This summer, the Church of England is encouraging people to reflect on Pilgrim Places - places and stories that help us feel part of something bigger on our journey towards God. As well as churches themselves being Pilgrim Places - welcoming, peaceful, safe space which offers time to relax and reflect - the campaign is encouraging everyone to think about their own special places of pilgrimage and to think about walking a pilgrimage route or taking a journey to a special place of pilgrimage. This summer, we've looked at a number of places of pilgrimage around our Diocese of Leeds and heard about some of the places of pilgrimage special to those who live here and we'll be running a series about these over the summer weeks of August.
Abbey Grange Academy is a CofE secondary school in Leeds. Pilgrimage there is not a single event but a thread that runs through a student's entire journey. "From their first steps in Year 7 to their final years in post-16, students are invited to walk, reflect, and grow — physically, spiritually, and personally — through a series of pilgrimages that deepen their connection to our Christian ethos and to one another," said Fran Bailey, of the Chaplaincy and RS departments at the school.
This year, the youngest Year 7 students began pilgrimage close to home with a visit to Kirkstall Abbey in Leeds. The journey was carefully designed as a gentle introduction to what it means to be a pilgrim, stopping at different places of Christian worship along the way and learning to see prayer and reflection as part of a wider landscape rather than something confined to a single building.
This year's pilgrimage was made even more special by Bishop Arun Arora, Area Bishop of Kirkstall, joining the students, offering his own wisdom and presence to the group. For many Year 7 students, this was their first opportunity to pause and reflect meaningfully on their first year at Abbey Grange — the friendships made, the challenges overcome, and the sense of belonging they have begun to build. It is a fitting first step: small in distance, but rich in meaning.
As students move into Year 9, the pilgrimage grows in scale and depth. The Northern Saints Pilgrimage takes students to Durham Cathedral, Finchale Priory and the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, tracing the footsteps of three remarkable figures of the region's Christian heritage: Cuthbert, Aidan and Godric.
Here, the physical challenge of pilgrimage becomes more real — students walk across the exposed sands to reach Lindisfarne, timing their crossing carefully and experiencing first-hand the vulnerability and trust that pilgrims throughout history have relied upon. In reflecting on the lives of Cuthbert, Aidan and Godric — men 
who chose simplicity, service and solitude in pursuit of a deeper faith — students are invited to consider what it means to live with purpose and conviction. This pilgrimage marks a significant step in character development, asking older students to push themselves further, both physically and spiritually.
The pilgrimage journey reaches its culmination in post-16, with students undertaking a genuinely extraordinary challenge: 122 kilometres along the Camino de Santiago de Compostela. This year's group faced the added test of walking through a heat wave, a reminder that pilgrimage has always demanded resilience, endurance and trust — qualities as relevant to walking pilgrims today as they were centuries ago.
Along the way, students reflect on the life and legacy of St James, whose journey inspired this very route, while also looking back on their own journey through Abbey Grange. 
For many, this pilgrimage became a powerful moment of transition — a chance to reflect on who they have become during their time at school, and to carry forward the character, faith and resilience they have built.
"Taken together, these three pilgrimages tell a story of growth. What begins as a short walk to Kirkstall Abbey becomes, by post-16, a demanding international pilgrimage undertaken largely through their own determination. At every stage, the emphasis remains the same: pilgrimage at Abbey Grange is about far more than walking from one place to another. It is about developing character, engaging deeply with our Christian ethos, and creating space for genuine spirituality and reflection," Mrs Bailey said.
From Kirkstall to Lindisfarne to Santiago de Compostela, Abbey Grange students don't just learn about pilgrimage — they live it, one step at a time.