On This Holy Island: A Modern Pilgrimage Across Britain

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Description

Almost 500 years ago, pilgrimage was outlawed in England. In this book acclaimed travel writer Oliver Smith travels across Britain to create an entirely modern pilgrimage finding the holy places across the country that time has left behind. He travels by foot, recording the landscape and people he meets as he re-discovers places that have been considered sacred in Great Britain. He uncovers the stories of individuals, religions, cults and others who had locally sourced their Gods on home soil. Partly a history of pre-Christian Britain, about which almost nothing is known, partly a reflection on the roots of the British people and the nation, and a paean to the role of spirituality, sense of place and need for meaning in our lives this book is an evocative and enlightening journey through the sacred places long since forgotten. On a Holy Island is a personal journey that will be divided into ten Gods. These are Gods of many guises: prehistoric, postmodern, personal, literary, mystical and mainstream most never considered in each other's company. They are all connected by Smiths walk and each tells us something about British culture, nostalgia, beliefs and sense of place. This is not a definitive list but instead Smiths own curated pantheon extraordinary stories chosen because they tell us something about the national character of Britain. The locations linked to these Gods follow the natural westward trajectory, from London towards Wessex and Wales. Its an example of a journey that goes deeper rather than further and will inject fresh meaning into familiar places and the role of spirituality in our history.

Author Bio

Oliver Smith is an acclaimed travel writer working mostly for the Financial Times, The Times and Outside Magazine in the USA. For 10 years he worked for Lonely Planet Magazine. During his time there he won Travel Writer of the Year at the Travel Media Awards, was AITO Travel Writer of the Year on three occasions, and was nominated for PPA Writer of the Year. He has walked big parts of the Appian Way in Italy, the Camino Frances (Or French Way, the most famous of all Santiago de Compostela routes), the Via Francigena on the St. Bernards Pass in Italy and Switzerland and the North Wales Pilgrims Way. His first book, The Atlas of Abandoned Places will be published this October by Octopus. Oliver Smith studied at Cardiff University and currently lives in London. He is not committed to any religion.