12 September 2010 St. Martha on the Hill

There are days (like yesterday) when I barely remember to take a photo. Then there are days like today when I take a ton of photos and then hesitate over which one to post as the photo of the day. I chose this one because it was one of my favorite moments: after a steep climb up a footpath in the Surrey Hills outside Chilworth, I spotted the top of St. Martha on the Hill Church. The Church is remarkable in its location: accessible only by foot on the top of a 500 ft hill overlooking the Surrey Hills. It lies on the Pilgrim’s Way, the route Medieval pilgrims used to traverse from Hampshire in the west to Canterbury in the east. St. Martha’s would have been a regular waypoint. But according to the church literature, there has been a church on this hill for well over a thousand years. And before Christianity came to the British isles, it was the site of a Druid’s circle.

We are backwards pilgrims. After visiting the church we walked 3 miles northwest to Guildford to visit the Norman castle. More stories and photos to come.