28 July, the day of our first diocesan pilgrimage to St Andrews, was a day to remember. It was a day of sunshine and showers, a day for prayer and song, conversation and laughter. Those hardy souls who tramped the first five miles from the picturesque village of Ceres were rather damp when they arrived at Craigtoun Park. It was easy to distinguish between them and those who joined them for the second half of the journey.
The excitement grew as we caught a glimpse of the twin towers of the Cathedral of Saint Andrew in the distance, and the sun had dried clothes and hair by the time we arrived at Hallow Hill, where even more pilgrims were waiting for us. A long line of about 70 walkers threaded their way along the Lade Braes towards St Andrew’s Church. There were Episcopalians from all around, including Glenrothes and Lochgelly. There were Catholics, Methodists and members of the Church of Scotland, two medievalists from Glasgow University and a couple who live near the Camino in France. We arrived at our destination in bright sunshine and then made our way to All Saints for a welcome cup of tea and evensong.
Thank you, Alasdair Coles and Nick Cooke for organising the pilgrimage, to the two churches at St Andrews for their hospitality and to all who led the reflections along the way and the final worship, including bishops Bruce and Bob.
[Extracted from the Central Fife Group newsletter for September 2018]