A new 22 mile pilgrimage route linking five churches in the Bro Celynnin Ministry Area has opened in Conwy, North Wales.
Llwybr Celynnin is a figure of eight trail that follows existing footpaths between Conwy and Llangelynnin, where it then joins the Pilgrim’s Way.
Walkers can collect a stamp at each church in a specially designed pilgrim passport, creating a record of their journey though the Conwy valley.
Local Conwy artist Hope O’Dell created the passport, while pupils from Ysgol Porth y Felin and Ysgol Llangelynnin, two primary schools in Conwy, designed the stamps used along the route.
The route has been developed in view of the recent renewed interet in pilgrimage. The BBC Two series Pilgrimage: The Road Through North Wales, recently followed seven celebrities along the North Wales Pilgrim’s Way.
The Conwy Valley trail begins, or ends, at St Mary’s Church in the centre of Conwy, which contains surviving parts of Aberconwy Abbey, a Cistercian monastery founded in the 12th Century.
The route then continues to Llangelynnin Church, an ancient church overlooking the valley and frequently visited by walkers following the established North Wales route.
The five churches included in the route are:
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- St Mary’s Church in Conwy
- St Mary’s Church in Caerhun
- St Benedicts Church in Gyffin
- St Peter’s Church in Llanbedr y Cennin
- Llangelynnin Church above Henryd
The Conwy Valley trail was launched at St Mary’s Church, Conwy in August 2026, with a pilgrimage exhibition and events with the children of two local church schools.
Pupils from both Ysgol Porth y Felin and Ysgol Llangelynnin were invited to take part in a competition to design stamps for the route. The five winners received prizes for their work during a service marking the end of the school year.
Revd Kevin Ellis, Vicar of Bro Celynnin Ministry Area, hopes the new trail will appeal both to people exploring faith and to those looking for time away from the pressures of daily life, “The churches of the trail have been part of the landscape and fabric of life here for hundreds of years”.
The route is intended to support people’s physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing and offers an opportunity for walkers to take time out of their busy lives, to exercise, pause, and reflect for the benefit of their physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing while enjoying the beautiful landscape of North Wales and at the same time visiting five of the ancient churches in the Conwy Valley which all offer a deeply interesting archaeology and history.
For further information about the trail see the St Mary’s Church Conwy Website
Llwybr Celynnin – Caru Conwy Camino – caruconwy.com
Maps are available in each of the five churches.
