Thirty-five pilgrims gathered on the village green of Widecombe-in-the-Moor on the morning of Wednesday, August 6 for a very unusual pilgrimage, carrying a shroud depicting the wildlife of Dartmoor.

The focus of the four and a half mile pilgrimage walk was the beautiful, hand-felted ‘Shroud for Mother Nature’ which had been created by the community, under the guidance of textile artist Yuli Somme.

Created as the central piece of the 2025 exhibition, A Shroud for Mother Nature – Is Dartmoor Dying?, the shroud is being displayed in the Museum of Dartmoor Life in Okehampton, but was transported lovingly out onto the moor for this special occasion.

The shroud has been decorated all over using needle felting, a technique which has been taught to many people that have taken part in workshops hosted by the museum, and the decorations depict the many plants and animals on Dartmoor which are extinct or endangered.

The day started when curator of the museum, Kristy Turner, welcomed everyone in the morning and invited them to take this opportunity for reflection and conversation.

In the group there were representatives from the South West Peatland Partnership and The Dartmoor Society, plus shroud maker Yuli Somme and herbalist Jenny Carden.

Yuli said: “Our shroud has been beautifully decorated by over 50 volunteers, depicting the vulnerability of Dartmoor’s ecology, raising awareness of the issues. Hosted and led by members of the Dartmoor Preservation Association we made an interesting procession across the moors in beautiful weather.

“This has triggered many conversations around the effects of human activity on the Dartmoor landscape, the cycle of life and our connection to nature, of which we are a part.”

The pilgrims departed from the village green and walked out of Widecombe up a long steep hill to Two Crosses.

They paused at Two Crosses to hear about the history of the name; the donation of the stone slab with two crosses carved into it, as well as the legend that the name refers to ancient carved and chalked turf crosses, which may have have been memorials.

From there they turned towards Wind Tor, with some of the shroud bearers swapping out after the uphill climb.

A representative from The Dartmoor Society, said: “It was great to meet so many other people who care about Dartmoor – lots of interesting conversations and the shroud is a beautiful piece of community art that catches the colours of Dartmoor perfectly.”

At Wind Tor the pilgrims stopped to lay the shroud on a flat granite outcrop. They gathered around and were led in singing some simple songs, created to honour final journeys and a return to the earth.

From Wind Tor they looped back round towards Widecombe, crossing a small stream and a number of stiles, following what was likely to be a church path that originated in another outlying village and wound its way across the moor to St Pancras’ Church in Widecombe.

The hedgerows were full of blackberries and the seedheads of yellow rattle stood tall and dry in the enclosed meadows. In two of the fields, the landowner had planted swathes of mixed native saplings, including oak and rowan.

Fi Darby, blogger and travel writer, said: “‘Most of us who love Dartmoor have heard skylarks singing, listened for cuckoos in the spring and foraged for summer bilberries. But these favourites, along with many other birds, animals, insects and plants are disappearing from the Dartmoor landscape.

‘And what about the tormentil mining bee, the clover dodder or the oak polypore? No. I hadn’t heard of them either. But that’s kind of the point. As Robert Macfarlane noted in his fabulous book The Lost Words. How can we look after something if we don’t know its name?’

The Pilgrims returned to the village green in Widecombe, where they were greeted by a number of supporters who had waited for the pilgrims to complete the circular walk.

Kristy Turner, manager of the Museum of Dartmoor Life, said: ‘What a wonderful walk we had today carrying the Shroud for Mother Nature. It was a thought provoking pilgrimage with a group of fascinating people. Thanks to our community partners Dartmoor Preservation Association, particularly Helen and John for leading us. Thanks to other partners who joined us, The Dartmoor Society, Glavind Strachan Photography, South West Peatland Partnership, Bellacouche, to name a few.

“Do come and see this beautiful piece of community artwork at the museum along with the current exhibition that focuses on the amazing work being carried out by numerous charities, associations and individuals to support Dartmoor’s future.”

The exhibition, ‘A Shroud for Mother Nature – Is Dartmoor Dying?’ is running at the Museum of Dartmoor Life until the autumn and has been funded by The Royal Society.