Ephesians 4:32
Dear Reader: Here is an accounting of a Holiday I had in Great Britain. This wasn’t so much of a spiritual journey, but rather a journey of me just plain having some fun.
I had an invitation to visit the friend who lived in Hoddesdon to visit his new home in Cleator Moor and tour the Lake District. I had also known of a concert in the Queen Elizabeth Hall on the South Bank in London. This sounded like it would make for a nice holiday so on that note, I commenced with making the arrangements. I will be honest, I was ready to see my friends in Great Britain and of course, worship in my church there, St. Philips.
I had bought an airline ticket with no difficulty but there is always a fly in the ointment. It seems the roomlet where I normally stay in South London wouldn’t be available because the people that own it would be on holiday during the time I would be there and I had needed a room for six of the eleven days. After some hasty scrambling on the web letting my mouse do the walking, I finally settled on a hotel in Streatham Hill, The Leigham Court Hotel. This was all well and fine except it drove the cost of the holiday way over budget. I am glad I choose to stay there though as it made running around a lot easier since I was only several minutes walk from Bus and Trains. As far as the rest of the major tickets I needed, my friend from Cleator Moor took care of the bookings.
On the eve of May seventh I was in the air, London bound. This was something of an uneventful flight not withstanding the fact we were over twenty minutes late leaving!After we landed, we went through immigration and then to pick up our bags. Typical of the airline I had ridden, my bag was nowhere to be found. I had filled out a claim form and proceeded to my hotel, as there was no use in hanging around fretting. I had asked for a little help and it was given me. Again, the power of prayer at work. After I checked into my hotel, I called Canon Washington to confirm our meeting for tea at the Vicarage.
As I went to the Vicarage, I had to wait for a bus. A woman came to where I was seated on a storefront windowsill and sat beside me. The outstanding feature about this woman is she is crippled and has to use crutch’s to get around. I shamefully admit, when I first saw her I was a bit indignant this person would choose me to sit next to. When I realised just how difficult it was for her to get around, I suddenly had compassion for her. I think she may have been afflicted with a stroke or some similar malady. When seated, she asked me if I could get her a drink of water to which I went into the store whose windowsill we were seated on and bought her a bottle. We chatted for a bit and when her bus came, she struggled to get to it. Seeing this as a problem for her, I immediately went ahead of her and asked the driver to wait as there was a rider coming who is physically challenged. When she got on the bus, she looked back at me and thanked me for my kindness.
My bus came soon afterwards and I proceeded to the Vicarage without further incident. I arrived and was warmly greeted by Canon Washington and his wife. We chatted, had Tea and homemade Scones and in general had a very nice get together. When I was finished there, I went to the park on top of Pollards Hill and had a period of meditation and prayer.
On the way back to Streatham Hill, I stopped by the Norbury Methodist Church and offered a word of prayer on their behalf. On the way up, I had also stopped at Sainsburys to pick up some essential toiletries I thought I would need. As it was, when I got back to the hotel, my bag was sitting there intact. Of course I was greatly relieved but now I had the problem of returning the goods I had just bought. After some rest, I cleaned up, had some supper and went to bed. Needless to say, I was exhausted from the travel and the events of the day.
The following day, I woke and had breakfast and went to London Victoria to meet my friend from Cobham. After a warm greeting, we went to the South Bank; I had wanted to check out the exact location of the Queen Elizabeth Hall where we were to attend a concert on Sunday. When we were done that we passed the London Eye and this time, I finally had a chance to ride it. Whilst we were riding it, he pointed out many sights to me, which in turn will make future travel around the city easier when I’m on my own. After the ride, we toured St. Pancras Station where the Euro Star Train now arrives and leaves. After which we had lunch and then went to Westminster Abbey in hopes of attending Evensong. As it was, it was decided since I was to meet my Russian friend at eight in the evening, we wouldn’t have time to do this. So we went back to London Victoria and when we arrived at the South East Terminal, there was a Clan Line Steam Engine sitting the with Orient Express Carriages behind it. One thing I will say for Great Britain, there are a lot of privately owned Steam Engines that are allowed to run over mainline tracks. This is something that is almost unheard of anymore in America.
