No sooner back from the cruise and we were off on our trip to serve the cats for the second time this year. Overnight stop in Wentbridge on the way up didn’t prove to be as successful, with a few issues at breakfast that rather put a dampener on proceedings. Recompensed, but worrying enough to consider alternatives in the future….
Won’t post any odd readers there may be with a long post this time. Suffice to say, the cats were all well and largely well behaved. Whilst there, I made a return trip to the National Glass Centre, which always seems under imminent threat of closure but which I contend is worth a visit and a couple of hours of anyone’s time. On the trek back, finally called into the 1,350 Year Old St. Peter’s, Wearmouth, home of the Venerable Bede in the 7th century AD, and also part of the Anglo-Saxon Wearmouth-Jarrow monastery that was created in 673 AD.
Outside the present day church are pavements and low walls denoting the positions of the 7th century monastery originals preserved underneath. It is believed that there is still considerable archaeology to be discovered that has, hopefully, not been destroyed by the Viking raids, farming, world wars and industrial activity over the 1,300 years since St. Peter’s was created – that may or may not be a tad optimistic!
Inside the church (for I did indeed venture into the interior), you can see the original carved stone within a reconstruction of the abbot’s seat among many artifacts uncovered during the 1960’s archaeological excavation conducted by Dame Professor Rosemary Cramp of Durham University. I found the church interior a little plain, but perhaps simple is a more apposite description of a small but lovely building. I lived there for eight years and never even thought about visiting so, as on other occasions in these kind of blog entries, more fool me!!
Belton Woods Hotel as the one night break on the way back; lovely evening meal and breakfast the next day and then onwards to home. Oh, and Belton House was yet again closed to the public, presumably to facilitate some location filming that obviously proves more rewarding than our national trust membership. 🙂
Just so it’s recorded, the very next day we went to Milsoms for lunch to celebrate my birthday, although celebrate might be pushing it a bit as sleep’s dark and silent gate draws ever nearer….
Very good memory recall of lovely outings and visits