Blog (Latest News, Info and Updates)
Journeying on Gower
Tuesday 7th May 2019
Huw Riden
So, we woke up this morning, ate a full English/Welsh breakfast in our delightful residence, Nicholaston House Christian Retreat and then headed off to the beach. Dave and Dave walking and talking - a most Journeying activity! As we walked along the beach we were looking for a little church hidden in the trees at the far end. As we journeyed closer we could start to pick out the shape of the little church. And then we found it. Our route home led us past more wonderful views. We arrived back at Nicholaston House with aching feet and stomachs. But after a delicious meal, a scrub up and a time of prayer I took this snap from the bedroom window. A great day.
Walking with a Friend
Thursday 2nd May 2019
Sue Degnan
After a frustrating or hectic day at work, it is a great blessing to have a dog to walk - especially in good weather and light evenings! A chance to get out into the countryside or local open spaces and realize there is more to life and to remember that ultimately God is in control. It is great to get right away - on a Journeying holiday - but it is also good to take a mini-break each day to give thanks for the beauty of creation and faithful friends.
Pilgrimage to Rome
Monday 29th April 2019
Iain Tweedale
I have just finished watching the BBC series Pilgrimage and it led me to re-read Gerard W Hughes book In Search of a Way about his own pilgrimage to Rome in the 1970s. I thought some of my observation on his words might be of interest: The beauty and peace of the countryside you walk though takes hold of you like an inner cleansing of the mind and senses and you begin to notice simple things, the rocks, the flowers, the birds as though you are seeing them for the first time, learning new spiritual truths on the way. Silence and space: the silence on the path is not the noisy kind of silence you keep when in the city, where…
Diary of a Human Rights Monitor
Sunday 28th April 2019
Rosemary Clarke
This time last year I was about to leave Israel. I'd spent three months in Palestine as a human rights monitor with EAPPI (Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme for Palestine and Israel), a World Council of Churches' initiative. And what a time it had been! I had never been to the Holy Land and I had little idea of the challenges facing many Palestinians. Based in Yatta, a city of some 100,000 people south of Hebron, I was part of a team of four. Abed, our Palestinian translator and driver helped us to understand our role and carry out our work. This was varied. Our brief was to provide a protective presence when necessary and to follow…
Good Friday
Friday 19th April 2019
Paddy Allen
Most precious Lord I saw them nailing you to the cross. The tangle of limbs and grumpy voices, The workmanlike grunt of a man Doing one more of a row of jobs, The tearing of rough iron through your flesh. I looked into your suffering eyes As I approached with my small bundle Of woes and paltry sins, Almost as if I'd come too late - You seemed so busy with your agony. Yet there I stood, Sick to death in the trap of myself, And your eyes In their weariness past understanding Gently drew me Inviting me to put my bundle down. But I recoiled. Me! I loved you - How could I add to your load? And still your eyes drew me firmly, Till I saw that I was expected, That, like it or not, My sins had already…
Inspired By The Journey
Tuesday 16th April 2019
David Gleed
Journeying has just published Inspired By The Journey. This collection of poems, stories, writings and illustrations has been contributed by guests and leaders who have journeyed with us on holidays over the past few years. The contributions are inspired by travels in the spirit of pilgrimage, to beautiful and sometimes remote parts of Britain and Ireland. If you would like to download a free copy please click on the 'View More" button below and then click download here. Once the PDF document appears, to download it click the downward arrow at the top right of the screen.
Day Walk to Tintern
Saturday 13th April 2019
Iain Tweedale
We had a great day walk to Tintern and the Wye Valley today. Lots of sunshine, views and good company plus some poetry by Wordsworth: "Therefore am I still A lover of the meadows and the woods, And mountains; and of all that we behold From this green earth; of all the mighty world Of eye, and ear, - both what they half create, And what perceive; well pleased to recognise In nature and the language of the sense The anchor of my purest thoughts, the nurse, The guide, the guardian of my heart, and soul Of all my moral being." (Tintern Abbey, 1798).
The Burren, Co. Clare
Thursday 11th April 2019
Paula J. Lee
I knew I wanted to go to Ireland, and I knew I wanted to travel with a small group with a pilgrimage bent. I sat in front of my computer in Denver, Colorado in the winter of 2011 and started researching my options. I discovered Journeying, and was intrigued by the description of their trips and approach. I ended up choosing the trip to the Burren Area of County Clare, and it was a very good choice. I met Cate and Steve at Shannon airport, piled into the van, and we were off. Everyone was welcoming; there were two other Americans, and the rest of the folks were British. The long, guided walks each day were just challenging enough, and…
Day Walk this Saturday (13th April) - Tintern Abbey and the Wye Valley
Wednesday 10th April 2019
Iain Tweedale
When do people long to go on pilgrimage? In April says Geoffrey Chaucer in The Canterbury Tales. With spring in the air, we gather at historic Tintern Abbey before setting out in a spirit of pilgrimage to explore this lovely part of the Wye Valley immortalised by Wordsworth's poem that showed the importance of nature to Christianity in the Romantic movement of the early nineteenth century. Along the way, we'll walk part of Offa's Dyke, discover Brockweir village with its whitewashed Moravian Chapel on the banks of the river and walk up into the green pastures beyond. The Walk at seven miles is of medium length with moderate terrain involving some rocky section which can be slippy underfoot if it's wet.…
Pilgrim Diary
Monday 8th April 2019
Iain Tweedale
A group from Journeying set out for a short holiday in the Brecon Beacons In Wales. John Muir, the founder of the National Parks movement in the US, once said: "Keep close to Nature's heart and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean." This is what we did, camping in the heart of this beautiful national park. The holiday had spectacular mountain scenery, waterfalls and secluded wooded valleys and the Holy Spirit was the theme. We followed the spiritual significance of water from the springs and lakes in the mountains down the fast owing streams to the famous waterfall country, which has the largest concentration…