MORE than a dozen people took part in the first ‘walk your dog to church’ service held in England’s smallest parish church, on Exmoor.
They met in Porlock Weir on Sunday (August 20) to walk their pets for about an hour to cover the two miles to the ancient St Beuno’s Church, in Culbone.
There, a family service was taken by the Rector of Porlock, the Rev Ann Gibbs, and the Rev Nicola Butt, from the Exmoor benefice.
The 35-feet long church is more than 1,000 years old and is dedicated to a 6th century North Wales saint.
Despite its remoteness and tiny size, Rev Gibbs said Holy Communion was still celebrated on the first Sunday of the month and festivals such as Easter were observed.
St Beuno’s sits on the recently-launched Porlock Pilgrim’s Trail, a 29-mile-long network of paths which have been walked and ridden by clergy and parishioners for hundreds of years and connects nine Exmoor chapels and churches.
A trail guide is available and inside each chapel and church is a Pilgrim's Trail ink which walkers can use to mark their progress.
Other churches on the trail are Oare, Stoke Pero, Luccombe, Tivington, Selworthy, Lynch Chapel, in West Lynch, St Dubricius, in Porlock, and Porlock Weir Tabernacle.
The trail initiative is not-for-profit and any money made from the sale of guidebooks and digital versions is distributed throughout the Porlock benefice.
Porlock resident and former advertising executive Jeremy Payne, who helped to create the trail, was among the congregation for the ‘walk your dog to church’ service.
Mr Payne said huge thanks should go to everybody ‘and their pooches’ who completed the walk to attend the service.
He said: “I do hope we have established a really nice little tradition.”
The trail guidebook can be obtained from the visitor centres in Porlock and Watchet, from Porlock's Exmoor Rambler and Post Office, and from the Exmoor National Park Visitor Centres in Dulverton, Dunster, and Lynmouth.
More information about the Porlock Pilgrim’s Trail, including online guidebooks, is available here.