Saints,sinners and cuddly ducks
St Cuthbert’s Way is a pathway stretching more than 60 miles. Sue Kendrick went for a stroll
As a boy he saw angels carrying the soul of a man into Heaven. As a man he healed the sick and restored the minds of the insane. In death he became a saint and 600 years later he is still remembered in a long distance footpath commemorating the struggles of the early Christian evangelists in what is now the Scottish borders and Northumberland.
St. Cuthbert’s Way stretches from the border town of Melrose to the holy island of Lindisfarne. It opened in 1996 and links many of the places associated with St. Cuthbert and other border saints in 62.5 miles of staggeringly beautiful landscape which is easily explored with the aid of a good map and a stout pair of walking boots.
Melrose itself, surprisingly, has little connection with Cuthbert. The magnificent abbey ruin that brings tourists flocking to this attractive market town was, in fact, built in 1136, long after Cuthbert’s bones had reached their final resting place at Durham cathedral.
The Cuthbert connection actually lies about six miles away at Old Melrose where a young Cuthbert entered a small monastery after seeing the soul of St. Aidan being carried into Heaven by a band of angels. Nothing now remains of this monastery and the spot itself is inaccessible.
Never fear. The later day abbey at Melrose makes a fine substitute and is well worth delaying the journey for a leisurely tour. Audio wands are available and reveal a host of startling facts, such as the discovery of an intriguing casket in 1996 that is thought to c.....
To read the rest of this article you can buy this issue
or subscribe to Scotland Magazine to have every issue delivered direct to your door.
By Sue Kendrick
Section : Scotland Expeditions
Page number : 58
