For more than eight hundred years, people have been walking to Canterbury. In the Middle Ages they came in their thousands, by foot and on horseback, to pray at the shrine of Thomas Becket. Today the pilgrims share the cobbled streets with tourists, students and locals, but the sense of arrival — that first glimpse of the cathedral towers rising above the rooftops — is much the same as it ever was.
Why People Come
For Anglicans worldwide, Canterbury holds a unique place as the spiritual home of their communion. To worship in the cathedral, or simply to stand in it, is to connect with the origins of English Christianity and a tradition that has spread to every continent. Many visitors come for the history rather than the faith, drawn by Becket’s dramatic story, by Chaucer, or by the sheer architectural magnificence of the building.
Others arrive as walkers. The medieval pilgrim routes have been revived in recent decades, and it is once again possible to follow ancient paths such as the Pilgrims’ Way toward the city, ending the journey at the cathedral much as travellers did six centuries ago. For these modern pilgrims the walk itself, through the gentle Kent countryside, is as meaningful as the destination.
The City Around the Cathedral
Canterbury is a delight quite apart from its great church. The old city is small and easily explored on foot, ringed in places by medieval walls and threaded by the River Stour. Timber-framed houses lean over narrow lanes, independent bookshops and tea rooms fill the centre, and punts drift along the river in summer. The Westgate, a towering medieval gatehouse, still guards the western approach to the city as it has for over six hundred years.
The presence of a large university gives the place a youthful, lively edge, and there is no shortage of pubs, cafes and small restaurants. It makes Canterbury an unusually rewarding pilgrimage destination: a city where ancient stones and everyday life sit comfortably side by side.
Beyond the Walls
Canterbury sits in the heart of Kent, often called the Garden of England, and the surrounding countryside is dotted with orchards, vineyards and pretty villages. The coast is close at hand — the seaside towns of Whitstable and Herne Bay are a short hop away, and the white cliffs of Dover lie within easy reach. Many visitors build a couple of days around the cathedral, using the city as a base to explore this corner of England.
Planning Your Visit
Canterbury is easily reached by train from London in under an hour, which makes it a popular day trip, though staying overnight lets you enjoy the cathedral at quieter moments. Spring and summer bring the best weather and the liveliest atmosphere, but the cathedral is atmospheric in any season, perhaps never more so than on a misty winter morning when its towers seem to float above the city.
