Thoughts on routes through a cemetery
I hope this is a suitable topic for the forum. Essentially, I'm curious as to what people's thoughts are on having a Slow Ways route pass through a cemetery.
My initial feeling is that this would be inappropriate. Certainly, I'd feel slightly uncomfortable being part of a large group of walkers passing through one – they are, after all, places of rest. But perhaps I'm overthinking this, or being a little too sensitive. It would depend on the location too, of course.
But my question is, would there ever be a place for a Slow Ways route that goes through a cemetery, or is this absolutely a no-no? (Also, are there any Slow Ways routes that already do?)
(A specific example is Stoney Royd Cemetery to the south-east of Halifax; a path through it or over the top of it could be useful heading south-east, e.g. to Brighouse)
Looking forward to hearing some of your thoughts. Thanks in advance.
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Not a no-no, as I can remember walking at least two routes that pass through cemeteries and enjoying them, so it is similar to walking through parks - there can be issues with locked gates in the evenings and early mornings and this is something many reviewers like to check and comment on.
I can't do links or give route numbers until the main site is working properly, but one route through a cemetery was Sheffield to Chapeltown (and that cemetery was rather spectacular) and I think the other was West Bromwich to Stone Cross. There is also a Sandiacre to Beeston route that uses a public footpath that bisects a cemetery. Many cemeteries can't be used because they only have one entrance.
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Hi Harry.
It probably depends on the cemetery so your local knowledge may be the most important thing but it's not a strict No-No. I know of 3 in South and SE London, 2 have been verified already. There are also "official" walking routes that use them like the Capital Ring and the Green Chain Walk - the latter was designed by local authorities. If I was considering putting one in a new London route I'd be mostly concerned about whether all the gates were in active use for visitors, what the opening hours are, and how easy a detour would be to find.
But there may be different attitudes in less highly-urbanised areas where there is more alternative accessible green space, and perhaps again where land is less built on cemeteries might have a higher rate of recent burials. I know a lots of walks including Slow Ways go through church yards too.
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Hi Harry
Good question. I've done a few Slow Ways that pass through cemeteries in London and they can be the nicest and/or most interesting bits of the walk - it's never felt strange. It's maybe a personal preference but I quite like the idea of cemeteries being used and visited by people and them not being forgotten places but as Daisy says perhaps local knowledge would be best to define what feels appropriate. Have definitely also had to detour because it was after closing hours too so always worth flagging that in a review.
Cheers0 -
Thanks so much everyone for your responses – lots to consider here. I'll investigate the routes and walks mentioned with these thoughts in mind.
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Hi Harry,
All the suggestions are super and thank you for all the considering. I wanted to share that I've just read a non-fiction book called The Coffin Roads. It was so interesting and explored the Highland and Hebridean traditions of the routes taken to walk people to their resting places. There will be such routes across the UK as the book alluded to ones in Wales and Cumbria.
It also made me wonder about how people may use Slow Ways routes to visit the graves of loved ones. How the slowness of walking gives time to remember.
Locked gates and personal choice are very important but it also feels really natural to me that cemeteries could be part of a route.
Best wishes,
Cristie0
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