Churches Tourism Association

Following in the footsteps of seventh century pilgrims, this 12 mile walk links the twin monasteries of St Paul's in Jarrow and St Peter's in Wearmouth, Sunderland.

The twin monasteries have been nominated for World Heritage status. Bede described them as 'one monastery in two places' and in it’s day it was one of the world's greatest international cultural centres.

The monastery had one of the best libraries in the world at the time - which gave Bede, Wearmouth-Jarrow’s greatest scholar, access to ideas from all over the world. Bede was the first person to write a history of the English people, two centuries before there was a united England, and was the first English person to use the term 'English'. Nearly 14 centuries later Bede’s influence as a writer, historian, mathematician and teacher still endures.

Further information: a guide to the Bede’s Way Walk can be downloaded from here, and details of the World Heritage nomination can be found here.