My time in Canterbury was overshadowed, literally and figuratively, by the Cathedral: literally as I spent most of my time in or near the Cathedral, figuratively because of the significance of pilgrimage to, and inside, the Cathedral.
Today we tend to think of cathedrals as places of worship. They were, but they were also, to a greater or lesser extent, places of pilgrimage. All cathedrals would have relics to add to their prestige and encourage the faithful to visit. Canterbury, however, had relics that were both highly prestigious and indubitably genuine: there could be disputes over who had the real ring finger of Saint Peter or fragment of the Cross, but there could be no dispute that St Thomas a Becket had been murdered at Canterbury and his body and shrine was there. So Canterbury became a centre for pilgrimage, both as a destination in itself and as starting point for the pilgrimage to Rome.
There is a physical reminder of this at the Pilgrim Steps In the cathedral. These steps lead up to the area behind the altar where the shrine to St Thomas a Becket was located.
If you look closely, you can see how worn and polished they, in mute witness to all of the pilgrims who have climbed them over the centuries. As I went up them, the awareness of those who had done so before me was almost overpowering.
Day 35 Route: Canterbury to Dover via Via Francigena. Terrain: field paths, tracks, minor roads. Weather: sunny and warm. Daily distance: 31.1 km/19.3 miles. Cumulative distance: 838.5 km/519.9 miles. Accommodation: Westbank Guest House, Dover.
Come Wind, Come Weather 