December 23, 2022

northernvicarwalks July and August 2022

Most of July was spent in Orkney, but we managed two train trips on return. I turned 60 at the beginning of August and we had a family meet up at Harlow Carr Gardens. At the end of the week we had booked a Fish and Chip special on the Welshpool and Llanfair line. It was a beautiful evening, I spent too much in the bookshop, Julie was well looked after (it is an excellent lift), and the fish and chips (served on the platform at Welshpool) were lovely. Like many things in my life, it also became a...
Categories Personal/Railway History Comments: 0
December 23, 2022

Worksop, Nottinghamshire – Priory Church

Worksop is one of those places I have been through on the train. I have stopped and enjoyed the full English at the café on the station. Hannah did a Choral course here many years ago. We saw photos of the church at an exhibition at Nottingham University. Time to pay a visit – less than an hour’s drive. We walked up to the Priory Church of Our Lady and St Cuthbert – SK 590788. Their website – https://worksoppriory.co.uk/ – does not clearly say when the building is open, but it mentioned a Friday lunchtime communion, so today (Friday...
Categories Nottinghamshire Comments: 0
December 23, 2022

Lincoln Cathedral (again)

I did a reasonable blog in 2014 – here – and we revisited what is still my second-favourite Cathedral on 22 July 2022. It’s always bitter-sweet going to Lincoln, as we lived there with three young children and there are many things that remind us of Gareth. It’s bitter-sweet as the Theological College is closed, sold off and rebuilt as luxury flats. The chapel in which I worshipped daily is now a very nice apartment, behind big security gates and a sign that says “beware of the dog.” The welcoming, homely college, place of students and families, of a...
Categories Lincolnshire/Personal Comments: 3
December 22, 2022

Orkney – services in St Magnus Cathedral and the Italian Chapel

You can find plenty of blogs about the gorgeous St Magnus Cathedral if you look back through this Blog (four detailed blogs in 2017 – use the search bar to the right and look for “Kirkwall”)- and a 2017 blog about the Italian Chapel here. Last year I blogged the two together. This year here is a short note to say we had the pleasure of worshipping in them both. On Friday 1 July we met some friends in Kirkwall. They had sent me a whatsapp message to say “hello” and a note they were in Orkney – so...
Categories Scotland Comments: 4
December 22, 2022

Orkney – Rousay and Egilsay

We’ve been to Orkney several times, but haven’t really done many of the Outer Islands. On Tuesday 28 June I ambled down to the Ferry office and a couple of staff sorted me out for a trip to Rousay and Egilsay the following day (we were the standby car on the final leg which could have meant we were unable to travel – they weren’t having that, so phoned the ferry’s captain to ensure there would be space for us). The following morning the question was “which idiot booked us on the 0820 boat from Tingwall to Rousay? When...
Categories 1,000 mile walking/Scotland Comments: 0
December 22, 2022

Orkney – a little bit of the St Magnus Way

I have been keeping an eye on the St Magnus Way website – https://www.stmagnusway.com/ -a 55 mile route across Orkney from the Broch of Gurness to Kirkwall, via Birsay and Orphir. 31 miles of it is on road, so I had wondered how much Julie and I could do together (she uses a powerchair). In the end we did very little. We had a lovely walk together on Sunday 26 June along the shoreline from the Broch of Gurness, and I did a bit more the following day, but I found it was harder walking than I had expected,...
Categories 1,000 mile walking/Scotland Comments: 0
December 22, 2022

Auchindoir, Aberdeenshire – St Mary’s

The Barhams are en route to Orkney. En route we spent some time in the stunning Bowes Museum, spent a night in East Kilbride, then (Thursday 23 June 2022) continued north and enjoyed the gardens and cafe of the wonderful Crathes Castle. Then we continued north and north of Lumsden I turned up the B9002 to visit St Mary’s church, Auchindoir at NJ477245. At Crathes I had picked up an excellent leaflet “The Historic Churches Trail, a guide to 12 of the best historic churches in Aberdeenshire. Somewhat ironic that the “best historic churches” in the county are all...
Categories Railway History/Scotland Comments: 0
December 22, 2022

northernvicarwalks – June 2022

June started with Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee and a four day weekend. We decorated both churches – flowers and memories at St Edmund’s Allestree and Jubilee Birds (made by our local schools) at St Matthew’s Darley Abbey. There are a lot more photos at https://www.stedsandstmatts.co.uk/jubilee I had two railway jaunts round the Midlands and a trip to London for a wedding and to ride the new Elizabeth Line.
Categories 1,000 mile walking/Railway History Comments: 0
July 2, 2022

London, St Etheldreda

In London for a family wedding. By myself as the church and crypt are inaccessible to Julie (a wheelchair user). I know it is an ancient building, and I know money is always tight, but nothing has been done. Their website – stetheldreda.com – makes no mention of access (and the news page has not been updated for the last decade). Surely there must be rich parishioners who get too old to attend, and yet no one seems to care. Welcome to church! The church is dedicated to Sy Etheldreda and stands on Ely Place, a private road, just...
Categories London Comment: 1
June 29, 2022

Derby, Normanton – St Giles

On Thursday 16 June 2022, the Feast of Corpus Christi, Deanery Chapter was at St Giles, Normanton – a church of a very different tradition to mine (you won’t find baptisms, weddings or funerals on their website – http://stgiles-derby.org.uk/). This church building dates to 1862, with additions in 1902/3. It was designed by F.J. Robinson, and built on the site of a Saxon church. In 2010 the pews were removed which gives a lovely flexible space, but what angered me was the focus of the church. The altar is blocked off behind noticeboards so we face a preacher, an...
Categories Derbyshire/World War 1 Comments: 3