“I’ll walk where my own nature would be leading: It vexes me to choose another guide: Where the gray flocks in ferny glens are feeding; Where the wild wind blows on the mountain side.” The Brontë Sisters At 8am I presented myself at mum’s room where scrambled eggs, toast, tea, coffee and orange juice had…
Category: travel
Travel: Pennines – Yorkshire Day 1
“God, the wind. It peeled the stonesfrom the skull of St Thomas’ church,left its mouth slacked to a yawn or a scream,sounding vowels through the nave, throughthe clock-eye, the altar stones, the flat-backedflat-packed dead in their wedding gowns.” Wendy Pratt – Heptonstall Graveyard Lisa had bought in a bunch of English delicacies for me to…
Travel: Atop the Wall – Cheshire Day 3
“Masclus to Cerialis his king, greeting. Please, my lord, give instructions as to what you want us to have done tomorrow. Are we to return with the standard to the shrine at the crossroads all together or every other one of us … most fortunate and be well-disposed towards me. Farewell. My fellow-soldiers have no…
Travel: Faith – Cheshire Day 2
“Priest: It must be hard to maintain that level of cynicism, Dr. Fitzgerald. Fitz: Not at all, Father. It must be hard to maintain that level of faith.” Cracker “This is Manchester, we do things differently here.” Frank Cottrell-Boyce – in the voice of Tony Wilson I like to joke that one of the faiths…
Travel: Enough about the bloody Beatles – Cheshire Day 1
“If Liverpool did not exist, it would have to be invented” Felicien de Myrbach We woke yet again untouched by the spirits trapped in the purgatory of an over heated over painted brutally lit hotel room. We set out for the Greggs and found some of the same customers there this morning. In particular an…
Travel: Spectre in the UHT Milk – Black Country
“Guest room 217 is rumoured to be haunted by an unnamed spirit. Guests staying in the room have reported to have left in fright, with many refusing to stay in the room due to the paranormal activity. The bed in room 217 has been known to shake and the lights within the room have switched…
Travel: Flying – From West to Black Country
“A bit like the Antiques Roadshow for metal fans” Lisa Meyer This was a finely balanced day of travel. We were to first take the train to Bridgwater in Somerset to see Pat a distant cousin on my maternal grandmother’s side, then a train to Bristol for a quick beer with my friends Will and…
Travel: Roots – Devon Day 2
“I say we’re growing every day, getting stronger in every way, I’ll take you to a place where we shall find our…roots” Max Cavalera Sepultura The English specialise in eccentric plumbing. No where is this more evident than guesthouses and rooms above pubs. In addition to water heaters that require the user to complete a…
Travel: Birds Sing Bass – Devon Day 1
“With a crooked smile and a heart-shaped face, comes from the West Country where the birds sing bass” Nick Cave We breakfasted in a much quieter dining room than the morning before. The W.I. had moved on to pastures new. We then gathered ourselves up and caught a cab to the railway station. Soon we…
Travel: So Very Gently Chiselled of Gold – Salisbury Day 2
“In 1883, the London and South-Western Railway announced plans to run a line through the heart of the Stonehenge site. When people complained, a railway official countered that Stonehenge. was “entirely out of repair, and not the slightest use to anyone now.” Bill Bryson One of the pleasures of staying at the theological college is…
Raise the Dawn 