Church News  RSS feed | About

STEPPING OUT: Villagers from Cerne Abbas wil be walking the bounds Picture: Brian Jung/bj5550

VILLAGERS in Cerne Abbas will be setting off from St Mary's Church tomorrow to mark the historic boundaries of the parish.

The 'Beating the Bounds' walk will cover a 14-mile route as the community rejuvenates a Rogation Sunday tradition.

Organiser Mike Clark said: "We are going to be walking as near as possible to the boundary of Cerne Abbas and Nether Cerne parish.

"We cannot follow it exactly all the way as there are certain places where it just is not possible.

"Quite a lot of the route is not on public footpaths and the landowners have very kindly given us permission to cross their land."

The historic tradition used to involve local communities walking the parish boundaries, pausing as they passed certain trees, walls and hedges that marked the outer limits to exclaim, pray and beat them with sticks.

Mr Clark said: "Traditionally it used to take place every Rogation Sunday, which is the fifth Sunday after Easter.

"People used to go out into the fields to bless the crops and hope there would be a good growing season.

"They used to walk the boundaries and in times when the population was less settled it was a way of enforcing the boundary to neighbours.

"We don't know for sure whether it did take place from Cerne Abbas in the past but it is quite likely that it did as it was fairly commonplace."

This weekend's walk will be split into smaller stages with points where people can join and leave the group, ensuring people of all abilities can take part in the village event.

The walkers will stop for lunch roughly halfway at Nether Cerne and there will be a barbecue at The New Inn at 5pm where thirsty hikers will be able quench their thirst.

Mr Clark said: "We are going for it this weekend, we have got nearly 100 people doing at least part of the walk. There will be a small group of us doing all 14 miles."

8:10am Saturday 26th April 2008

Print   Email this   Comment