St Bernard's Way

Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Gtr London, Kent, Medway, N Yorkshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Rutland, S Yorkshire, W Yorkshire

St. Bernard's Way is a 1573.4 km / 977.7 mile long distance walking route from Rievaulx Abbey, North Yorkshire, England to Citeaux Abbey, south of Dijon in France. It has been created in recognition of monastic travels that were undertaken in the 12th to 14th centuries, and of St. Bernard of Clairvaux who was instrumental in the development and expansion of the Cistercian Order. St. Bernard's Way follows the popular pilgrim route 'Via Francigena' between Canterbury and Beaujeu, France, where the St. Bernard's Way then continues on its own route to Citeaux Abbey. This is the route that the Abbot of Rievaulx Abbey and his companions will have taken each year in order to attend their General Chapter meeting at Citeaux Abbey on Holy Day, 11 September.

The full route is covered on the Abbey Walks website below that provides detailed route descriptions and background to the abbeys and other useful information for walkers. On this LDWA website summary details are shown for the route within England only. The walk named Shining Lights of the North is the first three sections of the St Bernard's Way - see link below under 'Other Paths'.

SEPTEMBER 2023: The footway alongside the M2 across the Medway Bridge, near Rochester, Kent, was closed for safety improvements from June 2023 until the end of the year. While the closure is in place there is an hourly shuttle bus between 6am and 7pm (going south to north; 6.30am to 7.30pm the other way) which takes walkers across the bridge.

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Details:

Path Type:	Other Paths
Attributes:	Average Gradients Pilgrimage Religious
Start:	SE611839 - Helmsley, N Yorkshire
Finish:	TR319414 - Dover, Kent
Open Date:	2015
Web Sites:	St Bernard's Way Joanne's Long Walks blog

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