Desperate to explore more at the end of winter, I'd been searching for Kentish walking tours and was delighted when an advert popped up on my feed for the Heart of Kent walking festival which takes place in and around Maidstone every March. I chose the Introduction to Pilgrimage walk from Aylesford Priory to Thurnham along the Augustine Camino which promised the most instagrammable view in Kent and met my requirements of moderate difficulty and a medium distance of 7 miles. If you know anything about the concept of 'country miles', you won't be surprised that our walk landed up being closer to 9 miles!
Our guide was Andrew Kelly, Route Director for the Augustine Camino. Andrew is a lover of long-distance walks and wanted to emulate the medieval pilgrims by creating a week-long walking pilgrimage route from Rochester Cathedral to the Shrine of St Augustine in Ramsgate, that crucially stops in the most important churches along the way. Our walking group was a nice mix of people both young and old, ranging from very religious to not religious at all. It made for great conversation.
Aylesford Priory, also known as The Friars, was founded in 1242 by members of the Carmelite Order. The Carmelites are a Catholic mendicant order, and Aylesford is one of the oldest Carmelite communities in the world. In 1247 Saint Simon Stock is said to have received the Brown Scapular from the Virgin Mary. This event has made Aylesford a pilgrimage site for centuries.
The Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
After the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century, the priory passed through various hands and underwent numerous transformations. It wasn't until 1949 that the Carmelites were able to purchase the property and return to Aylesford. Since then, it has been extensively restored and developed into a vibrant center of spiritual retreat and pilgrimage.
The priory features a mix of ancient and modern religious art and architecture. Visitors can find medieval buildings alongside modern sculptures and artworks, including pieces by the renowned artist Adam Kossowski.
The Seal of the Carmelites
Examples of Kossowski's ceramic works can be seen in the photos above and many were created in the pottery studio established in the 1950s.
Aylesford Priory contains several chapels located around an outdoor piazza which is popular in the summer.
There is a rosary way featuring statuettes representing the mysteries of the rosary but interestingly enough, the doors to the statuettes were closed for Lent. The first photo features a statue of St Thérèse of Lisieux which is also located in the gardens of the rosary way.
Our final stop at the priory was to the beautiful peace garden. There were flagstones at our feet with the word 'peace' written in scores of languages around the world. I was delighted to be able to read the word in Greek as I've been learning the language for a year.
Following our time at the priory, we walked down to the village of Aylesbury. It was my first time visiting this quaint village but I hope it won't be my last.
Aylesford is notable for its ancient history, with evidence of human habitation dating back to Neolithic times. There is a chamber tomb located nearby, Kit's Coty House, estimated to have been built around 4000BCE. One of the most significant archaeological finds in the area is the Aylesford Bucket, a well-preserved Iron Age wooden vessel dating back to around 75-25 BCE. This artifact is considered one of the finest examples of prehistoric woodwork in Europe and is on display at the British Museum.
We finally arrived at the spot that Andrew had described as the most Instagrammable spot in Kent - the view of the Chequers pub from the River Medway. It was indeed very pretty but we would also see some incredible scenery over the next five hours. I'll post all about the second half of the walk in two weeks time.
