The British Pilgrimage Trust joins Voucher Magpie: how your shopping can help keep Britain's pilgrim paths open to all

The British Pilgrimage Trust, the charity that helps people walk Britain's pilgrim routes, has joined Voucher Magpie. From today you can choose it as your cause, and whenever you shop through one of our codes or deals, we'll give 50% of the commission the shop pays us to the Trust. You pay the same price and still get your discount.

The Trust sees pilgrimage as part of Britain's cultural heritage and as a way to look after your wellbeing, and it wants it to be open to everyone. Now the shopping you do anyway can help keep its routes and places to stay open to all.

At a glance

• Who: The British Pilgrimage Trust, registered charity 1176045, based in London.
• What it does: advances British pilgrimage as a form of cultural heritage that promotes holistic wellbeing, accessible to all.
• How to help through us: choose The British Pilgrimage Trust on its page, then shop as normal.
• What it costs you: nothing. The money comes out of our commission, not your basket.

Pilgrimage for everyone

The Trust was formed in 2014. It describes pilgrimage as a way to connect with places, communities, history and landscapes, and to walk in the footsteps of the people who came before. By holistic wellbeing it means physical, mental, emotional, social, community, environmental and spiritual health.

Its approach is called "Bring Your Own Beliefs". The Trust says pilgrimage can be made by anyone, whatever their beliefs, and that its approach has no religious persuasions or set beliefs. People of all faiths and none are welcome to make the journey on their own terms.

Routes, places and sanctuaries

Its website gives free access to over 250 routes and more than 700 places across England, Scotland and Wales, with digital maps and planning guides. Routes include:

• The Becket Way, about 90 miles from Southwark to Canterbury
• St Peter's Way, about 40 miles from Greensted to Bradwell in Essex
• The Old Way, about 240 miles from Southampton to Canterbury

The places include cathedrals, churches, holy wells and springs, ancient trees, islands and hilltops. To make longer walks affordable, its Sanctuary Network offers over fifty low-cost overnight stays along the routes, usually in churches but also in village halls, sports pavilions and farm buildings, at an average of about £10 a night.

It also leads guided pilgrimages, supports community-hosted events, issues a Pilgrim Passport, and works with partners to bring pilgrimage to people who are bereaved or under-served.

The charity in numbers

It registered with the Charity Commission as a CIO in December 2017. Six trustees and 19 volunteers support it, and its accounts for the year to December 2025 show an income of £303,543 and spending of £253,784.

How your shopping helps: a worked example

Say you spend £100 a month online on clothes, travel and presents, at shops that pay us 4% commission. That's £4 commission, and £2 of it goes to The British Pilgrimage Trust. Over a year, that's £24 from shopping you were doing anyway.

If 200 supporters did the same, the Trust would get £4,800 a year, almost 2% of what it spent in its last year of accounts. Commission rates differ from shop to shop, so your own total may be higher or lower.

What you can do now

1. Choose The British Pilgrimage Trust. Go to its page on Voucher Magpie and tap Choose. You don't need an account; we remember it on your device.
2. Shop through us for walking kit and travel. Mountain Warehouse, Trespass and Trainline all count, and so does almost every other shop on Voucher Magpie.
3. Find a route near you. The Trust's website has its free routes, its Sanctuary Network and its upcoming events.

Questions

Does choosing The British Pilgrimage Trust cost me anything?

No. The shop pays us a commission for sending it your order, and we give half of it to the Trust. Your price and your discount stay the same.

Do I need to be religious to go on a pilgrimage?

No. The Trust says pilgrimage is open to people of all faiths and none, and that its approach requires no set beliefs.

When does the Trust get the money?

A shop confirms a sale, usually 30 to 90 days after the order, once the return period has passed. We pay each cause its confirmed commission every quarter.

Can I change my cause later?

Yes, any time, from any cause's page. Your future shopping then goes to the new cause.

Sources: The British Pilgrimage Trust, about the Trust, Bring Your Own Beliefs, Sanctuary Network, supporting the Trust, Charity Commission register. Photo: the line of poles marking the pilgrims' crossing to Holy Island, Northumberland, by Tony Hisgett (CC BY 2.0).