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24
Dec 2023
Last Updated: 22/12/2023
Ripon's Boxing Day pilgrims won't have to pay for entrance to Fountains Abbey
The annual Boxing Day pilgrimage from Ripon Cathedral to Fountains Abbey will be held on Tuesday (December 26),
As in previous years, pilgrims who take part in the four-mile walk, starting from outside the Cathedral at 10.15am, will not have to pay to enter the World Heritage site.
An item about the pilgrimage in the events section of Ripon Cathedral's website says:
"Please Note: Fountains Abbey is owned and managed by the National Trust and you may need to provide either proof of membership or pay an entrance fee to enter the abbey."
However, on its website the National Trust, has confirmed that it is a free event for pilgrims and no prior booking is required.
For non-National Trust members, the standard admittance price for adults is £18 and £9 for children.
Prior to the start of the pilgrimage, pilgrims will be welcome to attend a Eucharist service in the cathedral at 9.30am
The walkers will follow in the footsteps of 13 monks who on a cold day in 1132, walked from Ripon to a completely deserted valley by the River Skell.
There they started their own community from nothing and Fountains Abbey was born.
The traditional event, which will conclude with a carol service in the awe-inspiring vaulted cellarium of the ruined abbey, has become a firm favourite in the cathedral's Christmas calendar. In previous years it has attracted hundreds of pilgrims.
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