St Cuthbert
I came across quite a few St Cuthberts churches earlier this year when I was acting as baggage transfer for Mr P up the Pennine Way, which goes through Northumberland where St Cuthbert was the patron saint . I learned of the tale of St. Cuthbert's monks and their 7 year wandering journey to remove his coffin to safety from Lindisfarne and escape the Viking raids. A lot of churches claim to mark a resting spot. At the top of the Kentmere valley , not far from me, is this church dedicated to St Cuthbert. It's a remote spot but it's on the crossroads of ancient tracks between the abbeys at Shap and Furness and roman roads. It is known that the monks visited what is now West Cumbria, so it's quite plausible that they came through Kentmere. The church is worth a visit, despite its plain exterior, because the locals have done an excellent job with history panels on the walls . Mr P was inspired and has put the St Cuthberts Way on his list of long-distance walks to tick off.
PS, a lot of lovely old Cumbrian stone churches clad themselves in concrete between the wars as a cheap form of waterproofing, which is now too difficult and expensive to remove.
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