Iona to Lindisfarne 7-21

Today the group is up early and walks the mile or so to the ferry. Then by coach to Craignure for another ferry and bus ride. They stop at St. Conan's Church and Melrose Abby. If time and tide permit they will walk a little over 2 miles across the flats from the mainland to Holy Island, Lindisfarne. Tonight its dinner at the Ship Inn and stay at the Lindisfarne Hotel.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindisfarne

Pilgrim's way to Holy Island

They got up by 5 (believe it or not)

And walked to the 7am ferry

From ferry to bus and then ferry again,

With today's schedule, we cannot tarry.

Goodbye Iona

Awaiting in Oban to greet us again

Was Ian, our beloved driver,

We loaded the bags, and off we then went,

All feeling like we were survivors.

St Conan's church

A short stop at St. Conan's, a beautiful church,

Built by a son for mom's convenience,

A short thanksgiving prayer for Iona's highlights,

Then off again, today's schedule has little lenience.

Robert the Bruce's Grave

We'd visited Dunfermline - saw Robert the Bruce's grave,

We'd visited St. Conan's - saw a relic of his body parts,

Now we traveled to Melrose and saw what was left:

At Melrose Abbey is buried his heart.

We challenged the youth to find his heart's shrine,

And the bagpipes being played by a pig

A short walk awaited and as a pilgrim's reward:

Orkney ice cream with scoops really big.

Ice cream pilgrimage after the Melrose Abbey visit.

(Thank you Paul and Barbara Wegner.)

The last leg of our journey, this long travel day,

Was finished with the Lindisfarne route,

Ian's GPS took us on the most scenic route,

But the signs pointing to Holy Island spelled our doubts.

We arrived at Lindisfarne, with the tide coming in,

Too late in the day for the pilgrim's walk,

So straight to the hotel greeted by Jackie and Sean,

And down the block to Ship Inn for food and talk.

Dinner at Lindisfarne hotel with Ian our wonderful bus driver

who has become our adopted pilgrim

After our dinner, we started to pray Compline,

In a graveyard of a church called St. Mary's,

But an old stodgy priest and his wife showed up mad,

And we feared that Fr. Marty would be buried.

St Mary's Church

So we went back to our hotel

With a great story to tell,

How odd that a priest threw us out,

For doing the horrid, most dastardly thing:

PRAYING in such an old sacred spot!


 

Click the link St. Mary's Church and note that their home page says "visitors always welcome" :-) (editor)