The North Wales Pilgrim’s Way (Taith Pererin Gogledd Cymru), frequently referred to as the “Welsh Camino,” has been recognized on the global stage as one of the top wellness experiences in the world for 2026 by National Geographic magazine.

Selected by a global community of explorers, photographers, and editors, the 136-mile route was celebrated for offering travellers a rare opportunity to “slow down” and engage in “contemplative motion” rather than a traditional spa experience.

A Pilgrimage for the Soul

The ancient route weaves across North Wales, connecting sacred sites from Basingwerk Abbey near St Winefried’s Well in Holywell to Bardsey Island, known historically as “the island of 20,000 saints”. According to National Geographic, the trail offers a “deep, grounding calm” and a “radical” return to presence in an age of constant stimulation.

Key factors in the route’s selection for 2026 include:

• Natural Beauty: The route meanders alongside rivers, through beech woods and sheep-dotted hillsides, across rugged moorland and along coastal paths, offering a rhythm where “time seems to stretch and slow”

• Infrastructure Updates: Sections of the trail have been updated with clearer way markers
• Community Revival: Village B&Bs are welcoming walkers once again, and historic churches and chapels along the route have opened to receive them.

The Diocese of St Asaph has recently appointed a Pilgrimage Development Lead to explore the potential for growth in the number of people walking the 136-mile route. Jane Finn is working with local communities to improve the pilgrim experience, identify suitable accommodation, and promote Welsh language, culture and heritage.

Pilgrims start at Basingwerk Abbey, collecting their all-important pilgrim passport, and follow in the footsteps of St Winefride from the miraculous healing waters of St Winefride’s Well near Holywell to Gwytherin, where Winefride became Abbess of a convent, and died and was buried. Jane said: “The first five days of the pilgrimage follow a gentle and inspiring route from church to church, enabling pilgrims to collect stamps for their pilgrimage passports, and allowing their bodies to acclimatise to the rhythms of daily walking.

“As the route continues, pilgrims leave behind the industrial heritage of North Wales and venture through open countryside, moorland and into the uplands of north Wales taking in the coastal views that have accompanied pilgrims over the centuries.

“In many ways the 136-mile route, in its entirety, charts the evolution of humanity in north Wales since those Celtic saints established their communities in the 6th and 7th-century.”

As Seen on the BBC

This international accolade follows the route’s recent starring role in the sixth series of the BBC Two show, Pilgrimage: The Road Through North Wales. The series followed seven celebrity pilgrims—including wildlife presenter Michaela Strachan and entrepreneur Spencer Matthews—as they traversed the foothills of Eryri (Snowdonia) and the North Wales coast. The series highlighted the route as a “personal journey” that “celebrates Celtic early Christian saints”.

Leadership and Legacy

The enduring success and revitalization of this ancient pathway are attributed to the dedication of its founders, Chris and Jenny Potter together with Ron Willams of the Ramblers Association and a dedicated volunteer committee.

Dr Rowan Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, serves as the patron for the organization, supporting the route’s mission to offer a sanctuary for walkers seeking spiritual and physical well-being. Responding to the National Geographic article he writes: ‘Pilgrimage has become unexpectedly visible and popular again in recent years, involving quite a lot of dedicated walkers who don’t think of themselves as pilgrims in any conventional way. Yet so many who undertake long and often arduous walks discover a need to pause and process all that arises in the distinctive quiet and solitude of walking. It is important that there should be spaces for this to happen in the best possible ways – and this is what the NWPW aims to offer.’

About the North Wales Pilgrim’s Way

The North Wales Pilgrim’s Way is a 136-mile walking route that crosses the north of Wales. It creates a link between ancient churches dedicated to 6th and 7th-century saints and outstanding places of natural beauty.

For more information on walking the route, please visit the official website.

https://pilgrims-way-north-wales.org/