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The Jesuit Institute team offer a variety of online events – from guided prayer to courses and retreats, aiming to make Ignatian spirituality more accessible to people across the United Kingdom and beyond. Alongside this, we also work in person in many parts of the UK (and occasionally elsewhere) – reaching out to where you are. As well as travelling to parishes, universities and prisons all over the country, the team are now conquering the great outdoors itself…

In September 2025, Sarah Young led a walking prayer workshop in Askham, Cumbria. We asked her why she was drawn to the idea:

I love this north-west corner of England. It is from here [Cumbria] that I move out and about across the UK in the course of my work for the Jesuit Institute. On returning home, one of the ways I engage with my own life of prayer is in the beauty of the Cumbrian landscape. Having led walking retreats at St Beuno's in Wales, I decided that I would love to offer something similar on home ground. The Eden Valley, east of the M6, is a perfect, quiet area to offer gentle walks with prayer and reflections along the way drawing on the natural landscape for inspiration.

Sarah is no stranger to the combination of spirituality and a love of nature – as well as leading walking retreats with St Beuno’s (which continue to be very popular), she has led some online retreats based on people’s love of the ‘great outdoors’ during the pandemic years, and she also coordinates our online Eco Retreat in Daily Life (which will run again in 2026).

What is her hope for the current series of workshops?

My hope is that each person who comes along quickly becomes part of a mini-pilgrimage shared with others who also love the outdoors. There is time to chat and time to be silent. I hope the guided prayers offer opportunities to take stock of what is happening in your daily life, to talk to God about these things and return home refreshed. These days are offered ecumenically and we have received a warm welcome from both the Catholic and Anglican parishes from which they start. The guided prayers are drawn from the Ignatian tradition which invites an encounter with God who is found in all things and a deeper relationship with Jesus who walks alongside us.

The workshops are being offered over the next few months (from April to September) in a variety of locations in the Eden Valley, taking in some of the local churches. The walks are of different lengths, ranging from very short to up to seven miles – to accommodate for various levels of ability and fitness. Sarah will be joined by Ginny Newsham, who is an Ignatian Spiritual Director who has a particular interest in our relationships to ‘place’ and in the use of creative practices in spirituality and learning. We hope to attract people who live locally, or those who may be passing through on their holidays.

You can find the full list of dates and locations, as well as a brief description of each walk, on our events page or via the booking form.

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Book now >>

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Can’t get to Cumbria? In May, Stephen Hoyland is offering an Online Retreat Day on Encountering God in the Natural World. There will be plenty of offline time to explore nature where you are.

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