THE falling pound is said to be affecting pilgrims, as the specialist tour-operator McCabe Pilgrimages announced that it has had to charge a five-per-cent levy on all tours in 2017 to cope with sterling’s devaluation.

One of the directors of McCabe Pilgrimages, Rosemary Nutt, said that other tour operators had had to charge supplements for travel from this autumn, but McCabe had managed to hold charges for pilgrimages this year.

“The pound has fallen 20 per cent against the dollar, and 15 per cent against the euro, and we are absorbing much of that, but we are having to pass on five per cent. Our intention is not to be adding to that in the future.” She said that customers understood the need for the surcharge.

In a letter to McCabe’s customers, its director, Alistair McCabe, said: “The vote to leave the European Community has resulted in a dramatic devaluation of our pound sterling. We did plan for a fall, but not on the scale that has happened.

“We pay our bills in most non-European countries, including Israel and India, in American dollars, which unfortunately is the common international currency. The scale of this devaluation is unprecedented.”

The prices of their UK holidays remain unchanged.

McCabe offers pilgrimages for parishes, dioceses, and individuals, to destinations across the Middle East and Europe, and countries further afield, such as Ethiopia.