A new five-mile pilgrimage connecting two Pilgrim Places and two episcopal areas of Yorkshire, along the Leeds and Liverpool Canal is launcing this autumn.

The Canal Pilgrimage links St Andrew's Kildwick, in the Bradford area with Holy Trinity Skipton in the Ripon area, following the canal towpath through the Aire Valley.

The first launch takes place at St Andrew's Kildwick on Sunday, September 6, as the parish celebrates the Church of England's new Festival of Creation in Christ.

The launch falls within the Season of Creation, whose theme for 2026 is Living Water. 

Walking beside the canal, pilgrims are encouraged to see water as more than part of the scenery: as a reminder of God's gift of life, of baptism, of the renewal of creation and of Christ's promise of living water.

Both churches are part of Faith in the North's Pilgrim Places network, which encourages churches to become welcoming, reflective spaces where visitors can pause, explore and deepen their spiritual journey.

The new pilgrimage takes that idea out into the landscape, inviting people to step away from the busyness of everyday life, enjoy God's creation and make the journey itself a time of prayer and reflection.

The Revd Mike Green, Vicar of Kildwick, Cononley and Bradley, said: "Pilgrimage isn't only about arriving at a holy place. 

“Sometimes the journey itself becomes the holy place. 

“Here, neither church has to be the beginning or the destination. 

“We walk beside the water from one Pilgrim Place to another, trusting that Christ meets us somewhere along the way.

"With the theme of this year's Season of Creation being Living Water, there seems something particularly appropriate about slowing down and walking beside the canal. 

“My hope is that people who might never think of themselves as pilgrims will simply put on their walking shoes and give it a go."

St Andrew’s, traditionally known as the "Lang Kirk of Craven", has roots stretching back into Anglo-Saxon Christianity, with fragments of tenth-century carved crosses preserved within the church.

Throughout the walk, a specially produced pilgrim leaflet offers reflections on stillness, water, creation, peace and companionship, inviting walkers to notice both the landscape around them and the presence of God within the journey. The pilgrimage leaflet will be available free of charge from St Andrew’s following the launch.