![[image] Northern Cross - the ecumenical Christian Easter walking pilgrimage to Holy Island](imgs-newstyle/nx-bannertop%20northern-cross%20orange.jpg "Northern Cross - the ecumenical Christian Easter walking pilgrimage to Holy Island")
![[image] Northern Cross - the ecumenical Christian Easter walking pilgrimage to Holy Island](imgs-newstyle/nx-bannerstrap%20the-easter-walking.gif "Northern Cross - the ecumenical Christian Easter walking pilgrimage to Holy Island"){kind=small}
If you would like more information, see our FAQs here, or would like to speak in person to a representative of Northern Cross please go to our Contact page. If you are interested in walking with us next Easter and would like to sign up please go to our Registration page.
St Ninian's Leg (the successor to Iona Leg)
From St Ninian's Cave across the width of Scotland, towards Lanark, and Lindisfarne
St Ninan's, a new route for 2012, follows from the success of the extreme walking Iona Leg of the previous year. Again, it is a significantly longer walk than the others, and will take 9 days to cross from Whithorn / St Ninian's Bay (on the west coast) to Lindisfarne (on the east coast).
It must be emphasised this will be physically demanding at times, and is for experienced backpackers who want to walk an average of 45km per day. There will be no accomodation pre-booked between St Ninian's and Lanark or beyond, and the pilgrims will sleep and eat as the opportunity presents itself, with bivi-bags / bothies or unplanned camping. A bivvy bag or equivalent is an essential item.
They will stick to the standard Northern Cross format of morning prayer, two stations, evening prayer, though nothing is compulsory. The group will carry a specially made reduced size (small!) wooden cross every step of the way; and there are plans to join with Lanark Leg on later in the week.
The draft schedule is provided below, to give a feel for the distances and terrain expected. Please consider it carefully and contact the leaders to discuss the walk in more detail. Walkers are welcome to join at any suitable point along the route.
Thursday 29th March
Look at the museum and archeology in Whithorn, walk in the evening to St Ninian's Cave.
Sleep on the beach.
Friday 30th March
W
alk North to Newton Steward. Mostly small roads. May stay in a B&B there.
Saturday 31st March
Walk across the ridge and join the Southern Upland Way
Sunday 1st April - Thursday 5th April Holy Week:
Walk eastwards cross country (route to be confirmed in detail) and catch up with Lanark Leg on the Wednesday or Thursday. Stay mostly outside or in bothies. Should the rain overwhelm us, an option may be to catch up with Lanark earlier using public transport.
The whole distance is about 310km (= 200 plus miles) a requires an average walking distance of 45km per day every day. The path is good and well marked throughout. Participants require a map of the appropriate part of the Southern Upland Way.
Friday 6th April / Good Friday
to join the other Legs at Beale Sands, all finally crossing to Lindisfarne together as a united Northern Cross.
