No Bull at Durham

Today's journey began with a beautiful walk around the Lake district to take in and appreciate the tranquility of the still waters before the tourists and Brits on holiday venture out in boats en masse. We boarded our coach and made the 2 hour journey northeast back up to Durham where we connected to the 'missing pieces' of history discovered at Lindensfarne on Sunday. The Durham Cathedral was built over 200 years beginning in 1081 until it was completed in 1280 with many additions, towers and enhancements. Notable at the cathedral are the remains of St. Cuthburt, King Oswald and the Venerable Bede.

While we were touring the cathedral, we had the opportunity to climb the 325 steps up to the center tower. An athletic feat in it's own right for the stairs alone, the twists, turns and narrow column made navigating the passage somewhat entertaining as we passed a few tourists in the last third of the tower. The trip was worth it – a stunning view of Durham and the ground way, way, way below 218 feet to be exact. Check out the view and know that it feels much more stable when viewed with your body planted firmly in your seat! (password england)

We wandered Durham for another hour or so, taking in lunch and of course – the official treat of the pilgrimage – ice cream (12 days in England and not one day missed!) A few more hours on the coach south as we enjoy the scenes of the countryside until we arrived in York. Faithful Blog followers should know that Craig and I have spent almost 2 hours attempting to secure Internet connectivity…once this finally makes the pages, you will know that we have success, but it hasn’t been easy!
Tomorrow brings another day of adventure and exploration in Epworth – hometown to John Wesley.