The Journey

After a good night's sleep devoid of any snoring we convened for a ridiculously expensive breakfast and, having deposited our suitably-labelled luggage, headed off for another wander round the town, most of which took place in cafes, for more chat and laughter, occasionally breaking into song, as is our wont.

This sculpture, by Fenwick Lawson, depicts the long and complex journeys undertaken to protect the body of St Cuthbert from invaders.

The plaque on the wall in the photo describes the path taken: briefly, St Cuthbert died at Lindisfarne in the year 687; in the late C9, when Vikings invaded, over the years the body was conveyed to safety in Norham on the mainland, then southwest to Workington, north round the Solway estuary to Whithorn then down to Crayke (just north of York) and north again to Chester-le-Street, arriving in 883.

In 993, when again threatened by Viking invasion, the body was transferred to Ripon and finally to Durham, where a simple Saxon church was built. In 1093 the Normans built the cathedral as a shrine, where St Cuthbert is now buried.

All too soon we retrieved luggage and made our way to the station to disperse to our homes, promising to repeat the experience in another interesting and convenient venue.