A pair of adventurous Bothwell pensioners have embarked on a 150-mile pilgrimage in honour of the founder and patron saint of Glasgow.
Husband and wife Bill and Christine Jack have mapped out an off-road route that St Kentigern, also known as St Mungo, would have likely travelled between Dumfries and Galloway and the city in the 6th century.
The intrepid octogenarians set off on the inaugural journey from Annan – close to the missionary’s seat at Hoddom – last Friday, and hope to complete the route by October 19.
The final destination of the Kentigern Way is Glasgow Cathedral, where the missionary’s burial crypt is located and a special dedication service will be led by Reverend Mark Johnston.
It took the couple – who are 82 and 81 respectively and have seven grandchildren and two great grandchildren – about four years to create the route which has been plotted with marker posts, adorned with the Kentigern Way logo which is a salmon.
Dr Jack, a retired process automation engineer, said he and his wife, who was an accountant, are keen long-distance walkers and would be meeting up with members of churches located along the route.
Pilgrimage has a history which dates back many hundreds of years and the Kentigern Way links a number of existing long-distance walking routes including the Southern Upland Way and Clyde Walkway.
Walkers will pass by the towns of Moffat, Peebles, Biggar, Lanark and Bothwell to reach Glasgow and can undertake the route in a single expedition or in separate outings because it is divided up into 12 sections.
Dr Jack said: "The idea for the walk originated about four years ago from a chance remark by Rev Jim Gibson, who was our minister at Bothwell Parish Church at the time.
"He had returned from a holiday with parishioners, walking part of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela in Spain and suggested it would be possible to create a pilgrim route along the Clyde Valley to Glasgow Cathedral.
"This fired our imagination and we started researching the life of Kentigern/Mungo and established the connection with Hoddom.
"For many people, the daily rhythm of long-distance walking provides an opportunity for them to take time out from cluttered lives and make space for reflection and spiritual refreshment."
Dr Jack said the pilgrimage route, which is well-served with accommodation and food outlet options at the end of each section, is practical, predominantly off-road and reasonably authentic.
"The Kentigern Way traverses a wide variety of landscapes, encompasses superb scenery and leads the traveller past a great many places of interest spanning several millennia of Scottish history," he added.
Kentigern Way will be Scotland’s seventh official pilgrimage route.
Bothwell Parish Church minister, Rev Iain Majcher, said: "The pilgrimage route is a fascinating adventure and one that I have recently had the privilege of being involved in.
"It is a labour of love for Bill and Christine and it has taken a lot of work to try and piece together the route and to get all the relevant permissions.
"They created the route together with the help of a few others in the hope that it will inspire others as they walk it."
The couple, who have three sons, try to walk around four miles each day and Mrs Jack has a target to cover 2000 miles over the course of a year.
They have completed many arduous long-distance walks across the world including the Himalayas, Patagonia, the Alps and Scotland.
To donate to Bothwell Parish Church please visit https://cos.churchofscotland.org.uk/donate/?cong=171083