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Park st<strong>and</strong>s <strong>the</strong> shrine of <strong>the</strong> Virgin delRocío (‘Our Lady of <strong>the</strong> Dew’), knownlocally <strong>as</strong> ‘The Queen of Marshes’, objectof some of <strong>the</strong> most important pilgrimagesin <strong>the</strong> whole of Spain. Over one millionpilgrims participate each year, walkingor riding through <strong>the</strong> dunes <strong>and</strong> marshl<strong>and</strong>s,chanting <strong>and</strong> praying for days onend during <strong>the</strong>ir journey to <strong>the</strong> shrine.Muntanya de Montserrat Natural Park,SpainThe Mountain of Montserrat (in Catalan‘serrated mountain’) in Catalonia, character<strong>is</strong>edby a multitude of <strong>as</strong>ton<strong>is</strong>hing rockypinnacles, h<strong>as</strong> been considered a holymountain for centuries. In w<strong>as</strong> initiallydeclared a Picturesque L<strong>and</strong>scape, butw<strong>as</strong> subsequently awarded Natural Parkstatus (including a natural reserve) by <strong>the</strong>Catalan Government in 1987. Two Catholicmon<strong>as</strong>teries are situated on <strong>the</strong> mountain’sslopes, of which one, devoted to <strong>the</strong>Holy Virgin, h<strong>as</strong> been an important centreof pilgrimage since <strong>the</strong> fourteenth century.The Benedictine community at <strong>the</strong>mon<strong>as</strong>tery of Santa Maria h<strong>as</strong> had over<strong>the</strong> centuries a significant spiritual <strong>and</strong>cultural influence on <strong>the</strong> region <strong>and</strong> today<strong>the</strong> Natural Park receives almost three millionv<strong>is</strong>itors per year, of which <strong>the</strong> v<strong>as</strong>tmajority v<strong>is</strong>it <strong>the</strong> area of <strong>the</strong> mainmon<strong>as</strong>tery.Holy Isl<strong>and</strong> of Arran, United KingdomHoly Isl<strong>and</strong> <strong>is</strong> a small <strong>is</strong>l<strong>and</strong> lying off <strong>the</strong>co<strong>as</strong>t of <strong>the</strong> Isle of Arran <strong>and</strong> w<strong>as</strong> <strong>the</strong> sitein <strong>the</strong> sixth century of <strong>the</strong> hermitage of StMola<strong>is</strong>e, an important figure in <strong>the</strong> earlyChr<strong>is</strong>tian church in Irel<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> Scotl<strong>and</strong>.In <strong>the</strong> twelfth century it also ho<strong>use</strong>d amon<strong>as</strong>tic community. For many years <strong>the</strong><strong>is</strong>l<strong>and</strong> w<strong>as</strong> uninhabited, but h<strong>as</strong> recentlybeen purch<strong>as</strong>ed by a Tibetan Buddh<strong>is</strong>t<strong>org</strong>an<strong>is</strong>ation, which <strong>is</strong> in <strong>the</strong> process ofsetting up a retreat <strong>and</strong> interfaith conferencefacility. The <strong>is</strong>l<strong>and</strong> <strong>is</strong> also home to abreed of traditional livestock, also in needof conservation since <strong>the</strong> <strong>is</strong>l<strong>and</strong> h<strong>as</strong>become severely overgrazed. Conservationefforts have included <strong>the</strong> restorationof native woodl<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> implementationof more appropriate grazing regimeson <strong>the</strong> moorl<strong>and</strong>s. A marine protectedarea h<strong>as</strong> recently been establ<strong>is</strong>hed offshore.The Oconaluftee River Trail - GreatSmoky Mountains National Park,USAThe Great Smoky Mountains NationalPark <strong>is</strong> a UNESCO World Heritage Site<strong>and</strong> Biosphere Reserve <strong>and</strong> <strong>is</strong> sharedbetween <strong>the</strong> states of Tennessee <strong>and</strong>North Carol<strong>ina</strong>. It experiences a widerange of <strong>the</strong> climates <strong>and</strong> habitats to befound in <strong>the</strong> e<strong>as</strong>tern USA between40

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