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October 13, 2017

Penrith, Cumbria – St Andrew

St Andrew’s church, Penrith, is in the middle of the town – NY516301. It has a website. I picked up a lovely flyer “A Church for all Seasons – The Wedding Season is all year at St Andrew’s – Begin your married life with God’s blessing – Christ in the heart of Penrith”. 10 out of 10! We started the day in their coffee shop – very nice scones, fresh out of the oven. Then we were about to visit the church and realised a hearse was pulling round the corner. We did the Brougham churches, and came back....
Categories Cumbria/Railway History/World War 1 Comments: 0
October 7, 2017

Strelley, Nottingham – All Saints’

On Sunday 10 September, after a morning’s work, we headed across to Nottingham to visit the church of All Saints, Strelley – SK 506422. It’s on the west side of the city, on a minor road through the village, down to the Hall – there also seem to be lots of nice walks nearby (once you cross the M1). Church website here. The church was completely rebuilt by Sir Sampson de Strelley in the C14, but the lower part of the tower is C12. The Clerestory was added in the C16 to replace the original steep-pitched roof. I didn’t have...
Categories Nottinghamshire/Railway History Comments: 0
September 22, 2017

northernvicarwalks July and August

My hope was to walk 1,000 miles this year. By the end of June I had walked 355 miles. I planned to make it up while on holiday, and failed. By the end of July I had walked 396 miles. By the end of August I had walked 434 – here are a few August photos which aren’t necessarily walking! My 55th birthday party on the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway, with fish and chips afterwards. Later in the month I had a Sunday afternoon walk to Duffield, photographing on the line. David Redfern, one of our organists at St Edmund’s, is a...
Categories 1,000 mile walking/Derbyshire/Personal/Railway History Comments: 0
September 8, 2017

Huddersfield, Yorkshire – a transport explore

On Monday 21 August Alex and I had a day chasing trains. For various reasons, we started at Burton on Trent. I had had a search yesterday and found that a return to Huddersfield was valid via Birmingham and Manchester, and via Sheffield (indeed even Sheffield and Leeds) – so we caught the first train after 0930 and went south. They may have spent a fortune on the top of Birmingham New Street, but the platforms are just as grotty as ever. We headed north to Manchester, then caught a Trans Pennine up through Stalybridge. That’s another fascinating line that...
Categories Railway History/Yorkshire Comments: 0
July 27, 2017

Birsay, Orkney – St Magnus

Monday 10 July. We drove along the A966 to Birsay, past the Earl’s Palace, and found a very nice café, Birsay Bay Tearoom – website. It has wifi – so I spent a happy half hour booking seats to Cumbria in the Virgin Trains mega sale. All done in a café off the north coast of Scotland, and with electronic tickets. The first time I came to Orkney, in 1983, I had a free British Rail pass from Cambridge to Thurso. The line from Inverness to Thurso and Wick divides at Georgemas Junction, so I planned to go north...
Categories Railway History/Scotland Comments: 0
July 16, 2017

northernvicarwalks June 2017

I only walked 55 miles in  June. By the end of the month I have walked 355 miles. I should have done 496. But I have enjoyed those I did walk. I walked through Quarndon and Hazelwood to The Hanging Gate on 2 June. We had dined there the previous night. Tonight I treated myself to one of their small puddings before returning home on the bus. On Friday 9 June, after a lack of sleeping watching the General Election, I had a day in Manchester to do the new tram link across the city, and walked beside the canal....
Categories 1,000 mile walking/Derbyshire/London/Railway History Comments: 0
June 22, 2017

northernvicarwalks – May 2017

At the end of April I had done 270 miles (I should have done 329). Therefore I was 59 miles in debt. May is even worse. On Sunday 30 April, the first day of Week 18, I walked 5 miles … and did something to my foot. No more walking that week. In Week 19 I did 5 miles. 4 of those were on Saturday 13 May when I had a ride on the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway (they had a diesel unit weekend), a walk round the town, a bus back to Belper, a walk there, and another bus...
Categories 1,000 mile walking/Derbyshire/London/Railway History Comments: 0
June 22, 2017

Lazonby, Cumbria – St Nicholas

St Nicholas, Lazonby, is in the middle of the village, just to the east of the station – NY549397. There is a leaflet which gives a circular drive from Penrith via this church and three others. I like the welcome notice and Café church banner – but how many s’s in Mission? I googled Lazonby church and didn’t find much – I then searched for “East of Eden Mission Community” and found it – which is OK if you’re in the know. Finlay Hansford, my Godson, was being confirmed here on Sunday 21 May. We got there nice and early,...
Categories Cumbria/Personal/Railway History/World War 1 Comment: 1
May 14, 2017

northernvicar walks – April 2017

I started the month with an 8 mile circuit of Carsington Water on Saturday 1 April. Then started the 14th week of the year with a walk at Kedleston. We had a day in Buxton – I bought a new pair of walking boots, then climbed up to Solomon’s Temple – website. I did a few miles later in the week delivering Easter cards round Allestree, and we had a coffee at the National Stone Centre while I did another walk – 23 miles that week. 14 miles in Holy Week – one has to do some work! On...
Categories 1,000 mile walking/Derbyshire/London/Railway History Comments: 0
May 7, 2017

Derwent Valley Walk 2 – Hathersage to Grindleford

I walked the first 5 miles of the Derwent Valley Heritage Way on Monday 1 August 2016 – if you want to find it on northernvicar, click on Derwent Walk on the right hand side of this screen. 8 months later I walk the next 3 miles. I will make no comment. On Tuesday 25 April 2017 we had been to Sheffield. I gave platelets, Julie had coffee with Harry. As we drove over the hills into the Peak District it started sleeting. We parked at the Plough Inn, on the B6001 at SK234804 – website – and it...
Categories 1,000 mile walking/Derbyshire/Derwent Walk/Railway History Comment: 1