Each year, some Rural Strides’ Open Walks follow a shared theme. In 2026, that theme will be Legacy of Belief – a chance to explore how faith and ritual have shaped both our landscape and the lives of past generations.
Belief leaves its mark in many ways. You can see it in the grandeur of our cathedrals, the quiet dignity of a small downland church, a grassy tumulus, or the ancient yew that stretches over a village churchyard. It lingers in customs, in song, and in the rhythm of the farming year. Our 2026 walks will trace these echoes of faith to better understand how centuries of belief have shaped the places we walk through today.
The programme will be varied. Some walks will follow ancient pilgrimage routes, trodden by generations of travellers in search of meaning or solace. Others will lead to striking village churches. We’ll celebrate seasonal festivals that mark the turning of the year and explore pre-Christian beliefs tied to relics still found in the countryside. Some walks will invite quiet reflection; others will bring to life the people and stories that kept faith alive through the centuries.
Why this theme matters
For over a thousand years, churches have anchored people to place. They have shaped skylines and communities, recording local history in stone, wood and glass. To step inside even the humblest church is to step into the story of a village – it’s baptisms, marriages, losses and celebrations. These buildings are our local memory keepers.
The scars of English history are also written into their fabric. From Norman conquest to civil war, from plague to world war, churches have stood witness to everything our country has endured and achieved. The work of the craftspeople who built them is in every arch, carving and window. These buildings have stood for centuries, in some cases millennia, because of the skill, devotion and imagination poured into their making.
Sir John Betjeman once wrote that “church crawling is the richest of pleasures; it leads you to the remotest and quietest country”. I hope that by joining these walks, you too will come to this conclusion. Every church, however small or humble, offers variety and a sense of surprise.
The Challenges
Unfortunately, many of our churches face an uncertain future. Across Britain, many of our 38,000 churches, chapels and meeting houses are quietly crumbling. Congregations are ageing, attendance has declined, and the cost of maintenance continues to rise. The skilled craftspeople needed to repair ancient roofs, stonework and glass are also becoming harder to find, as are the traditional materials required to carry out sensitive, long-lasting conservation work. It would be a tragedy if our generation let their legacy fade. However, without support, more doors will close and with them will go a vital piece of our history.
See them. Save them. Support them.
“See them. Save them. Support them” is a slogan currently promoted by the National Churches Trust to highlight the challenges facing our churches. By planning a year of walks to some of our finest local churches, taking the time to notice them and exploring their history, I hope we can together play a small part in helping keep them alive. So, next year, come and walk with us. Join a Rural Strides Open Walk and explore the Western Weald’s Legacy of Belief, seeing how faith, history and human endeavour have shaped our landscape and communities. Rest assured, there’ll be no preaching on walks, except, perhaps, when it comes to the beauty of the Western Weald!
