The St Edward's Way Pilgrimage runs over 30 miles between Wareham and Shaftesbury Abbey. It follows the route taken when the body of St Edward the Martyr was moved and reburied here.
St Edward, a boy king murdered possibly on the orders of his stepmother at Corfe Castle, was originally buried at Wareham. Later in 979, for political reasons, his body was moved to Shaftesbury Abbey where it became an object of pilgrimage.
The present day pilgrimage path was developed by the Dorset Ramblers. Bishop Karen lead a pilgrimage walk over three days in early September 2021.
Click here to download the pdf "St Edwards Way Walk Guide"
You can find online Ordnance survey maps of the route via the links below.
The complete route:
https://osmaps.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/route/7444683/St-Edwards-Way-Wareham-to-Shaftesbury
The route for the inaugural walk:
Day 1 – Wareham to Winterborne Kingston
https://osmaps.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/route/4416028/St-Edwards-Way-Day-1
Day 2 – Winterborne Kingston to Shillingstone
https://osmaps.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/route/4416171/St-Edwards-Way-Day-2
Day 3 – Shillingstone to Shaftesbury
https://osmaps.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/route/4416247/St-Edwards-Way-Day-3
You can also download the digital mapping GPX files below. You can find out more about what these are, and how they work on the The British Pilgrimage Trust website via this link.
St Edward's Way - Wareham to Shaftesbury.gpx