A 12th-century church high atop a Devon hilltop at the edge of Dartmoor is the focus of a new 38-mile pilgrimage path opened for hikers.
Archangel’s Way is named for a legend of the church’s founding, that it was built in gratitude by a storm-wracked sailor whose prayers for salvation were answered by the Archangel Michael. The legend also says the Devil tried to pry the church from its roost but was defeated by the Archangel.
The church, St Michael de Rupe, is the highest working church in southern England, and the fourth smallest parish in the country. In a less mystic history, it was built in 1154 by a local landowner.
The path follows a route along which local legends say “the devil waits at every crossroads.”
