Long-distance footpath in England
A stretch of the footpath near
Headbourne Worthy
St Swithun's Way
is a 34-mile (55 km) long-distance
footpath
in
England
from
Winchester Cathedral
,
Hampshire
to
Farnham
,
Surrey
. It is named after
Swithun
, a 9th-century
Bishop of Winchester
, and roughly follows the
Winchester
to Farnham stretch of the
Pilgrims' Way
. The route was opened in 2002 to mark the
Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II
.
History
[
edit
]
Swithun
was the
Bishop of Winchester
from 852 until his death in 862. After his death Swithun became associated with several miracles and was eventually declared a saint. As a result of the miracles attributed to him, and his elevation to sainthood, Swithun's shrine in
Winchester
became a site of
pilgrimage
.
[1]
Winchester Cathedral
was also a starting point for pilgrimages to other holy sites, the most significant being
Canterbury
which was reached using the
Pilgrims' Way
.
[2]
St Swithun's Way was opened by
Hampshire County Council
in 2002 to mark the
Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II
.
[3]
It follows the approximate route of the Winchester to
Farnham
section of the Pilgrims' Way; most of the original route lies under the
A31 road
.
[1]
Route
[
edit
]
A waymark in Hyde
St Swithun's Way is partially
waymarked
by circular discs attached to wooden posts and street furniture. The discs are marked with a green arrow and the image of a shell over two crossing
crosiers
. The crosiers are meant to represent St Swithun and
St Thomas Becket
, a former
Archbishop of Canterbury
whose shrine was at
Canterbury Cathedral
.
[1]
The route is usually well waymarked in Hampshire but is relatively poorly marked in Surrey, particularly in Farnham where the route passes through a number of narrow unmarked alleyways and through the campus of the University of Creative Arts.
The route begins at St Swithun's shrine in Winchester Cathedral and continues eastwards through the
Itchen Valley
, where several other named footpaths meet. The Itchen Way, in particular, follows a significant part of the route between Winchester and New Alresford. The footpath is close to the
River Itchen
until it reaches
New Alresford
, where it passes through the towns and villages that lie near the
Watercress Line
. From
Alton
it continues through farmland and the villages of
Froyle
and
Bentley
before crossing the county boundary into Surrey and reaching the
castle at Farnham
.
[4]
To link to the North Downs Way, it is necessary to continue through the town to the railway station.
The entire route links up two
National Trails
connecting the
South Downs Way
, at Winchester, and the
North Downs Way
, at Farnham.
[3]
The route can also be used with the
Hangers Way
to follow the geological edge of the
chalk landscape
between the
North Downs
and the
South Downs
.
St Swithun's Way also links up with the
Pilgrims' Trail
from Winchester to
Portsmouth
; this trail then extends across the sea to
Mont Saint-Michel
in
Normandy
.
[1]
The route is a combination of field paths and bridleways, with some sections being very muddy after bad weather. The walk is mostly through sheep country with some horses and cattle, although most paths through the latter fields are segregated.
See also
[
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]
References
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
Transport in Surrey
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Footpaths
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51°6′N
1°3′W
/
51.100°N 1.050°W
/
51.100; -1.050