Ash Pilgrimage: The Vikings Sacred Tree

This day long ash pilgrimage is presented as part of the North Downs Way Pilgrimage Festival and The Ash Project explores the ancient cultural connections we share with ash trees in our landscapes.

Saturday 29 September 2018, 10:30-3:30pm

Meet at St Gregory and St Martin Church, Wye, 38 Church St, Wye, Ashford TN25 5BL

Join Madeleine Hodge (The Ash Project) and David Carey (Kent Tree Wardens) for a five mile walk along the North Downs Way from Hucking Estate to the newly launched sculpture by Ackroyd and Harvey.

In this walk we explore  the incredible history of the ash tree, known as Yggdrasil, the world tree, the tree of the druids, the tree of life, the shapeshifter. We will see how ash trees mark landscapes and walking routes along the Downs. We will walk from the giant ash trees at the Hucking Estate to Ash to Ash, a pair of monolithic sculptural works by the internationally renowned artists, which are both a celebration of ash trees and memorial to the devastating effects of ash dieback on the most common tree in the Kent Downs.

Ash Dieback will bring significant rapid change to landscapes across England, it is already affecting the woodlands at Hucking, changing their appearance, how we use woodlands and their ecological balance. For thousands of years, our woodlands and our landscapes have been changing, largely due to climate and the impact of man’s activities. We will look at the history of the Hucking Estate and discover how this woodland has been used in the past. From there we will walk along the North Downs way to the new sculptures made by Ackroyd and Harvey as we look to the future of our landscapes and the threats they face.

This day long ash pilgrimage is presented as part of the North Downs Way Pilgrimage Festival and The Ash Project explores the ancient cultural connections we share with ash trees in our landscapes. It starts and ends in Wye in time for the Pilgrims Feast. Lunch is not provided, though we will stop in the pub for a pilgrims lunch before heading back to Wye (on the bus).

This walk is presented by the Kent Tree and Pond Wardens, a fantastic group of volunteers that work across Kent and Medway to care for trees in our communities.