A speedy walker could perhaps do this in three days…

A speedy walker could perhaps do this in three days? Perchance St Cuthbert himself was so fit and inclined. However in my thoughts I see Cuthbert stopping along the way and savouring the peace and harmony of life so exhibited in this delightful array of landscapes. Over 62 miles, he too would admire the volcanic hills, the rich pasture, the broadleaved trees, the old Scots pines, the Cheviot moorland. Cuthbert too would admire the long-planted arable lands of the eastern seaboard stretching outwards to the tidal island of Lindisfarne. along the way he would meet some friendly people who would offer their hospitality and offer warmth, sustenance and a small libation.

St Cuthbert was born c 634 AD. A figurehead of unity between disparate areas of what came to be known as England, and arguably the most popular of all local saints before Thomas Beckett, Cuthbert grew up in the uplands of the Scottish Borders, and became a novice monk at Old Melrose around the age of 16, inspired by a vision of St Aidan entering Heaven. He was a devout and capable young man and, after around ten years as a prior, Cuthbert followed his abbot Eata to Lindisfarne. These were unsettled and dangerous times and only a few folks were as brave yet innocuous as clerics to safely leave their local areas. Strong belief motivated Cuthbert, and his walking route is now memorialised in this epic pilgrim way starting at Melrose and ending at the Holy Island of Lindisfarne.

This is the second of the pilgrim ways that I have walked (The Fife Pilgrim Way being the first). With five fellow walkers, we feel a certain ‘communitas’, a definable rite of passage, where we all can experience and share its difference from day-to-day life. I find this  refreshing and transformative. We walk a section when a weekend allows and in January 2024 we have arrived just over the border from Scotland into England. Wooler is in our sights, and Lindisfarne lies ahead on a future weekend in late winter. We look forward to meeting up again!

You too can do a St Cuthbert’s Way walk, in whole or in part, with a Serenity Scotland private tour. Just enquire.

Iain Stewart – January 13 2024