St Edward's Way

Dorset

St Edward was murdered, possibly on the orders of his stepmother, at Corfe Castle in 978 AD and this pilgrimage walk follows the route of St Edward's body, when for political reasons, it was taken from his first internment at Wareham to Shaftesbury Abbey. Here it became an object of pilgrimage.​

This footpath route between Wareham and Shaftesbury Abbey was developed by the Dorset Ramblers. An inaugural pilgrimage walk over the route took place in September 2021.

The walk begins at the west door of Lady St Mary Church in Wareham and for the first five miles follows the Wareham Forest Way through some of the lesser known landscapes of north Purbeck and east Dorset. It ends at the Abbey Museum in Shaftesbury where he was laid finally to rest in the Abbey.

There is information on the walk including a pdf route description and a gpx file available for free download on the Shaftesbury Abbey and the British Pilgrimage Trust weblinks below. The walk can be conveniently broken into three stages:

1. Wareham to Winterborne Kingston
2. Winterborne Kingston to Shillingstone
3. Shillingstone to Shaftesbury.

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Details:

Path Type:	Other Paths
Waymark:	St Edward's head in red roundel
Attributes:	Other Paths Average Gradients Forest/Woodland Heath Pilgrimage Religious
Start:	SY925872 - Lady St Mary Church, Wareham, Dorset
Finish:	ST862229 - Shaftesbury Abbey, Shaftesbury, Dorset
Open Date:	2021
Web Sites:	St Edward's Way - British Pilgrimage Trust St Edward's Way - Shaftesbury Abbey

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