One Day Early
Beltane, May Day and Rogationtide: Blessing the Bounds
Come May, there are maypoles, May Kings and Queens, Jacks in the Green and Obby Osses. Less known is the fact that the Church long ago instituted Rogation Days, when villagers would “beat the bounds” of their parish, walking in procession to the edges of their land and praying for its fertility. It was part ritual, part communal memory, part good excuse for a walk.
At the British Pilgrimage Trust, we revived this tradition with our Rogation Sunday campaign. It remains a wonderful excuse to make pilgrimage entirely local: simply walk the perimeter of where you live. You may be surprised how boundary lines trace forgotten footpaths, streams and hedgerows, linking the whole parish and creating belonging.
May 1st marks the day of my next pilgrimage walk for Beltane. Finding a walk that follows a parish boundary is relatively easy. The Ramblers promote several and I liked the look of Walk 26, in Powick.
So where are the rest in the series? I set ChatGPT on the case and it has found 9. I now have another tick list to complete, all tidied into a nice table for me. Thanks AI.
The walk was a beauty, if not a little lacking in thrills. Agricultural landscapes near the River Teme to Bransford Bridge. Through Rushwick village and the Civil War battlefields of Powick. The closure of the ancient bridge still causing navigational headaches. Only two years to repair flood damage, Worcester Council, and then you can start on the potholes.
 |
| Along the Teme |
 |
| Distant views to Malvern Hills |
 |
| Powick Battlefields |
At least the bus back to Worcester was on time and money was saved at Timbo's the Crown.
No comments:
Post a Comment