Pilgrims passing through Abingdon

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A notice outside St Nicolas’ Church welcomes pilgrims walking St Frideswide’s Way and the Camino Inglés, with a stamp available inside the church to record their visit.

St Frideswide’s Way is a 40-mile pilgrimage route from Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford to Reading Abbey. Launched in 2024, it follows the Thames Path through Abingdon, Dorchester-on-Thames, Wallingford and Pangbourne.

As Abingdon is one of the stops along the route, pilgrims can visit the former Abbey grounds and the town’s historic churches.

St Helen’s Church is often open, and its pilgrimage stamp was available today.

From Reading, the pilgrim route connects with the St James’ Way to Southampton, forming part of the wider Camino de Santiago, the network of pilgrimage routes leading to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, where St James is honoured.

So the little sign at St Nicolas’ and the stamp available at St Helen’s are part of a much bigger pilgrimage network.

What’s On in Abingdon – Late September 2026

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There’s a lot happening around Abingdon over the next couple of weeks, from poetry to heritage, volunteering and a fan convention.

Thursday 17 September – Woodland Apothecary

6.00pm, Abingdon Library

Three founders of the Friends of Radley Large Wood – artist and poet Diana Bell, nature writer and poet Paul Gamble, and author and poet Sylvia Vetta – have curated Woodland, an anthology of prose, poetry and pictures celebrating this ancient woodland.

Tickets are £2, including a free welcome drink, from the library counter.

Thursday 17 September – MG Cars: Abingdon’s Legacy

7.45pm, Northcourt Centre, Northcourt Road

The Abingdon Area Archaeology and History Society welcomes Richard Martin to talk about MG Cars: Abingdon’s Legacy – From Small Beginnings in Oxfordshire to World-Wide Recognition.

The talk looks at the story of MG and its links with Abingdon, where the famous cars were manufactured for many years. Visitors are welcome, with a suggested donation of £4 for non-members.

Thursday 17 September – Make Music Abingdon

7.30pm to 10.00pm, Loose Cannon Taproom at Suffolk Way

Third Thursday of the month showcase of local music. This month features
Karvara
The Sepia Tone Folk Collective
Ady Davey

Saturday 19 September – A Day in the Life of the Anglo-Saxons

10.00am–4.00pm, Abingdon Museum

Meet the Anglo-Saxons at Abingdon Museum as part of the Heritage Open Days Festival.

The Hwitmearum, the Oxfordshire branch of Regia Anglorum, will bring the period to life with demonstrations, crafts and displays showing what everyday life was like for the Anglo-Saxons.

The event takes place under the Arcade of the Museum and is free to attend.


Saturday 19 & Sunday 20 September – Abingdon Heritage Weekend

‘From Agriculture to Atoms’ – Abingdon’s 2026 Heritage Festival tells the story of the working lives of the town’s people.

There will be ‘Abingdon at Work’ exhibitions at the Guildhall and Unit 25 in Bury Street, with real-life stories, photographs and films showing how employment and everyday life changed over time.

Around ten historic buildings will also be opening their doors.

Friday 25 September – Volunteer Recruitment Day

10.00am–2.00pm, Roysse Court, Bridge Street

Have you ever thought about volunteering, but wanted to know a little more before getting involved? The Volunteer Recruitment Day at Roysse Court is an opportunity to find out about volunteering opportunities and speak to organisations looking for people to get involved.

Sunday 27 September – Abbey Con 2026

White Horse Leisure Centre, Abingdon

Abbey Con is back in Abingdon for its third year. Trooper Events UK are bringing a family day featuring stars from TV and film, photo opportunities and lots of stalls to explore.

More events and details can be found in the individual event listings and on organisers’ websites.

Ride and Stride around Abingdon

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Ride and Stride took place today across Oxfordshire. The event sees people riding, walking or using mobility aids to visit churches and raise money through sponsorship.

These two ladies have visited all the open churches in Abingdon. Philippa, driving the chair, said it is great fun and that they meet so many nice people going round. She suggested more people should have a go next year. Ride and Stride usually takes place on the second Saturday in September.

I also saw Robin with his special tandem, going round with his children. They have already raised over £1,300. Half the money will go to their own church, St Helen’s, and the other half to the Oxfordshire Historic Churches Trust, who organise Ride and Stride.

In early October Robin and children and others will be taking part in another cycle challenge, this time on behalf of the Newman Trust, which gave Robin’s daughter such a good time when she stayed with them for six days recently. Robin said the care was ‘out of this world.’

Motorhomes and cricket share the Abingdon Vale Cricket Ground at the end of the season

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There are regular motorhome rallies at the Abingdon Vale Cricket Ground. The East Wessex Group of the Motor Caravanners’ Club held a rally there at the end of August, and this week members of the West Wessex Group are there. A large group met together on camping chairs for their initial briefing.

The rally description highlights a couple of attractions for members: the ground is within walking distance of the town centre and close to the Thames Path.

There is another attraction this week that isn’t mentioned. Members can watch cricket from their motorhomes, with the final two matches of the season taking place while they are there.

This evening the Abingdon Vale midweek team were playing Weybridge Vandals in a 16-overs-a-side match starting at 5pm. One thing I hadn’t seen before was that the teams didn’t change ends between overs. That helped keep the 16-over match moving along as the light was fading. It was the penultimate game of the cricket season.

The final game is tomorrow, Saturday, when the annual President’s XI vs Chairman’s XI will be played.