The British Pilgrimage Trust

What The British Pilgrimage Trust does

The British Pilgrimage Trust (BPT) is a UK-registered Charitable Incorporated Organization (CIO, Charity No. 1176045) founded in 2014 by Dr Guy Hayward to revive and sustain the British pilgrimage tradition. The organization operates a digital platform centered on a curated corpus of over 260 pilgrimage walking routes and approximately 700 sacred places across Scotland, England, and Wales. Routes are delivered as free GPX downloads for offline navigation and are simultaneously distributed across major third-party mapping platforms including Ordnance Survey's OSMaps, Outdoor Active, Komoot, AllTrails, and Google Maps. The platform layer includes user accounts, route rating and saving, completion tracking, and a Pilgrim Passport credential system that can be stamped at churches and sanctuaries along routes.

BPT's physical infrastructure layer comprises the Sanctuary Network, 60 community-run accommodation sites (primarily churches and village halls) offered at a suggested £25 donation per night, which supports multi-day pilgrimages. The revenue model rests on four streams: a freemium membership structure (free tier plus a £30/year "Giving Pilgrim" tier unlocking partner discounts and sanctuary access), donations processed through Givestar, ticketed guided pilgrimage events (e.g., £40 per pilgrim for the Hampstead Heath Rogation Sunday Pilgrimage), and merchandise including Britain's Pilgrim Places (a guidebook co-authored by Hayward) and Pilgrim Passports. Marketing and community engagement operate through content, a 35K-subscriber email newsletter, a 27.2K-follower Instagram presence, earned media (BBC, Telegraph, Radio 4), and partnerships with the Confraternity of St James (whose endorsement positions BPT routes as official Camino de Santiago feeders), Vivobarefoot, and outdoor brands. Customer segments are predominantly individual urban-dwelling British adults drawn to pilgrimage for emotional/mental wellbeing, nature connection, and spiritual curiosity outside institutional religion, supplemented by parish communities participating in events like the Rogation Festival and families undertaking shared walking holidays.

Name

The British Pilgrimage Trust

Legal name

British Pilgrimage Trust CIO

Website

https://britishpilgrimage.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The British Pilgrimage Trust is a UK charity (CIO) operating a digital platform of 260+ pilgrimage walking routes and ~700 sacred places across Britain. It serves individual urban pilgrims via free GPX route downloads, a £30/year paid membership, ticketed guided walks, and a 60-site Sanctuary accommodation network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Heritage and pilgrimage walking tourism services

NAICS

Tour Operators (561520), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Group Travel (Church/Mosque/Temple) Organizers (THAKAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Religious & Sacred Sites Tours (THAJAAAF), Religious Landmarks & Pilgrimage Sites (Temples, Churches, Shrines) (THAJACAG), Pilgrimage Logistics & Visa/Permit Specialists (THAKAHAI)

Keywords

• Pilgrimage routes
• Walking trails
• Sacred sites
• Sanctuary accommodation
• Guided pilgrimages

Headquarters

HQ city

Isle Pierre

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Giving Pilgrim Membership: Annual membership at £30 per year offering premium benefits including access to private sanctuaries, discounts on guided events, third-party partner discounts (Vivobarefoot, Trespass, Advaya, Hilltrek), OS Maps Premium subscription, and ability to promote paid events.
2. Donations: One-off donations accepted via Givestar platform. Donations support the Rogation Festival campaign and general operations.
3. Event Fees: Revenue from BPT-hosted guided pilgrimage events. Example: Hampstead Heath Rogation Sunday Pilgrimage priced at £40 per person.
4. Retail - Books and Merchandise: Sale of Britain's Pilgrim Places book (co-authored by Guy Hayward) and Pilgrim Passports. Proceeds support the charity.
5. Givestar Fundraising: Platform enabling pilgrims to fundraise for causes while walking. BPT receives donations through sponsored pilgrimages.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The British Pilgrimage Trust curates and publishes the largest free collection of British pilgrimage walking routes (260+) and sacred places (700+) across Scotland, England, and Wales, with GPX downloads and integrations across major mapping platforms. It supplements the digital library with a Sanctuary Network of 60 low-cost community-run accommodations, a Pilgrim Passport credential system, ticketed guided pilgrimages, and a paid Giving Pilgrim membership offering premium access and partner discounts.

