North East Pilgrimage

 After booking a camping spot in the Northumberland, I was glad to find a big choice of destinations in Britain's Pilgrim Places book. I've soon discovered that a week-long stay with  my family won't allow me to see all of them, but we did manage some and they were great.

To me, pilgrimages are about walking and exploring, but in the Northeast, you can't ignore the saints. They are in all of the stories about the old times of Christianity, stories entwinned with the environment, sea, old legends, and castles. You just know that you are in a place full of history where people lived for a long time and have strong connection with the elements. And you just take it in and learn some new things on the way.

Two names you will hear a lot are St Aidan and St Cuthbert. Stories involving them link places on and off the land.

We've visited Bamburgh and St Aidan's Church, a beautiful old building with impressive sea view. It is easy to spot the old wooden beam on which St Aiden allegedly lay dying. It is now by the ceiling to prevent enthusiasts from chipping away souvenirs and keepsakes. But this place is also important for the story of Grace Darling, a young girl who helped to save lives of 13 shipwrecked people from the Farne Islands in 1838.

After much searching, and troubles from grumpy land owners, we have managed to locate St Cuthbert's Cave. A slab of overhanging sandstone, on a top of a hill, it is a nice place to visit and then continue walking higher up, admiring the views. It is believed that in the 870s St Cuthbert's body was hidden in the cave by monks while fleeing Viking raids. The cave is inaccessible at the moment, we didn't see the graffiti described in the book, but altogether, it was a good walk.

Holy Island is a much easier to find destination, very popular by tourist, connected to the main land by a road that floods twice in a day, so times of visit need to be carefully planned. Once there, it is a place full of history, legends, stories, and, of course, saints. The Lindisfarne Priory dominates the views as you circle around the island, so even without queuing and paying entrance fee, we saw quite a lot and enjoyed this very special place.

Last of the pilgrimage list, Inner Farne Island, was the most remarkable trip. We've managed to find a free place on the boat, not easy in covid times. The hour long stay on the island was devoted to bird watching, the chapel and surrounding space were closed to visitors at the time. St Cuthbert used to live on the island and was considered a guardian of the land and birds, because he banned people from hunting them. The island is busy with birds and visitors, but there are glimpses of what solitude may feel like, if, by a chance, you were the only person left on the island.

After the island visit, we were taken around the other islands in the group, saw more birds, seals, and the place where Grace Darling and her family used to live and where the famous lives saving operation happened.