Beautiful Walk In The Footsteps Of St Oswald

I led a beautiful walk through green pastures, dotted with baby lambs, and fragrant yellow gorse as I made my way with a group following in the footsteps of St Oswald.

The route

The walk started early from Holy Island (Lindisfarne) to the mainland following in the footsteps of the original pilgrims via the pilgrims crossing, laid out by the tall weathered wooden poles. Going barefoot as the pilgrims did was somewhat of a challenge for modern ‘tootsies’ , but it all added to the thrill of the walk across cold but firm sand! Having told them that in the day St Cuthbert stood in the North Sea praying for up to 17 hours per day, put it all into perspective.

The Cheviots

Back inland the beautiful Northumberland landscape did not disappoint , with views of The Cheviots to the West, fields filled of oilseed rape and coastal views dipping in and out to the east, it was a beautiful peaceful walk. We took in the Spindlestone Ducket, a mill or a dovecote, either way a magnificent stone structure . Then down to the former water mills of Spindlestone and Waren, where for over 200 years the various owners, ground and exported out flour, barley and oats. I told them about the legend that is The Laidley Worm, a beautiful Northumbrian princess turned into a dragon by her wicked and jealous mother in law, but as with all good stories, her brother returns to find the dragon and discovering it is his sister, breaks the spell and she is returned to her former self. The wicked mother in law is dealt her punishment by being turned into a loathsome toad, forever roaming the land…watch out for her on your travels.

Bamburgh Castle

The picnic stop took in the magnificence that is the red sandstone structure of Bamburgh castle, looking down and caring over the timeless village nestling below. This was once the seat of the ancient kingdom of Northumbria, and in Victorian times the former home of the great industrialist Lord Armstrong. The castle today is privately owned by the same family. It is a ‘homely’ castle, and boasts great collections inside the building, in addition to the Armstrong aviation museum and archeological excavations on the outside. We also visited the
RNLI’s museum dedicated to the story of a lighthouse keepers daughter , Grace Darling, who with her father rowed out to the Big Harcar rock to save stricken souls clinging on following the running aground of the steamship SS Forfarshire en-route to Dundee on the night of 7th September 1838. It’s a gem of a museum filled with documents, memorabilia and even the very rowing boat that she and her father went out in on that fateful night.

Across the road is the quaint and historical church of St Aidan’s, steeped in history , don’t miss out on the Ossuary.

perennialtouring.com visits County Durham during Tourism Week in the UK

perennialtouring.com spent time with travel writers and foodie bloggers taking in a range of activities in beautiful Teesdale, County Durham.  Mother nature provided us with lovely sunny weather for walking, taking in Bowlees visitor centre, which has the first Geological map on display.  We walked in the footsteps of Victorian lead miners across The Wynch Bridge to Low Force and then up to the up to the magnificence that is High Force, in full flow after the wild weather of the past few weeks. We also took in a spot of perfecting our casting skills under the watchful eye of Clive our tutor at Derwent Reservoir. It wasn’t all work: cakes, scones, and gallons of delicious tea added to the enjoyment of our time spent. 

A beautiful frosty morning in the garden at perennialtouring.com HQ

Hello from perennialtouring.com

On this beautiful frosty morning, with the sun desperate to push through the heavy mist, I thought whilst sorting out  seed packets, cleaning garden tools and confirming tours , it  was a perfect opportunity to put ‘pen to paper’ here at perennialtouring.com HQ.  I will also be out and about in the garden. The colours of nature look so beautiful in the early frosty light

Looking at my  garden on this frosty day,  it’s hard to imagine that the sun will ever shine again and my garden will be full of colour again. Up in my part of Northumberland  spring bulbs take longer to appear, but there are signs which is heartening.  In spite of the torrential rainfall, I have been out in between showers cutting back, splitting and removing plants. My potted hellebores are starting to look beautiful, Primulas are starting to flower, as are my favourite Auriculas.

Visitors new to Northumberland and Durham might be interested to know that perennialtouring.com  will be offering horticultural and historical tours  to regional favourites such as: Alnwick Gardens,  Lindisfarne, Cragside, Crook Gardens,  plus a host of less well known destinations.

If your planning to visit this beautiful region and already have your itinerary planned but need a friendly informative guide….perennialtouring.com is on hand to help