Downland Pilgrimage Walk

St. Peter & St. Paul Chaldon

Our pilgrimage day began on top of Farthing Down, a beautiful open chalk downs with a view of London in the distance. We prayed as we set off -

Lord, be our companion on the way,

guide our steps, open our hearts to your still voice and lead us ever closer to you.

The pilgrimage began with a descent through an ancient woodland, which included mature beech, yew and ash trees. The path emerged from the wood at the top of the slope leading to Happy Valley. The birds and the butterflies were numerous as we gently climbed up towards the church of St. Peter & St. Paul.

On the way we paused at a harvested field, and reflected on Hosea 10:12

'Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you.'

The prophet speaks of "breaking up your unplowed ground." Before seeds can be sown, hard soil must first be broken open. Spiritually, this is an invitation to ask ourselves: What areas of my life have become hardened? Where have routine, disappointment, fear, or complacency left the soil of my heart untouched by God's transforming grace?

We then carried on for the next part of our journey in silence, seeing and listening to what God may be showing us as we walked.

When we arrived at the church we shared what we had experienced as we walked in silence, here's one comment from a pilgrim who came:

'Thank you for such a lovely and beautifully thought out day yesterday. It was such wonderful scenery and - although I love a chat! - I so appreciated the period of silence and reflection. Your days always give us a chance for a bit of space - just to be and to enjoy and think on what you put there for us.'

Once in the church we listened to Ted as he told us about the ancient wall mural, dating back to 1200 which depicts the 'ladder of salvation of the human soul' It was painted as a visual aid to religious teaching. Graphic in parts and controversial in some ways, it was interesting to look at it in more depth. We then spent time looking around the church, having coffee and having some space to do what we wanted to.......

Just before lunch we spent a short time in led prayer, with an opportunity to reflect and speak out loud or silently, intercessions for the world. It was a beautiful day, so we took advantage of sitting in the churchyard and having our picnic lunch in the peace & quiet.

Setting off from the church, we walked along a bridlepath for a short while, before returning through Happy Valley. The hedgerows are full of blackthorn, cherry and spindle. This part of the journey would have been grazed by sheep, especially in Anglo-Saxon times. Rabbits too grazed and since their decline Croydon Council clear parts of the shrub, trying to preserve the chalk grassland flowers.

Here are some comments from those who came along:

'Thank you so much for a great day on Friday.  Spending time in beautiful surroundings and a special time at the church in Chaldon. The  guide was very interesting and knowledgeable and really helped us understand the meaning of the wall painting and it's place in history. Thank you for organising it all and giving us all a very special experience.'

'Beautiful countryside, fascinating church, inspirational reflections and good company....two words that described how I felt were friendship and peace'

'Thank you for a lovely day. Chaldon church was amazing. It is on our doorstep but I hadn’t heard of it. The walk over Farthing Downs was lovely. As always you had planned it perfectly and given us time for reflection and prayer. It was a really good day.'

Happy Pilgrims!