Cultural Routes and Heritage Trails - Tourism and Trails: Cultural, Ecological and Management Issues - page 55

Figure 2.11 St Patrick's grave in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland
remaining four sites located around the settlement of Bangor are associated
with another Saint, St Columbanus, who was educated in Bangor, born in
around AD543 and left to set up monasteries in France, Italy and Switzerland.
As such, the trail is connected to wider Christian heritage associated with
the region. The trail, as shown in Figure 2.12, was designed as a touring route,
by car or bus, with key designated stops within the three cluster regions.
There are only two stops that deviate from the route itself. These include
Saul Church, the site where St Patrick did his first preaching in AD432, and
Slieve Patrick, a hill that is a genuine pilgrimage site, climbed once a year on
the third Sunday of June, on top of which is erected the largest statue of St
Patrick looking out on Carlingford Lough, the place where it is believed he
first set foot in Ireland.
There are two trails in northern Israel that focus on the life and ministry
of Jesus, and there is talk of a 'Pilgrim Route' to be developed in the south
(Rosenblum, 2008). Founded in 2007, the Jesus Trail is a 65 km walking path
in the Galilee area that unites focal points of the life of Jesus, in addition to
other historical and religious sites (Ynetnews, 2008). 'The Jesus Trail offers
an alternative for travelers . . . to experience the steps of Jesus in a way that
is authentic, adventurous and educational by hiking through the rugged and
beautiful landscape of the Galilee in Israel' (Jesus Trail, 2013). The Jesus Trail
organization's goal is to provide a world-class educational, authentic and
significant trek that provides an understanding of the life of Jesus for all
nationalities, cultures and religions. It operates on the principles of building
understanding, grass-roots ecotourism and positive economic growth for the
trail's communities, and a trek that connects hikers with the natural and
cultural world of the Galilee. The second related path is the Gospel Trail