The Innkeepers’ Story

The Innkeeper’s Story is played out even here on Holy Island. After the long walk of last weekend I decided that evening it would be nice just to let someone else do the preparation, the cooking, and finally the washing up! Sadly, there was no room in the Inn. The two pubs were fully booked, the hotel too and even the restaurant had a sign outside informing the weary pilgrim that if you’ve not booked, then they were sorry, but they were full! Mary and Joseph must have thought as I did, if only we knew to book early!

Clearly, even here twenty-four advanced booking is the only way to get a table. None of these places have a great number of tables. So, it is a bit selective, hit and miss, whether or not you get a table. I was told by one innkeeper that there was not enough eating places in the evening on the island and he may well be right.

However, there are many eating places where you can get a hot and cold drinks and something to eat to suit all pockets and tastes during the day. There is the Post Office, yes I did say the Post Office, where you can ask for a book of stamps, get a drinks, and cream teas, even order your dressed crab, or lobster from the same counter and pick it up on the way out!

There are lots of places on the island for this sort of thing, but I have not ventured to all of them. Yet the place I have been lead too has been the Pilgrims Coffee House, so, what has been the attraction. Well a number of things really, they make a great cuppa and their soups of the day are so very tasty. Ever since I have been at Quarr Abbey and got used to having soup at lunchtime even on hot sunny days, the Pilgrims have been serving great soup and it is never the same twice, and it is home and freshly made each day. As you can see from the chill cabinet there is a huge selection of panini on display. There are homemade cakes and scones for afternoon tea, or if you want to start early with the first drink of the day, which for some people staying on the island (1000am) and beating the rush of visitors could be shortly after breakfast!

There is also free wi-fi and this for me has been a boom as they seem to have the best service on the island, no matter how many people are using it at the time. I sometimes sit in the corner by the fire-grate and upload various days worth of blips to www.blipfoto.com with my daily reflections. Sometimes, I sit upstairs and talk to a young female black cat, called Mimi, who, is always asleep on her favourite blue stripped chair. Mimi is not the least bit interested in the conversation, but listens attentively, before turning onto her back for a tummy rub, purring her head off with limp paws in the air.

This little place behind the wall, not only tries to keep there carbon footprint down to a minimum, but sells their own ground roasted coffee beans in bio-degradable packaging and serve it as part of their drinks menu. In fact, one afternoon long after it was closed I was sitting in the garden and spent time talking to the Roastery Innkeeper, while he was grinding and roasting coffee. Our conversation got around to coffee and I was asked what I thought it, I had to admit I’d only ever drunk tea on my visits. When asked why? I said that I often found coffee these days too bitter or too strong to drink. I was informed that it is because the machines that are used to make coffee each day are not properly taken apart and cleaned correctly. When this happen there is a build up of old coffee in the system and this passes on a bitter taste to the following day. However, it also has something to do with the grinding, the roasting, and finally the making of the drink. (I got the impression there were many variables.) I was invited to have a free coffee the next time I was in and I did today! It was really lovely to drink a wonderful tasting coffee, out!

I have had the pleasure of being here when they have locked the door at the end of the day’s business and still not moved me on until they were leaving. The staff here are a great, Connor and Becky have been wonderful hard working hosts, always so cheerful, smiling, and engaging, which I have to say is great to see in two young and personable people: the coffee-house innkeeper, chose well. Over the last eleven days I have got to chat not only to them and the various innkeepers of this dwelling, but to a great many of their customers who have come to Holy Island for a days visit and the subject matters has been wide ranging.

Two ladies came in out of the rain this morning and we got engaged in talking about the new Noah film and they had been asked by some of the younger people from their church, about where did they come from, Biblically speaking? It seemed to me that the question was more to do with; if we are all descendants of Adam and Eve, how come Noah and his family, at the time of the great flood, when the waters covered the earth, were in effect the only survivors. Why does the church not teach that we are descendants of Noah and his family and not Adam and Eve? After a while the cat left, I dare say to look up the answer, or to consult directly with God. I did offer an answer that maybe we should hold onto the idea that Noah and his family were descendants of Adam and Eve and therefore, so are we, even if that means the percentage of DNA is infinitely small Biblically speaking.

On that note the two ladies left and vowed to ask their Roman Catholic Priest. I do hope God was listening, because I think the Priest will need all the assistance he can get! The innkeeper came in to clear their tray, while wiping the table, he simple asked, “another coffee vicar?”