River Avon Pilgrimage

Welcome to the River Avon Pilgrimage!

• Every year, from 2025 the communities of Avon will come together to honour their river and undertake a sacred pilgrimage from her source at Tetbury to Avonmouth.
  
• The Pilgrims will gather water at the source and carry it down in a clay vessel to the mouth where Avon greets Atlantic. Water bearers from the communities along the Avon will carry the vessel for different parts of the journey.
  
• A series of river based actions and events will take place on the journey, including action days at Bradford on Avon, Bath and Bristol
  
• The River Avon Charter will be bought to each town council along the route
  

This pilgrimage is organised by Hamish Evans and a team of Avon pilgrims as part of We Are Avon - a place-based movement for river action, landscape regeneration and food system transformation. We will be following our guide the river Avon and listening to the guidance from the land as is the nature of pilgrimages. We hope you can join us for any stretch!

The plan is below, and there is a temporary whatsapp group which will share live location and any updates along the route ! Each day will set off around sunrise and slowly make its way to the next destination for about 5pm.

Day 1 (21st April) - Tetbury source

Opening ; gathering the source spring water into the clay vessel to carry to Avonmouth.

Day 2 (22nd April) - Tetbury to Malmesbury

Grief ritual and performance at Malmsebury Abbey

Day 3 (23rd April) - Malmesbury to Chippenham

Deliver Avon River Charter to town council and meet with leaders

Day 4 (24th April) - Chippenham to Melksham

Deliver Avon River Charter to town council and meet with leaders

Day 5 (25th April) - Melksham to Bradford On Avon

BoA action/event from 6pm, town centre

Delivery Avon River Charter to town council and meet with leaders

Day 6 (26th April) - Bradford on Avon to Bath

Day 7 (27th April) - Bath day of action! River protest, Red rebel brigade and water ceremonial performance by Pulteney bridge

Day 8 (28th April) - Bath to Bristol

Bristol celebration/ river action event at college green from 6pm with Rave on for the Avon

Deliver Avon River Charter to town council and meet with leaders

Day 9 (29th April) - Bristol to Avonmouth

Closing ceremony giving the source water to the mouth

Further events and sub actions to follow - e.g. River Frome pilgrimage to join us at Freshford and other groups tbc - please feel free to self organise and let us know your plans on the Avon Pilgrimage whatsapp, please join this for the plans, updates and live location sharing on route:

https://chat.whatsapp.com/Kg82i2FTFV8GU7kMaFVOxK

See you soon for the great Avon Pilgrimage 2025 ! Hamish and team xxx

p.s. any ticket donations will go towards running the pilgrimage and donating to the We Are Avon river crowdfunder launches 21st March, see We Are Avon youtube video for an outline:

Host or Publisher Hamish Evans (Middle Ground Growers)