Patterson’s Way

Today we joined 10 others from our walking group to follow the pilgrimage route celebrating the 150th Anniversary of John Patterson who came from Feniton, went to school in Ottery St Mary, served curacy at Alfington and became the first bishop of Melanesia in the South Pacific where he was murdered by the natives and subsequently martyred. 
We visited three churches enroute, St Andrew’s church in Feniton next to Feniton Court, which was his family home, St James and St Anne in Alfington where we  were treated to tea and coffee and St Mary’s in Ottery St Mary where we had our lunch on benches in the grounds. A very civilised walk with an excellent walk leader who is a fountain of knowledge and civilised loos inside two churches which is unheard of for our walks normally. The weather behaved as well, a beautiful sunny day and a good 8 1/2 miles to add to my walking tally. We had several stiles to clamber over and there was quite a lot of mud. En route we passed near the site of the Battle of Fenny Bridges in 1549. I do so enjoy a walk in pleasant company and one which I haven’t done before.