England/Scotland 2024 Pilgrimage – Day 10: Bamburgh

Tuesday, September 10, 2024

Sunningdale B&B, Bamburgh, England

Today was a restful and relaxing day since we don’t have to pack up. Sunningdale B&B is a family-run B&B is the perfect spot to slow down and enjoy the moment. Breakfast is served between 8:00-9:30 so no running out the door quickly if you want to eat. And we did! And it was delicious and filling! I’ve especially been enjoying having tomatoes, mushrooms, and baked beans at breakfast. Feels nutritious! (offsetting the breakfast meats 😉)

Cold and Blustery Day

There was rain early this morning. By the time we left the B&B, it had cleared but it was very windy. We layered our clothes and enjoyed the crispness of the day. Today’s high is 59 degrees and the low is 43. Much better than Florida weather in our opinion!

St. Aidan’s Parish Church – Talk about OLD!

St. Aidan’s Parish Church is affiliated with the Church of England. On Tuesday mornings, they offer a Eucharistic service at 10:00 a.m. As you might imagine, we were happy the timing worked out for us and were looking forward to the service.

The site of this current church has been home to a place of worship since 635. That means 1389 years! The first structures were most likely made completely of wood and they subsequently burned down. The current stone church began being built at the end of the 12th century. So parts of this church are 800 years old! (I used my calculator on these numbers so hopefully they are correct this time. 🙃)

Upon arriving, there were vehicles around and workers inside. We were told that the church is having some inside work done – historic firsts such as having toilets and a small kitchen area added.

Eucharistic Service

Because of the workers measuring and taking notes, we were told the service would be held in the chancel area, the area closest to the alter. It is a smaller, intimate area which was nice since there were just 8 of us, including the Curate who officiated.

During the preparation and serving of the eucharist, it is not unusual for me to have tears. I may have an overwhelming sense of appreciation and thankfulness for what Jesus has done for us. Or I may not be able to articulate why I have tears. I just let them leak as they wish.

Today was a day of flowing tears. Even after the service ended, I just sat there with tears on my face, feeling a calm and peace. I don’t know if this was “a thin place” for me, where God feels closer than other places. Whatever the reason, I was grateful and savored the moment with God.

The Curate chatted with us afterwards. He was welcoming and kindhearted. We lingered for a long time, looking around and soaking in the history of this place. I bought some greeting cards and may frame them at home.

Bamburgh Castle – Owned by Armstrongs

Did I mention this is a TINY town? We easily meandered back to our room to leave some things and get others, then walked the few blocks to the Bamburgh Castle on the hill. It was a lovely day (if you were dressed correctly) for a walk about.

From the castle hill, there is a glorious view of the North Sea with its crashing waves. We could also see two lighthouses to the right, and in the distance to the left we could see the Lindisfarne Castle where we visited yesterday. Below us, there were many intertwining paths through sea-brush, making their way through the sand dunes to the seashore.

I suspected that a walk on the beach might mean a “sandblasting” because of the winds. So we decided to check on touring the castle. The sign at the front told us that the castle is owned by the Armstrong family. I first came to Europe with my girlfriend, Kathy Armstrong, and we visited the Armstrong watch tower in Gilnochie, Scotland. Cool!

We found the castle gate closed and locked with a notice that the castle was not open to the public today due to the high winds with up to 50 mph gusts. That answered that question, a beach adventure it is!

Down, around, up and down dunes, and over barbed wire fences using stairs, across the soft sand, then hard sand, then shallow water to more hard sand (the tide was out) where we walked around. We looked for a place to cross over a little deeper water to get to another sand bar and the waves, but couldn’t find one that looked less than ankle deep.

Gregg looked it up, and this is the same ocean we put our feet into twice while on Iona, and years ago in Netherlands. So we didn’t feel obligated to do it again. Just call it SOS – saving our socks from being full of sand. We’re coming to the end of our clean clothes, including clean socks. Haha!

After enjoying the view and the wind and surprisingly not getting mouthfuls of sand as it blew across the beach, we meandered back into town.

Afternoon Tea, Anyone?

Why, yes, please! The Copper Kettle Tea Room provided a cozy place to have afternoon tea. We each had a pot of tea and two fruit scones with jam, butter, and whipped cream. Sadly, they were out of clotted cream so the whipped cream had to suffice. We were stuffed after that delicious snack!

Relaxing and Hanging Out in our Room

The rest of the afternoon, we’ve hung out in our room. Gregg has been reading. I’ve uploaded photos and I’ve been writing this. I look forward to having a little time before bed to not be composing. Not that I mean to complain. I love keeping the blog. It is just a trade off for how I spend my time on vacation. If I wait until the following day, I’ll have everything jumbled up.

So, it is 7pm. We plan to go back to the pub for a drink and possibly share a dinner. It is very nice to be close enough to walk to pubs. If we do anything of significance before bed, I’ll have to document it tomorrow.

History in Pictures

For any of you who might be interested in the history of Christianity and the folks who brought it to this area, I’ll add more photos from the church next.

Further on and further in.