Walking Days

I love looking at the large number of old photos in the Album. Many of them show young people dressed in their best clothes on Walking Days.

What on earth are Walking Days ? Does it mean that they are not in cars or on busses ?

Walking Days are religious processions. The big one in Wigan was Whit Monday, when five of the Catholic parishes would walk around the town.

Very fond moments of my own involvement in walking days around the mid to late 50's early 60's. Always a special time much anticipated for this procession of witness. Alway's exciting to see how many threepenny bits and sixpences I had collected. I seem to recall it mostly was a sunny warm day, although this could be a bit of selective memory. If memory serves me right when we walked at Abram over two days - Saturday was a joint walk with all banners and music bands that ended at Abram park with a picnic tea followed by games. Sunday in the main, was our own individual church that ended with I think a short service.

i used to walk with sacred heart back in the day, and it seemed a long walk for little legs. we started out from springfield, went to the market square where the churches met, then set off from there, can anyone remember the route ? i know there were some very tired legs when we finished.

The route was, give or take a street or two: Each parish would walk from their church to assemble on the market square. The assembled parishes would walk up Upper Dicconson Street, down Standishgate, into Greenough Street, down Scholes, left into Wellington Street, left into Hardybutts, down Rupert Street, Darlington Street, Chapel Lane, Caroline Street, where St. Joseph's would leave, into Wallgate, where the parishes would walk back to their own churches. St. Pat's walked down Library street and up Scholes. I would imagine Sacred Heart would walk down Market Street and back to Springfield. No wonder your legs were tired.

thanks for that tuddy, i remember now, such a long way for little legs

I hated 'Walking Day' with a passion, and once I got out of 'Walking' in the bloody things, I hated anything to do with them, if you were in your house and a walking day was approaching, the first thing yoo would hear would be the big bass drum, followed shortly after by the brass section, so I would turn the telly up so that I could not hear it, and when I got older, and I was driving, I used to hate the way all the roads on Sundays were buggered up by walking days

I didn't like walking days

What a miserable sod.

Obviously not enjoyed his childhood.

Whit Monday ,great day had a way of bringing different religion together,
the worst part was the waiting around on the square when your parish was the last to leave, as parishes took it in turn to lead the walk , the Convent always went second, the hardest job on the day was for the men carrying the banners especially on a windy day and getting under Chapel Lane bridge, it is debatable which parish had the longest walk St.Pats or Sacred Heart??
Hello (captain) tony j I didnt hear you complain about tired little legs when we had to play extra time to win the cup when playing for John Fisher. take care

hello jamb, are you james ? didn't have tired little legs when playing football !!

Hi tony, no I, am Brian left wing, hope your keeping ok in under the present conditions . Take care

I used to enjoy the walking day especially the one in caroline street wigan .

AWGH TOMMY HOW SAD YOU DID NOT WNJOY WALKING DAYS I NEVER WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT OF YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!