23rd-25th June 2025. Cumbria

Dancing Pilgrimage: Sacred Sites in Cumbria

23rd-25th June

After the success of the pilgrimages in the past couple of years I am delighted to let you know another one will be taking place in 2025. It’s very clear to me that dancing at sacred sites in Cumbria helps bring harmony and healing to the land as we connect the different sites together through our concentrations and heartfelt dancing.

Cumbria is the geographical centre of the British Isles and according to my own research and guidance may also be the spiritual centre. Hence the concentration of ancient sacred sites in the whole area. What is healed and harmonised here seems to radiate and resonate throughout the whole of our lands. Some sources also indicate that in ancient Celtic Christian times Cumbria was also a central point of three major energetic centres of spiritual power at this time: Iona, Lindisfarne and Glastonbury. It has always felt like a calling to me that those of us who hear the call who can dance need to dance together in this way for the benefit of the natural landscape and all who inhabit it. Although it can be an enjoyable and rewarding experience for us there are much wider ripples of harmonising energy that resonate further than we can imagine.

Our pilgrimage this year we will be visiting Castlerigg Stone Circle (pictured above); Gamelands Stone Circle; Long Meg and Her Daughters; Little Meg Stone Circle: Gunnerkeld Stone Circle; Mayburgh Henge; King Arthur’s Table and Moor Divock. We will again be visiting St Helen’s Well in Great Asby and St Bega’s Chapel on the banks of Bassenthwaite Lake as well as the neaby Druidic oak grove and Castle Howe.

This ancient land of Cumberland and Westmorland has an amazingly rich legacy of ancient sacred sites from the neolithic period onwards. There are over 50 stone circles remaining in this area with many more having been destroyed over the years. In addition there are henges, barrows, holy wells, sacred springs, ancient chapels and remains of abbeys that can be found in the region.

My intention has always been that in love, reverence and humility, we may offer our own heart-felt dancing and singing to help restore the sense of peace, harmony and balance at such places. Without doubt, the energy we tune into at these sites as well as the energy we can create together as we sing and dance resonates much further beyond our circles than we may appreciate. 

Recognised and cultivated by our ancestors, these power spots act as energy portals that link together to form a worldwide web of energetic connection. Whatever happens in one area, positively or negatively, has its effects in other areas, just like in the human body. It is quite likely that the ancients also danced and sang together in their ceremonial practices. We are, in a real sense, dancing in the footsteps of our ancestors and we can even tap into the sacred sense embodied by them.

Many sacred places have been mistreated over the years and others have become dormant. Despite this they still retain a timeless, mystical, energetic quality which we can tune into for the benefit of the sites and of ourselves. During the 14 years I have been leading dancing pilgrimages we have always been warmly welcomed by the sites and it’s clear they respond extremely well to our presence and our practices.

To reach all the pilgrimage locations involves some walking – sometimes up steep hills. We will be driving between sites and ideally sharing cars. Some of the sites have only limited parking available. Naturally we will have time for lunches and breaks, calling at local cafes. You may also choose to bring along packed lunches.

We will be a relatively small group of dancers and places are limited. Early booking advised.

For those who are not local and will be looking for accommodation we will be spending the three days north of Kendal towards Penrith and Keswick. The Kendal area could be a good place to stay, with easy access to the M6. Likewise it would also be good to stay further north.

We will gather together for an orientation session on Zoom a few days before the start of the pilgrimage.