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Published: September 7th 2011
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The weather in the UK has been a talking point since we arrived more than a week ago. The summer has not been one to remember. Yesterday we dodged heavy rain clouds so we were a little pessimistic about the sort of weather we were expecting today. But pessimism turned to optimism when we pulled back the curtains and there was blue sky with a sprinkling of clouds. We still had a strong wind that kept temperatures cool.
After negotiating the intricacies of the A1 slip roads we headed back towards Durham, a city we intended to visit on this trip. One wonderful transport system we have discovered in the UK is the Park and Ride. For a small fee we had easy parking and a bus ride into the city centre. We had read about the cathedral in Durham and decided it had to be on our visiting list. Durham Cathedral is the final resting place of St Cuthbert. Inside, the mix of old and new stained glass windows is magnificent and creates a wonderful light show with the sun shining through. One of the chapels is set aside for the Durham Light Infantry. The Regiment’s battle flags hang proudly
as does a list of their battle honours. It was interesting to see the name “New Zealand” on the list of battles. We often forget that New Zealand had its own wars that covered about 25 years.
It was after 12 noon and we had an appointment at 1:55pm further north so it was time to catch the bus back to the carpark. As we drove north we made a brief detour at Alnwick where we hoped to photograph one of the many great castles in this part of England. Driving into the grounds we spotted a gentleman in a fluoro jacket looking very business-like so it was a rapid U turn and off up the road. Not discouraged, we spotted the perfect place for a shot so the tour photographer got out of the car and headed off while the tour driver kept the engine running in a private driveway.
Close to Berwick-upon-Tweed we left the A1 and headed for the coast and an appointment with the outgoing tide. We were on our way to visit Holy Island and the site of Lindisfarne Castle and Priory. To get to the island you need to wait for the tide to
retreat and then drive along a causeway that is covered in water at high tide. It was here that St Cuthbert resided and was visited by St Aidan who came from the island of Iona. The Priory is in ruins but the delightful church, St Marys, is very much alive. The rain did not appear but the wind just didn’t know when to go away. The strong gusts made taking photographs very difficult. By late afternoon it was getting rather cold so time to retrace our drive over the causeway. As we headed back we saw pilgrims taking the traditional route following a line of tall marker sticks through the mudflats. We preferred the modern method of accessing the island. We wondered how the locals coped with such an inconvenience as the changeable tides.
Back on the A1 we headed for our accommodation at Berwick-upon-Tweed, just south of the Scottish border. The forecast is not good for tomorrow but then again it hasn’t been good all week and still we have seen plenty of sun. So here’s hoping.
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