Category Archives: Personal

northernvicar October 2023

Posted on November 13, 2023 by admin

I started October with a Curator tour of the Wartime history of the English Heritge house at Belsay. The house was requisitioned at the start of WW2. The then owner, Stephen Middleton, kept a close eye on it, and there … Continue reading →

Posted in Hadrian's Wall Walk, Personal, Railway interest | 2 Comments

northernvicar August 2023

Posted on September 10, 2023 by admin

We started the month with a trip north over the Border to Melrose, and a visit to the Roman Museum at Trimontium – https://www.trimontium.co.uk/. It reminds us that the Romans did move north – by 79 AD they were pushing … Continue reading →

Posted in National Trust, Northumberland, Personal, Railway interest, Roman, Scotland, Trams | Leave a comment

northernvicar July 2023

Posted on August 2, 2023 by admin

Our last month in Derbyshire, and we can still find new experiences. Kedleston was a favourite spot during lockdown, but my days of walking “The Long Walk” are over. On Monday 3 July I found they now have a Tramper … Continue reading →

Posted in Northumberland, Personal, Railway interest, Roman | 1 Comment

northernvicar June 2023

Posted on July 29, 2023 by admin

The Ecclesbourne Railway have done a superb job with a disabled access coach – other railways, please take note. We had a visit on Sunday 4 June, and I got on the footplate at Shottle. We went to Hardwick Hall … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal, Railway interest, Roman, Wales | Leave a comment

northernvicar May 2023

Posted on July 28, 2023 by admin

On May 1 May I woke about 0500, listened to the dawn chorus, and thought “I’ve retired!” Time to pack, but also to find some trains. The Severn Valley Railway on Saturday 6 May was a good way of avoiding … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal, Railway interest | Leave a comment

northernvicar April 2023

Posted on July 28, 2023 by admin

As I come to take early retirement and move from Derbyshire back to Northumberland, there are railway lines in the Midlands that need doing. We start with Steeple Grange. The most magnificent tree in the Vicarage garden is a gorgeous … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal, Railway interest | 1 Comment

Book review: Faith in the City of London

Posted on May 25, 2023 by admin

My Beloved Wife – https://northernreader.wordpress.com/ – does the book reviews. Unicorn Publishing – www.unicornpublishing.org – were kind enough to send her some books, and this one is right up my street. “Faith in the City of London”, Niki Gorick, Unicorn … Continue reading →

Posted in London, Personal | Leave a comment

northernvicar January to March 2023

Posted on April 16, 2023 by admin

Let’s start a new year with a couple of rides on the Great Central Railway. Then a few days in Cambridge. It was a pleasure to revisit both the Fitzwilliam Museum and the Scott Polar Reasearch Institute – places I … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal, Railway interest | 1 Comment

Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk – Cathedral (again)

Posted on January 10, 2023 by admin

I did a blog about the Cathedral back in 2014 and commented that I could never summarise a place that means so much to me in just one blog – https://www.northernvicar.co.uk/2014/07/11/the-cathedral-church-of-st-james-and-st-edmund-bury-st-edmunds-suffolk/. We went back on Wednesday 4 January 2023. Here … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal, Railway interest, Suffolk | 1 Comment

northernvicarwalks Sep to Dec 2022

Posted on December 31, 2022 by admin

To be honest, Northern Vicar doesn’t walk much between September and December 2022. A routine blood test led to a cancer diagnosis, which led to major surgery at the end of November. The Chaplains at The Christie Hospital in Manchester … Continue reading →

Posted in Derbyshire, Personal, Railway interest, Scotland | 2 Comments