Lenten Walk, 2009

from New Malden to Box Hill

Ian Smith   |   15th March 2009

Sunday the 15th of March was a fine, sunny spring day – a stark contrast to last year’s wind and rain! Three members of the J&P Group walked from St Joseph’s Church to Box Hill (a distance of 15 miles) to raise sponsorship for the parish’s two Lenten Charities. During the walk, we used Pope John Paul II’s Scriptural Way of the Cross to help us focus our prayers and reflections.

The route we had chosen took us from the church to the Hogsmill River which runs through a parkland area separating New Malden from Berrylands. We continued following the river once we had crossed the A3 and basically followed the Thames Down Link Path down through Old Malden, across to Tolworth and then south skirting Chessington to the Horton Country Park then through Epsom Common and Ashtead Common and park until we reached the Roman road (Stane Street) which took us over the M25 and across the Leatherhead Downs to Box Hill.

The contrast between the fine spring sunshine and beautiful countryside and the Passion of our Saviour was stark and helped us balance the joys of the day with our purpose while bringing into closer focus the details and lessons to be learned from the Stations. So, for example, as we walked along the Roman road we were reminded of the encounter between Jesus and Pilate and of the involvement of the Romans in Christ’s crucifixion. We would recommend this walk to anyone. It is remarkable to think we walked for over 5 hours and crossed so few roads and enjoyed such peace and quiet. We would be very happy to provide any interested person or group with our notes on the route and our version of the Way of the Cross. Thank you for all who supported this effort with their prayers and donations!