A WALKING route that crosses North Wales has been recognised as one of the top wellness experiences in the world.
The North Wales Pilgrim's Way (Taith Pererin Gogledd Cymru), frequently referred to as the 'Welsh Camino', has been noted on the global stage for 2026 by National Geographic magazine.
Selected by a global community of explorers, photographers, and editors, the 136-mile route was celebrated for offering travellers a rare opportunity to "slow down" and engage in "contemplative motion" rather than a traditional spa experience.
The ancient route weaves across North Wales, connecting sacred sites from Basingwerk Abbey in Greenfield, Flintshire to Bardsey Island off the Llŷn Peninsula, known historically as "the island of 20,000 saints". According to National Geographic, the trail offers a "deep, grounding calm" and a "radical" return to presence in an age of constant stimulation.
Key factors in the route's selection for 2026 include:
• Natural beauty: The route meanders alongside rivers, through beech woods and sheep-dotted hillsides, across rugged moorland and along coastal paths, offering a rhythm where "time seems to stretch and slow".
• Infrastructure updates: Sections of the trail have been updated with clearer way markers.
• Community revival: Village B&Bs are welcoming walkers once again, and historic churches and chapels along the route have opened to receive them.
This international accolade follows the route's recent starring role in the sixth series of the BBC Two show, Pilgrimage: The Road Through North Wales. The series followed seven celebrity pilgrims - including wildlife presenter Michaela Strachan and entrepreneur Spencer Matthews - as they traversed the foothills of Eryri (Snowdonia) and the North Wales coast. The series highlighted the route as a "personal journey" that "celebrates Celtic early Christian saints".
The enduring success and revitalisation of this ancient pathway are attributed to the dedication of its founders, Chris and Jenny Potter, together with Ron Williams of the Ramblers Association and a dedicated volunteer committee. Dr Rowan Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, serves as the patron for the organisation, supporting the route's mission to offer a sanctuary for walkers seeking spiritual and physical wellbeing.
Responding to the National Geographic article he writes: "Pilgrimage has become unexpectedly visible and popular again in recent years, involving quite a lot of dedicated walkers who don't think of themselves as pilgrims in any conventional way. Yet so many who undertake long and often arduous walks discover a need to pause and process all that arises in the distinctive quiet and solitude of walking. It is important that there should be spaces for this to happen in the best possible ways - and this is what the NWPW aims to offer."
• The North Wales Pilgrim's Way is a 136-mile walking route that crosses North Wales. It creates a link between ancient churches dedicated to 6th and 7th-century saints and outstanding places of natural beauty.
For more information on walking the route, visit: pilgrims-way-north-wales.org
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