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walking from 
Cathedral and Metropolitan Church of Christ, Canterbury 
to Saint Peter’s Basilica, Rome

In 2016 and 2017 I had walked from Le Puy-en-Velay, a cathedral city on the eastern edge of the Massif Centrale in the middle of France to Saint-Jean-pied-de-port by the border with Spain and so onto Santiago de Compostela in north-west Spain.  About 1,600 km.  That journey, and the lead up to it, is described at KiwiOnCamino.blogspot.com

In those two years I has also walked Thames Path (source in Gloucestershire to London Barrier at Woolwich), Southwark Cathedral to Canterbury Cathedral and a little of the Whithorn Way (Paisley to Ayr), the latter with my eldest son Alastair.

In August 2018 Virginia, my eldest child, and her husband Warren Warbrick were presenting at the Edinburgh Fringe.  And, of course, I attend a presentation.

And, of course, I had thought about a walk to start in the following four weeks.

On finishing at Canterbury Cathedral in August 2016, as at the Cathedral at Compostela the next year, I stayed on for a few days to wind down after five months in Europe and so many little adventures.  While I already knew of the 2,000 km walk from Canterbury to Rome, the spark to make a start was lit.

A few days after Edinburgh I arrived at a hostel in Canterbury on Saturday 25 August for two nights.  Sunday is spent immersed in the daily cycle of services in the Cathedral and down the back of the Nero café (with its hot points to keep my tablet alive). 

On Monday, by arrangement, I presented myself for the early morning Mass in the Crypt chapel of the Cathedral.  This was a well-attended service, and the priest was expecting me.  I was called forward before the dismissal, blessed as a pilgrim and set off a few minutes later.  This was about 09h - for me a very late start.

In the next three week I walked some 500 km south to Chaumont-en-haute-Marne and had many little adventures almost every day.  In all that time and distance, I had risen to a height of 300 metres above sea level.   I write this looking out my window at hills of 400 m above sea level and about two hours walking from the nearby harbour.

I decided on a rest for 2019.  When overseas travel was allowed in 2023, returned and with 12 days walking I added more than 300 km from Besançon, through Switzerland to the foot of the Great Saint Bernard pass, transferred to Vercelli in Italy and stopped at Piacenza just south-west of Milan.

The pages that follow are my jottings for each day