From Holyhead to Haggis

Week 8

Northern Wales

We began our journey this week from Holyhead Wales, making our way across the Isle of Angseley where we then hug the coast of northern Wales.

Covering 823 square miles of diverse landscapes, Snowdonia National Park boasts the highest mountain in England and Wales, and the largest natural lake in Wales. Snowdonia is an area steeped in culture and local history, where more than half its population speak Welsh.

During our journey across the northern Wales coast, we came across several tiny seaside villages including Conwy, home of Conwy Castle. Built between 1283 and 1289 by King Edward I, the castle played an important part in several wars over many centuries. Following the outbreak of the English Civil War in 1642, the castle was held by forces loyal to Charles I, holding out until 1646 when it surrendered to the Parliamentary armies where it ultimately fell into disrepair.

Before leaving Conwy, we have a quick pint at the Groes Inn, the oldest licensed pub in Wales. The pub opened in 1400 and got its license in 1573. As we enjoy a local stout, we are undecided upon what is more impressive, the fact that the business is over 600 years old...or that it operated for 173 without a license...or that they even had liquor licenses in 1573

Liverpool, England

Like some other parts of the world, Liverpool is divided into the blues and the reds. These lines in Liverpool are drawn along the English football (soccer) rivalry between the Blues of Everton and the Reds of Liverpool who battle for football supremacy and Liverpool bragging rights in the Merseyside Derby.

Liverpool is also known for a relatively famous rock band called the Beatles. Formed in Liverpool in 1960, The Beatles are the best-selling music act of all time, with estimated sales of 600 million units worldwide. The passion of Beatles fans is legendary with one example being Beatles fans stole the Penny Lane (a title of a popular Beatles song) street sign so many times that the Liverpool council finally gave it up and painted it on a wall.

Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral is the largest in Britain and the fifth largest in the world. Begun in 1904 and not actually completed until 1978 also makes the cathedral one of the newest in Britain.The cathedral’s Grand Organ is made up of 10,267 pipes, making it the biggest in the United Kingdom and one of the largest in the world. It took three years to build, between 1923 and 1926, and sits in two chambers on opposite sides of the choir.The Bartlett Bells - named after the local man who bequeathed them to the cathedral - are the heaviest and highest in the world, weighing in at 31.5 tons and hanging 219 foot above the ground in the cathedral tower. The largest bell, Great George, is bigger than Big Ben.

Glasgow, Scotland

From Liverpool, we decide to detour north and head to Scotland. After passing an uncountable number of sheep on our journey from Liverpool, we arrived in Glasgow, Scotland’s largest city, with many things for us to explore, both old and new.

Fossil Grove in Glasgow’s Victoria Park has trees that are twice as old as dinosaurs. Eleven extinct fossilized trees date back 330 million years to a time when Glasgow’s climate was warm and humid.

Fast forwarding to the future, the first place you could ever watch TV was in Glasgow. Scottish engineer John Logie Baird transmitted the first moving images in 1926 from London’s Royal Institution to Glasgow’s Grand Central Hotel at the city’s Central Station.

The Glasgow Tower is the only structure on Earth that has the ability to rotate 360 degrees into the prevailing wind, and it holds the Guinness World Record for tallest fully rotating freestanding structure in the world. Unfortunately, the tower has been besieged by problems since it was built in 2001, as it has closed down many times to address “design flaws”. For those who laugh in the face of danger and lack a fear of heights, The tower has two lifts each with a 12-person capacity that ascends the rotating tower in two and a half minutes providing expansive views through all-around glass windows. Just in case, there is also an emergency staircase, comprising 523 stairs.

Edinburgh, Scotland

From Glasgow, we head west to Edinburgh. Recognised as the capital of Scotland since at least the 15th century, Edinburgh is how to the Castle, a historic fortress which dominates the skyline of Edinburgh from its position on the Castle Rock. There has been a royal castle on the rock since the reign of David I in the 12th century.

Still standing guard outside the castle, we view a statue of Sir William Wallace, a Scottish knight who became one of the main leaders during the First War of Scottish Independence and made famous in the US via the movie Braveheart. Wallace defeated an English army at the Battle of Stirling Bridge in September 1297. He was appointed Guardian of Scotland and served in this role until July 1298. In August 1305, Wallace was captured and handed over to King Edward I of England, who had him hanged, drawn and quartered for high treason and crimes against English civilians.

After extensive walking through this hilly city, we take a break at The World’s End pub which takes its name from the City Walls which once surrounded Edinburgh. Back in the sixteenth century, following the Battle of Flodden and Scotland’s defeat by the English, Edinburgh had become a walled city for protection. The gates to the City, which formed part of the wall, were situated outside the pub and the brass cobbles in the road outside represent their exact location. As far as the people of Edinburgh were concerned, the world outside these gates was no longer theirs and hence the name, The World’s End. Here, we sample the best of local drink and food including a good single malt Scotch, haggis and some fish and chips that melt in our mouths.

Newcastle Upon Tyne, England

We finish our week by working or way down the eastern coast of England and stopping in Newcastle upon Tyne. The first settlement in this area dates from the Roman period, when a fort was built on a site close to the present Tyne Bridge. The district and its name derive from a Norman castle built in 1080 by Robert II, the eldest son of William I the Conqueror. In the 12th century, the town became important as a fortress settlement because of its key position in the frontier defenses guarding the east coast route from Scotland.

Seven bridges span the River Tyne in and around Newcastle, three of them famous internationally for the revolutionary approach to bridge building. Perhaps the most innovative is the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, a pedestrian and cyclist tilt bridge spanning the River Tyne in North East England between Gateshead's Quays arts quarter on the south bank, and the Quayside of Newcastle upon Tyne on the north bank. To allow large boats to pass, the entire bride tilts up, a modern variation of the traditional drawbridge.

Newcastle Brown Ale is one of the most famous exports, but sadly is no longer even brewed in the city of Newcastle. Other notable Newcastle “exports” include the Newcastle Football Club a frustratingly average football club continually breaking the hearts of England’s most loyal fans and Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, more commonly known to music fans as Sting. As we finish the week in a river city with many bridges and a bad football team, it makes us think of home.

Trekking our way across the United Kingdom, we covered 455 miles this past week. While this was less than half of what we covered last week, we continue to be on track to get to Bethlehem by Christmas. Nevertheless, as St. Barnabas is a community of encouragement, we encourage everybody out there to keep on walking. This week, we’ll be walking through London then crossing the English Channel into continental Europe. Let’s keep it up and encourage other members to join us!