Bath Inter Faith Group - ‘Fairfield House to Bath Mosque’ pilgrimage

We are invited to gather at 11am in the Sacred Garden at Fairfield House (home of the late Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia), the site of the chapel where His Imperial Majesty used to pray. Ras Benji (the Operations Manager at Fairfield House) will talk about the history and significance of the site. He will then take us to visit Partis College Chapel (on the other side of the Fairfield House perimeter wall), before we set off up Penn Hill along the Cotswold Way to the panoramic viewpoint at Prospect Stile. After pausing for a bring-your-own picnic lunch, we will walk along the edge of Lansdown Racecourse, past the wood where St Alphege's spring is thought to have been situated. The route then takes us past the P&R car park and the south-facing ridge from which we can enjoy views across the south of Bath. We will pause near Beckford’s Tower to reflect particularly on William Beckford’s links with the slave trade and pass along a path through the Lansdown cemetery to the grotto he built. From there we follow the Cotswold Way down through the woods on Primrose Hill and along parts of Sion Hill to reach High Common, from where we descend to the City Centre through Victoria Park, with views of the Royal Crescent. The Cotswold Way leads us to the west door of Bath Abbey (which marks its southern end). From there it is a short distance to the Bath Mosque and Islamic Centre, where Dr Mohammed Gamal Abdelnour (Imam of Bath Mosque) will welcome and engage in conversation with us, prior to leading prayers at 17:15.