After the Steam Train had left, we went to our respective destinations and this is where it became a real rat race for me . I had to rush to my hotel, shower, shave and all of that stuff and catch the tube to London Kings Cross station to meet my Russian friend. It had been a rather warm day and down in the tube, the carriages were very hot and noisy not only with the noise of the train, but all of the other commuters talking as well. I know I was only on it for about 20 or so minutes, but in all honesty, it seemed like forever. I finally got to Kings Cross and went to the surface to try and find my friend. I finally found him. He explained his train had been late coming in from France. After he got settled in at his hotel, we decided we would have supper at a Wetherspoons. I didn’t know it but the nearest one was about a 25 minute, somewhat brisk walk away. He had asked me if I wanted to ride the bus but I, like an idiot, declined not realising just how far of a walk it was. We finally arrived and much to our dismay, we had to eat in the downstairs dining area. This would have been fine except, being a Friday night, the place was quite packed and the crowd was very noisy. We had our meal and a few pints as well as a nice a chat as possible under the circumstances and went our respective ways for the night. I had to change trains at a tube station but I was forced to a bus because of a fire in the tube station. I found out that any bus marked “Victoria” would take me London Victoria, which is where I wanted to go.
Saturday dawned warm and hazy, somewhat unusual for England in general but not too rare for South London. Everybody was complaining about the buses and trains not having air conditioning and British Transportation says it’s “in the works” to do so. However, this weather doesn’t occur here like it does in America and quite frankly, I don’t see doing something like that as making good business sense.
I had spent the morning and part of the afternoon returning the toiletries I had bought but didn’t need as well as looking for a Laundromat as well as some more shorts. I hadn’t anticipated warm weather like this and packed only for the normal cool, damp weather that is found there. Much to my chagrin, the shops either didn’t have the summer clothes out yet or didn’t have my size. Seems at a waist 40, I am a bit bigger than most Brits.
After all was said and done I went to a small eatery that is run by some Portuguese people and had some lunch. I was surprised of how generous the portions were for the price and the quality was there as well. I returned to my hotel and took a nap. That evening I was to attend a meet and greet of some new friends in Croydon.
The time finally rolled around and I made my way to Croydon, I was to meet everybody at the “George Pub” on George Street. This place is another Wetherspoons and I recommend it to anyone. I walked in and walked right past where some friends were sitting and went straight to the bar where the friend from Westbury was getting some drinks for the others. After a warm greeting I joined the others. It was decided to wait for a new friend from Canada and another from Sweden. After a bit we decided to go ahead and eat as we were very hungry and the pints on an empty stomach were starting to take their toll.
Just as we had ordered, the new friend from Canada arrived; this was good timing for him since we were just ordering. We finally got our respective meals and over the next several hours, we enjoyed each others company very much with many jokes filled with lots of laughter. This was an interesting mix of people. We had two Brits, a Canadian, a Russian and myself, an American around one table. This is the nice thing about music, there are no barriers concerning race, creed, colour or nationality. I really don’t think, the boys who comprise Libera, are really aware of just how many friendships their music has wrought that span the globe.
After we were done our little party we went to our respective hotels for the night. We were to meet at St. Philips the next morning for worship service.
The next morning we met at St. Philips for worship and it was at this time I met the new friend from Sweden and his wife and several other Brits whom I did not know. With one exception, I have found all of the people I have met [because of our common interest in the music of Libera/ St. Philips Boys Choir] to be truly very nice people. I don’t care where one goes in the world, people are people and for the most part we all have for the most part the same hope, fears and loves.
Also, members of St. Philips I have come to know over the past several years very warmly greeted me
As I have said before, I have been allowed to call St. Philips home when I’m visiting and I have been made to feel as if I do indeed belong. After a lovely service, we went to the Albert Pub on Victoria Street for some lunch. I first had to go back to my hotel to get another pair of reading glasses as I had broken the pair I had with me during the church service. When I told my friend from Westbury about it, his comment was he thought I was a “bloody walking disaster”. Oh well, crap happens.
