Queen Eleanor Crosses Way

A long distance path of 215 miles. The walk begins in Harby, in Nottinghamshire, where Queen Eleanor, wife of Edward I, died and ends at Westminister Abbey, where she is buried alongside the King. It follows a route which includes all the Eleanor Crosses. They were erected in her memory, marking the nightly resting-places along the route taken when her body was transported to Westminster Abbey. Maps, statistics and gpx route file for the walk are included.

Google Maps Open Source Maps

Statistics and Files
Start: Harby
Distance: 215 miles (346 km)
Grid Ref: SK 87995 70700
 
Climbing: 2,612 metres
Walk time: 80-100 hours
Days: 12-22

Ordnance Survey Explorer Map (1:25,000)

Summary: The Eleanor Crosses were a series of monuments erected to commemorate Eleanor of Castile, the wife of Edward I. Eleanor had fallen ill during a trip north to meet her husband. Eventually taking refuge at a manor house in the village of Harby near Lincoln, she passed away there on 28 November 1290. Following Eleanor’s death her body was taken first to Lincoln and then on to London to be buried at Westminster Abbey. Deep in mourning King Edward I, decreed that a memorial cross would be built everywhere her body laid on route. In total 12 Eleanor Crosses were created. The 215 mile walk visits the 16 key places associated with the procession of her body, using scenic rights of way rather than the major tracks the original procession would have followed. The 16 places are the start of the trail, Harby, where she died, Lincoln Cathedral where she was embalmed and her viscera (less her heart) were buried, the 12 locations where crosses were erected, Blackfriars Church, London, where her heart was kept and Westminster Abbey where the rest of her body was interred.


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