Product overview

The British Pilgrimage Trust operates a digital platform centered on a curated collection of over 260 pilgrimage walking routes and nearly 700 sacred places across Britain. The core offering consists of free route guides with GPX downloads accessible on third-party mapping platforms (OSMaps, Outdoor Active, Komoot, AllTrails), supplemented by a network of 60 low-cost Sanctuary accommodations for multi-day walks. The Trust offers two membership tiers: a free Pilgrim membership providing route saving, rating, and offline downloads; and a paid Giving Pilgrim membership (£30/year) unlocking additional sanctuaries, event discounts, and partner benefits. Related offerings include guided group pilgrimages, the Pilgrim Passport credential system, and the Britain's Pilgrim Places guidebook.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 560,000 people visited the website in 2025, up 30% over 2024
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• GivestarcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for sponsored walks and fundraising. BPT pilgrims can use Givestar to raise money for charity while walking, or sponsor other pilgrims. Used for Rogation Festival campaign donations and general donations.
• OSMapscoreTechnology or IntegrationRoutes published on Ordnance Survey's OSMaps platform, enabling premium subscribers to access BPT routes. OS Maps Premium Membership offered as benefit to Giving Pilgrims (60-day free trial).
• Outdoor ActivecoreTechnology or IntegrationLeading walking platform hosting BPT pilgrimage routes for hikers and pilgrims to access and plan journeys.
• Confraternity of St JamescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Confraternity of St James recognizes certain British routes (including St James' Way from Reading to Southampton) as official starting points for the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage to Spain.
• VivobarefootminorGTM or Marketing Partner15% discount offered to free members; presumably more to paid Giving Pilgrim members. Partnership provides footwear discount benefit to community.
• Othona CommunityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChristian community offering accommodation and food for pilgrims at Bradwell-on-Sea. Open to all regardless of beliefs, background, or race. Supports Sanctuary Network.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• St Cuthbert's Way: Long-distance walking/pilgrimage route from Melrose to Lindisfarne, established in 1996. Directly comparable as a curated British pilgrimage route with its own credentialing tradition, but focused on a single linear path rather than BPT's network of 260+ routes.

Direct peers

• Wilderness England: UK walking and outdoor holiday operator offering self-guided and guided walking holidays across England. Comparable in product type (self-guided walking routes in Britain) and geography, but with a commercial tour-operator model rather than charity.
• Inntravel: UK-based slow travel operator specializing in self-guided walking and cycling holidays across the UK and Europe. Comparable route-discovery and self-guided walking experience, with a paid-holiday model that competes for the same 'pilgrim-curious' British audience.
• Sherpa Expeditions: Long-established UK walking holiday company offering self-guided and guided walks across Britain and the Alps. Comparable walking-route product and British customer base, with the same heritage-of-pilgrimage audience overlap as BPT.
• Macs Adventure: UK-based self-guided walking and cycling holiday operator offering curated routes across Britain and Europe. Directly comparable as a self-guided walking-route business model, but with paid packages (£500-£2,000+) and a strong commercial footing that contrasts with BPT's free charity model.
• Headwater Holidays: UK operator of self-guided walking, cycling, and canoeing holidays across Britain and Europe. Comparable self-guided walking experience, with curated routes and a similar 'slow travel' positioning that overlaps BPT's pilgrimage-as-cultural-exploration value proposition.
• Confraternity of St James: The UK's principal Camino de Santiago society, with deep expertise in British pilgrimage routes and credentialing (the Pilgrim Passport). It is the most directly comparable UK pilgrimage membership charity, with overlapping route content, similar events programming, and a shared pilgrim community.

Others

• Ramblers: UK walking charity (largest walking NGO in Britain) with route discovery, group walks, and advocacy. Overlaps with BPT in promoting outdoor walking for wellbeing and access to routes, but is broader (hiking) rather than pilgrimage-specific.
• Long Distance Walkers Association: UK charity for long-distance walkers that maintains a comprehensive database of long-distance paths. Comparable as a UK walking-route database and community, with overlapping content curation and membership model, but not pilgrimage-focused.

Regional players

• American Pilgrims on the Camino: US-based Camino de Santiago society with chapters, pilgrim credentialing, and community events. Directly comparable as a non-profit pilgrimage membership organization, but serves North American pilgrims rather than the British audience BPT focuses on.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/britishpilgrimagetrust
• Facebookfacebook.com/BritishPilgrimageTrust
• YouTubeyoutube.com/britishpilgrimagetrust
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/british-pilgrimage-trust
• Xx.com/PilgrimTrust

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The British Pilgrimage Trust