Extra Mile
A 21st Century Pilgrimage
Extra Mile
A 21st Century Pilgrimage
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Publisher: Continuum Publishing Corporation
ISBN: 9781441167354
Published: 10/03/2011
Contemporary pilgrim Peter Stanford visits some of the most ancient religious sites in Britain, taking the spiritual temperature of our apparently secular and sceptical age. Writer, journalist and broadcaster Peter Stanford makes a modern-day pilgrimage around some of the most ancient religious sites in Britain, to take the spiritual temperature of an age often described as secular and sceptical. Each of his chosen destinations has a long association with belief and an intriguing, controversial and often colourful story. Do the present-day pilgrims he meets en route go simply in search of that history, or does their journey have a deeper significance, a reaction to the unholy times in which we live now? And are their numbers growing as more conventional church-going declines? As he walks between Neolithic stones, ruined abbeys and miracle wells, Stanford explores the link between past and present belief and reflects on the spiritual state we are in.
"Eight pilgrimages which are in turn entertaining, down to earth, amusing and informative make this a fascinating read." (The Bookseller) "[Stanford] is a wholly open-minded companion as he probes the growing desire for a greater connection to landscape, history and place in this timely investigation into what religion can be." (The Metro) "[A] humorous account of these evocative places, and of the present-day pilgrims who visit them, comprises an intriguing investigation of what faith might mean in our apparently secular age." (London Review of Books) "Stanford sees the story of religion in the British Isles as the ebbing and flowing of spirituality - in communities, landscapes, and popular consciousness." (Financial Times) "In this highly illuminating study of 21st century pilgrimage, Peter Stanford examines why people travel to sacred spots, often despite discomfort and hardship." (The Independent) "Please read Stanford's wonderful book. It will teach you things you never knew and it will remind you that pilgrimage is not about leisurely strolls and picnic baskets." (The Catholic Herald)"
