St Magnus Way (An Orkney Pilgrimage) - I would walk 55 miles

A 55 mile journey, in the Orkney Isles, Scotland, following the journey made of islands Patron Saint - Magnus Erlendsson, who was killed by his cousin Hakon over the joint earldom of Orkney, in 1117. Killed and buried on the island of Egilsay, his mother Thora later asked that his remains be moved to Birsay (the Norse Bishops seat - and home of his grandfather 'Thorfinn the Mighty') for a Christian burial.

In 1136 he was canonised following miracles to be said happening from his grave. The following year, his nephew Earl Rognavald commenced building a grand Cathedral in Kirkwall in dedication to his uncle - at the time the most southern in the Scandinavian empire, now the most northern in the United Kingdom.

Magnus bones were brought to the Cathedral in Kirkwall, probably in the 1150s, however the building of the Cathedral would go on for another 300 years. It wasn't until 1919, when bones were found in one of the pillars, with a skull broken similar to the way Magnus murder was described in the Orkney Ingasaga stories.

The pilgrimage is one of Peace, Loss, Growth, Reflection, Forgiveness, and Hospitality

www.stmagnusway.com - download the app to track your journey and learn about the history