The Pilgrims' Way - Winchester to Alresford

Empty cathedrals truly feel otherworldly. When we arrived to commence our walk and receive our blessing at Winchester Cathedral, there was barely a handful of individuals inside.  I almost wish I had planned to record footage there this morning. The sunrise through the stained glass certainly aided the spiritual atmosphere.

As it turns out, pilgrimages are quite popular, and so my brother and I were one group of three in total. Two friends were planning to walk the Pilgrims’ Way to celebrate 51 years of friendship; a couple planned to walk St. James’ Way to Santiago, although only one of them planned to walk the entire length. He mentioned he felt a pull to the route, like something was calling him to complete it.

The deacon of Winchester led the blessing and handed each of us a sheet with the words to speak. The inclusion of the Lord’s Prayer, which we were directed to recite without accompanying words, instantly returned me to my time in the choir. Freddie, it turns out, did not know the prayer as they had apparently phased it out of schools by the time he started attending. I got the words perfectly.

The start of the trip was very easy. I would say that we were spoilt by today’s river walk. The elevation barely ever increased more than it took to step from the road to church doors, of which there were a cute few. 

 Since we exited Winchester fairly quickly, the river Itchen was our main point of orientation for the majority of the time. Occasionally, the route had to divert from the riverside and take us through houses that could afford to be distinct from each other.

Most of the animals were farmyard fare: black sheep in the fields and surprisingly friendly cows which were more than happy to be petted by Freddie. I hope for his sake that we find some more birds tomorrow as he seemed particularly distraught that we had only seen pigeons and ravens.

We have to say that St John's Church at Itchen Abbas certainly look out for visitors: homemade almond biscuits and flapjacks, a full plate of assorted chocolate biscuits, and free apple juice! It’s as close to hedonism as you could expect from an Anglican church.

In fact, the calm farmland and tranquil waterways were almost too much for us to move past. We spent time on a swing overlooking a particularly nice spot, and could imagine ourselves bringing a picnic back one day to enjoy the sunshine properly. Never mind the country house behind it that the swing obviously belonged to – we could share.

The main challenge we faced, innocent though it was, was the continuous overlapping of other groups, either fellow walkers or a group of cyclists whose bikes kept falling apart. First, it was a flat tire. Then it was a broken chain. Then, somehow, all of them ended up ahead of us at the pub. Truly it was divine intervention.

Towards the end of the stage, we returned to areas that we had both walked through many times before with our sadly passed retriever, Hector. The small woodlands and hills surrounding The Bush Inn at Ovington prompted many memories of a big black nose furiously investigating the undergrowth, or a blond blip on the horizon deciding it wanted to rejoin us on the walk. No such company this time, though his nephew was waiting at home for us.

Above all, it was nice to spend some serious time with Freddie. Too often the moments we have together are short, or as part of a larger gathering. This has been the first time for a long time that we will spend considerable time together, and I’m really looking forward to it. Back in the cathedral, when each of us were asked by the deacon what we were walking for, Freddie very sincerely stated that he wanted to use it as a chance to spend time with me. He wanted to bond over the shared experience the trip would provide. I think everyone in the group was caught out by the sentiment. I couldn't help but give him a hug.

All in all, a good start to the trip. Let’s hope the next 14 days are as easy to write about.