Saturday 19 July 2014

Synod Pilgrimage 2014 - Introduction

For the sixth year running, Northern Synod has organised a pilgrimage for keen walkers who enjoy the wonderful countryside in our region, and appreciate linking this with times of reflection and expressions of thankfulness to the God who always journeys with us.
For the first years we followed in the footsteps of the saints, walking the recently developed long distance paths associated with St Cuthbert (twice) and St Oswald, and discovering together more about the Celtic dimension of our Christian heritage. Then in 2012 we marked the 350th anniversary of the Act of Uniformity and all that by a series of walks in upper Coquetdale, which led us to the preaching trees that mark the spot where our dissenting forebears gathered to worship away from danger. And last year we looked further back over 500 years to the Battle of Flodden as we walked between the newly established Peace Gardens at Selkirk and Crookham.
For the first time the 2014 Pilgrimage is moving south of the Tyne, and will consist of a series of walks in the magnificent setting of Swaledale – the most northerly of the Yorkshire Dales, and the setting of two of our rural churches at Keld and Low Row. As ever, practical arrangements for the week have been in the hands of Linda Gowland, while Henry Gowland has mapped out the walks and will be leading us or cajoling us ever onward. We're all grateful for their readiness to look after us in this way year by year.
We meet on Monday morning (July 21st) at the Youth Hostel at Grinton; and our week’s itinerary is as follows:
Monday          Source of the Swale to Tan Hill
Tuesday          Keld to Gunnerside
Wednesday     Gunnerside to Grinton
Thursday        Grinton to Marske
Friday            Marske to Easby Abbey
Each year we have given some account of our pilgrimage here on the synod blog. Internet access permitting (and we don’t know whether it will or not) we will again try to post a day by day account of our journey. Watch this space!

John Durell

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