Bishop Anne goes on St Magnus Way pilgrimage

May 14, 2021

The ‘Season of Pilgrimage’ in the Scottish Episcopal Church is being marked next week in the Diocese of Aberdeen & Orkney, where Bishop Anne Dyer will walk the St Magnus Way.

The 58km route is a long distance pilgrimage route through mainland Orkney, established in 2017 to mark the 900th anniversary of the death of St Magnus, Orkney’s patron saint. The journey is intended to give time and space for reflection.

Bishop Anne was supposed to be joined by Bishop Dorsey McConnell of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh, but he has not been able to travel because of pandemic restrictions. However, others closer to home who planned to make the journey with Bishop Anne are making their way to the island to walk alongside her.

Bishop Anne will be blogging every day, on the Diocesan website.

She has also written about her pilgrimage in her latest column for the Press & Journal newspaper, saying: “In our sharing of conversations, in the telling of stories, in the careful listening that comes when we really pay attention to each other, I hope to find encouragement and new perspectives, friendship and laughter.

“All of this will take time, and it is the time I am giving to this pilgrimage that seems like the most important thing. For a few days I can lay down some of the weight of the responsibilities I carry day by day in Aberdeen and be renewed on the rolling hills of Orkney.

“As the days warm and lengthen, what a wonderful time for us all to get out and walk, especially with others. And as we go, there will be so much we can be learning about ourselves and the world.

“One thing that marked the pilgrims – they did not return home unchanged. I hope this is true for me.”

The full article appears here (subscription required).

Bishop Anne also appeared on BBC Radio Orkney to talk about the reasons for her pilgrimage, and what she hopes will come of the experience. The interview is available on the ‘listen again’ facility, at the 12min30sec mark, here.

The Bishop’s schedule is as follows:

Sunday 16 May: Holy Communion, St Mary’s Stromness
Monday 17 May: Walking Day 1 – Egilsay
Tuesday 18 May: Walking Day 2 – Evie to Birsay
Wednesday 19 May:Walking Day 3 – Birsay to Dounby
Thursday 20 May: Walking Day 4 – Dounby to Finstown
Friday 21 May: Walking Day 5 – Finstown to Orphir, and in the evening, blessing of the St Magnus Way toilet
Saturday 22 May: Walking Day 6 – Orphir to Kirkwall
Sunday 23 May: Holy Communion, St Olaf’s (Pentecost)
Tuesday 25 May: Return to Aberdeen

For more information on the St Magnus Way, go to the official website There is also a two-minute video guide on YouTube here.