We had the warning in Winchester on a rainy St Swithun’s Day 15 July:

St Swithin’s Day, if it does rain/Full forty days, it will remain

So on St Bartholomew’s Day 24 August we hope to say:

All the tears St Swithun can cry /St Bartholomew dusty mantle wipes dry

You come across a St Bartholomew church after just half a mile on your first day out of Winchester. The church, ‘the active remnant of Hyde Abbey’, is holding an open day on Saturday 26 August 10am-4pm. This will also be the first day of the annual Community Dig to uncover more of the abbey buildings.

The other St Bartholomew church is at Otford where the Winchester and London Pilgrims’ Way routes meet. The church is usually open weekday mornings and on Monday, Wednesday and Friday 9am-12 noon the office can provide a stamp for your pilgrim passport.