A delightful 34 mile walk through the Surrey and Hampshire countryside, from a jewel in West Surrey to the capital of Wessex.
Join us for a ramble in the footsteps of a thousand years of pilgrims to the shrine of St Swithun and the original burial place of King Alfred the Great.
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The route starts from the historic town of Farnham, with its castle, Georgian buildings, museum and craft traditions, passes Bentley, Alton, Chawton (home of Jane Austin) and New Alresford before meandering down some of the villages in the Itchen Valley with their watercress farms to the Cathedral at Winchester.
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Although walkable in a day, most mere mortals will spend two or three days covering the length. With ample public transport links, this is perfectly possible.
The route was opened in 2002 to coincide with Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee. The track follows the approximate line of the Pilgrims' Way from Farnham to Winchester and joins with the North Down's Way at Farnham, the South Downs Way at Winchester and several other long-distance footpaths as it rambles through the countryside, including the Watercress Way, the Itchen Way, the Allan King Way and the Games Way.
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From Farnham
From Farnham
To Winchester
The path is extremely well waymarked with its oyster shell and crossed crozier logo. The design recalls the oyster from another famous pilgrimage route - the Camino de Santiago. These shells are linked with legends from St James. The crossed croziers are those of Bishop Swithun and St Thomas à Beckett.
Welcome to the
Saint Swithun's Way
FARNHAMWALKER
The St Swithun's Way website is brought to you with the cooperation of FarnhamWalker. To read more about this group of friends who enjoy walking together, click here or fill out the form below to register for their monthly newsletter.
