to round off our experience of the history of this fascinating place!
Day 12: SUNDAY, JULY 16
On this, our final day of pilgrimage, we will attend the Cathedral Eucharist in the morning, and for those who wish to do so, there will also be Choral Evensong at 4pm, which will mark the end of the program year for the Minster’s famous Choir. In the evening we will have our final dinner together, hosted either in a nearby restaurant, or in the precincts of the Minster itself.
Day 13: MONDAY, JULY 17
After breakfast, we will be driven to Newcastle Airport for our late morning flight to London, where we change planes onwards for Boston, where we are due to land at 7:45 pm.
