Plan Your UK Religious Tour with Free Info
2010 will mark the 300th anniversary of the construction of St. Paul’s after the Great Fire of London in 1666, and Britain may see a rise in religious tourism. Now, 4% of visitors to Britain polled in the International Passenger Survey say the primary reason for their trip is visiting religious sites or religious places of interest.
- The Church of England has a new site, and Visit Britain is searchable by religious destination.
- Sacred Scotland focuses on the religious heritage of the north, and offers “1000 Churches to Visit in Scotland.” Download it FREE here.
- Wales is the reputed birthplace of St. David and St. Patrick–following in the footsteps of St. David has been a tradition for centuries, with the English Kings William I and Henry II among the early pilgrims. You can plan your trip with the new Factfile of Religious Tourism.
- Cambrian Routes offers “Of Saints and Stones,” a chauffeur-driven tour that explores Wales’ Celtic Christianity centering on Pembrokeshire, the home of St. David’s. Founded by St. David in the sixth century as a Celtic monastery, St. David’s is Britain’s smallest city, the spiritual heart of Wales and one of the great historic shrines to Christendom.
- Pilgrim Travel has created the 13-day “In the Footsteps of St. David and St. Patrick” tour. The route including St. Govan’s Chapel, the most romantically sited of the hermitages remaining in Wales; Caldey Island, home to a Catholic Cistercian community; Porth Mawr – Whitesand Bay, St. Patrick’s point of departure for his mission to Ireland; the St. David’s Peninsula with a visit to St. Non’s; and the last stop in Wales before heading to Dublin, the Isle of Anglesey – Ynys Mon, the pre-Roman intellectual center of Druidic Britain.
- Country Lane Tours offers a “Hidden Wales” Tour that features religious sites.
