SSG: In the steps of the Northern Saints	Home

Places are still available on this pilgrimage In the steps of the Northern Saints based at Sneaton Castle, 20–25 April 2008. For a booking form, please contact John Ainslie or telephone him on 020 8445 5724.

Cost: £345 per person for en-suite double rooms; £295 for standard accommodation
A supplement of £40 is payable for single occupancy of en-suite rooms.

Itinerary

Day 1 - Sunday 20 April - Welcome to Whitby

Arrive at Sneaton Castle and book into your room during the afternoon after which there will be an official group welcome over a cup of tea. After Dinner in the evening, there will be an introduction to the pilgrimage.

Day 2 - Monday 21 April - Lastingham and Moor Crosses

We begin our pilgrimage proper after breakfast as we board the coach for Lastingham, a small village in North Yorkshire where a monastery was founded in AD 654 by St Cedd of Lindisfarne. The monastery was eventually abandoned in favour of a monastery in York. The existing church dates back to AD 1078 and houses a Norman crypt and the shrine of St Cedd. We will have a service in the crypt. There is a pub and hotel in Lastingham where you can have coffee or buy lunch. After lunch we board the coach and visit one or two sites of famous moor crosses. We then return to the Centre for Dinner.

Day 3 - Tuesday 22 April - The Holy Island of Lindisfarne and Bamburgh

After an early breakfast, we board the coach for our pilgrimage to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne. We cross the dramatic causeway in the steps of countless pilgrims with views ahead of the stunning Lindisfarne Castle built on top of a volcanic mound. We visit Lindisfarne Priory, a place of pilgrimage for over 1300 years and one of the holiest Anglo-Saxon sites in England. We also visit the beautiful Church of St Mary the Virgin where parts of the stonework pre-date AD 1066. We will have a service at midday in the church. There are many places available on Holy Island for those wanting to buy lunch or a snack. After some free time for exploring further, we board the coach again and cross back over the causeway to visit Bamburgh and St Aidan's Church, one of the finest churches in Northumbria with origins dating from AD 635 and the actual place where St Aidan died. We then board our coach and continue our pilgrimage to the ancient medieval city of Durham with its stunning cathedral and the burial place of Saint Cuthbert and Saint Bede. We stay overnight at Ushaw College near Durham for Dinner, Bed and Breakfast.

Day 4 - Wednesday 23 April - Durham and Jarrow

We take the coach into the heart of Durham City, to this world heritage site which includes the imposing Romanesque Cathedral, one of the great architectural experiences of Europe, begun in AD 1093. Opposite the cathedral is the Norman castle, also part of the Durham World Heritage site and a Grade 1 listed building. The castle was once the home of the Prince Bishops of Durham and was commissioned by William the Conqueror and construction began in AD 1072. After our pilgrimage time in the cathedral, there will be free time to visit the city and buy lunch. After lunch, we board the coach for the Royal Ancient and Monastic Parish Church of St Paul in Jarrow. The church, built in AD 681, was the original chapel of the monastery in which the Venerable Bede lived and wrote his Ecclesiastical History. We return to Whitby in time for Dinner and a look forward to day five.

Day 5 - Thursday 24 April - Whitby

A day of pilgrimage based around St Hilda. We leave Sneaton Castle by coach for a visit to Whitby Abbey, the site of the famous Synod of Whitby. It was founded in AD 657 by King Oswy of Northumbria who appointed Hilda as its first Abbess. We then visit the fascinating Visitor Centre, which tells, with the help of video and audio, the captivating story of Whitby. We will then move on to St Mary's Parish Church dating from AD 1110. There will be free time to explore all of these venues further and walk the "199 steps" down into the town to buy lunch in one of Whitby's numerous cafes and restaurants before returning to the Centre on foot. In the afternoon, we board the coach for a visit to St Hilda's Well at Hinderwell, believed to have been used by St Hilda in the 7th century. Dinner will be in the Centre followed by reflections on the pilgrimage.

Day 6 - Friday 25 April

After a good breakfast, we bid farewell and depart at leisure for home.

The pilgrimage will be led by Sister Pam OHP of the Sneaton Castle Community.
There will be daily worship in the Celtic style throughout the pilgrimage.
The Sneaton Centre Management reserves the right to amend the itinerary in the best interests of our guests.
The cost includes half-board accommodation, excursion travel, entrance fees, gratuities and the services of the tour leaders