On this Holy Island

A lyrical and insightful narrative that presents a new approach to the idea of pilgrimage, traversing paths both ancient and modern.

Retracing sacred travel made across time, from murmurs of ritual journeys in the depths of Ice Age to new pilgrimages of the 21st century, On This Holy Island is an an epic adventure across sacred British landscapes. We follow Oliver Smith as he climbs into remote sea caves, sleeps inside Neolithic tombs, scales forgotten holy mountains and once even marrons himself at sea. Following holy roads to churches, cathedrals and standing stones, this evocative and enlightening travelogue explores places prehistoric, pagan and Christian, Smith also reveals how football stadiums and music festivals have become contemporary places of pilgrimage.

Though the routes walked are often ancient, the pilgrims he meets are always modern. But underpinning the remarkable book is a timeless truth: that making journeys has always been a way of making meaning. So often, Smith finds, "the unravelling of a path goes in tandem with the unravelling of the soul."