Journeying | Pilgrimage Holidays | Christian Walking Holidays | Christian Short Breaks

Beyond the wild wet wastead’s thicket There was a garden, a river, flowers, grasses and fruit trees and a young Couple who took wing and flew away, Now, we need gardens more than ever To reflect, relax and recover, To return to paradise and to Be alone in Eden - to be home To think about our journeying and What caused the sudden expulsion from All we knew and about our returning to the old familiar place. Was it youth or ignorance or pride That led us, when young, so far away? Or were we just misadvised before We were wafted on sultry air to Hard places where God showed us what life Is like for many people - hungry, Dispossessed and alone - beyond the Eastern cherubim that guards Eden? Beyond that wild wet wasteland’s thicket There…

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Here on earth Lord you carried a cross on which the whole world's sins were laid, but, in sight of Calvary you fell beneath the load on the dusty ground and Roman soldiers, having a job to do, seized a pilgrim and, in front of his sons, forced him to shoulder the cross and walk with you through noisy streets of frolicking festival goers leering, jeering and shouting insults as you walked the final mile. He didn't know you Lord but what he was doing for "the least of these my brethren", he did for you! (Janet has travelled on many Journeying adventures and has also served as a volunteer on Iona, with the Iona Community).

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As you will know from my previous blog my husband and I live in Almeria, Spain and as I write we have been told that the lockdown period to prevent the spread of coronavirus has been extended to the end of April. We are lucky enough to have a garden but others who live in apartments only have a balcony, which is very difficult for them as in Spain we are not allowed out for exercise as in the UK. However, if you have a dog you are allowed to walk it each day and luckily we have two, so we are a lot better off than some others. What I have noticed most when walking around the rural area in…

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Darkness shrouds the single seed, Buried deep in earthy tomb; Life, it seems, has fled its course. Trustful wait meets every need, Nurtured in the Mother’s womb; Transformation’s gentle force. Roots embedded drink and feed, Movement up away from gloom; Gardener’s soil of rich resource. Change which nothing can impede. Pushing forth from soft cocoon, Reaching up to Light’s applause. Father’s hoe to help succeed, Opening out in fruitful bloom, Fragrant grace uplifts, outpours. 25.iii.20 Inspired by a beautiful spring day, thoughts of isolation, and God’s unlimited power to revive and renew. Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and…

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We have been monitoring the situation very closely since the start of the coronavirus outbreak. Our top priority is the safety of our guests, so in line with government policies in the Republic of Ireland and the UK we have postponed the following holidays: - Irish Camino Experience has moved to September 20th-25th - Mull, Iona and Staffa has moved to September 1st-8th - Brecon Beacons and Llangors Lake has moved to October 16th-19th - North Wales Odyssey - is moving to the Autumn with dates being confirmed shortly. We will continue to monitor the situation before moving any more of the journeys in the schedule and we will keep in touch with guests who have already booked on these in the meantime. If you have…

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Setting out last Saturday from Tintern Abbey, we said to each other… May God make safe to you each steep May God make open to you each pass May God make clear to you each road And may He take you in the clasp of His own two hands. (Carmina Gadelica) The mud and rain serving only to further cement our wee band of pilgrims, we made our way in good spirits, for the high ground above the Abbey on the other side of the Wye. Along the way we paused every-so-often to listen to a verse or two from William Wordsworth’s Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey – with a short time of silent walking after one stop. Lunch was in a hollow, just…

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The British Pilgrimage Trust has just launched the Cathedral Pilgrimage in a Day project as part of the 2020 Year of Pilgrimage. You can find out more at Pilgrimages in a day The Trust was set up in 2014 to advance British pilgrimage as a form of cultural heritage that promotes holistic wellbeing for the public benefit that includes physical, social, environmental and spiritual health. They aim to make these benefits accessible to wide new audiences.

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Speak to the people who live on Mull and the concept of spirit comes up frequently. First of all, there is the tough spirit of the people who live there all the year round – surviving and coming to cherish the rugged landscape and the equally rugged weather – long dark winters blasted by gales and rain, chilly springs which suddenly burst into blossom and glory, summers which can offer balmy blue days that switch in ten minutes (usually when you are at the furthest point of a walk), to driving rain, and then those colourful autumns that are part of Scotland’s heritage. It has always been hard to make money, and many people eked a bare living from…

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