Plans for 48-mile Hartlepool pilgrimage trail move step closer

It comes as Hartlepool Borough Council has been working with partner authorities and agencies to attract funding to create The Way of St Hild – which is due to open in spring 2020.

The route will celebrate the importance of Hild to both Hartlepool and Whitby and recognise the contribution she made to the Christian heritage of the North East and further afield.

Made possible thanks to funding from the Rural Payments Agency, it will be 48miles in length and will directly link with another Way that celebrates St Hild – St Hilda’s Way.

That route is about 40miles long and will meet the new route at both Staithes and Whitby.

Gill Alexander, chief executive of Hartlepool Borough Council, said: “It was fantastic to host a consultation conference at the National Museum of the Royal Navy Hartlepool for partner organisations to be able to find out more about the new pilgrimage trail, and explore how we can fully harness its potential.

“In particular, we used the event to discuss how the interpretation of the augmented reality stations along the route can effectively encompass what The Way of St Hild means and signpost pilgrims and walkers to churches and places of interest along the route.”

The Way of St Hild will also be supported through a booklet, way marking discs and further downloadable information.