After I retrieved my spare glasses, I went to London and with the aid of cell phones; I was able to meet up with the others. It was also at this time I was able to contact my friend from Cleator Moor and have him meet up with us at the Albert Pub
It was a very nice warm sunny day so we were able to sit outside some and enjoy the weather. Whilst sitting outside I was able to provide other tourist with directions on sights they wanted to see. I consider this a bit of an irony since I am an American telling Brits how to get around their own Capital City.
We had also eaten at the Albert Pub and I might point out here the specials for the day is served cafeteria style from the bar. The food was very good and considering the location of this establishment, very reasonably priced. This is another pub I would highly recommend to anybody.
After “supper”, we had to take a rather brisk walk to the Queen Elizabeth Hall, which is located in the “South Bank Center”, the performing arts complex.
After the social pleasantries, we went into the auditorium and took our seats. Our seats had been somewhat relocated because there were speakers set up right in front of them and our view of the stage would have been blocked.
I am going to cheat a bit and insert the scanned pages of the programme for the concert. Since this letter will be a bit of a long one, I think I will take some liberties.
And
As you can see, we were treated to a lot of very lovely music along with some commentary and comedy from the choir. As always, I am never disappointed by a Libera concert. Afterwards we had a meet and greet where the choir gave their autographs and we were also allowed to photograph them. In all, it was a fantastic evening.
Afterwards, the friend from Cleator Moor had to catch the train back to where he was staying and the rest of us decided to go have a pint [or two]. There were no places open around the South Bank area so we went to a pub in Clapham for them.
After we had our “mini party” we went to Clapham Junction to catch our respective trains. In the concourse of the station, we said our goodbyes. I was a bit taken back at the fact the friend from Westbury gave me something of a bear hug. This is normally not a British thing and I was somewhat surprised. Of course, I reciprocated and went to my platform feeling very good about my friends and myself. You have to remember, before 2005 I was something of a loner and really didn’t have that many friends that I would call close and even fewer people I love like I have now .
The next morning I prepared to meet my friend from Cleator Moor to go to his home with him for the week.
I met my friend in London Euston and it was still early enough to have some tea before leaving. After a bit we Finally boarded our train and before you knew it we were on our way at 125 MPH on Virgin Trains.
We finally arrived at Penrith where we picked up his car and proceeded to Cleator Moor via his special spot, Ennerdale. It was late afternoon and the daylight was about the same as in a photograph he sent me once. It is indeed a lovely spot that is also very serene. This particular lake is used for domestic drinking water, therefore there is no fishing or boating allowed in it.
I might point out here these lakes and fells are the product of glacial activity some 10,000 years ago
What has been left behind is truly God’s handiwork for beauty. After we spent some time looking the area over, we went to his home, had some supper and retired for the night.
The next morning he took me to a Laundromat so I could wash my clothes, I was running out! When this was taken care of he took me to a friend of his place and presented me. After the social pleasantries, we got in the car and proceeded to go to Ravenglass where there is a miniature steam railway affectionately known as the 'La’al Ratty' (local name for the Ravenglass/Eskdale Railway). I was impressed by the neat, clean well-organised railway this is. All of the buildings and equipment are in good repair and if one looks in the repair shop, they will see equipment in various stages of rebuilding such as the loco seen below.
It was decided to have our guide and myself take the train ride to Dalegarth where my host would pick us up and we would continue our tour for the day. We boarded the train, which was being pulled by a 4-8-4-wheel arraignment locomotive otherwise known as a “Northern” type.
We were soon off and I was very surprised at the power this little loco had. It handled some pretty stiff grades with no difficulty.
It was a bright sunny day in mid May with unseasonably high temperatures with most of the trees being in near or full leaf. It is very much a pastoral setting where time seems to stand still. Here is a shot of Eskdale from the train.
Sadly, I didn’t keep notes on what we did on what day after this. Therefore I will just tell you about the highlights and try to keep some semblance of a correct time line.
After we were picked up at Dalegarth Station, we went to Keswick for tea and sweet cakes after which we decided to go over Hardknott Pass to visit the Roman Fort that had once been there. As we were ascending the mountain I just happened to look back and I saw a wonderful panorama. I commented about this to my host and we were out of the car with cameras in tow in short order. I was able to get this photo of Great Langdale from the brow of Wrynose Pass.
After we were done taking our photos, we proceeded to go to the Roman Fort on the other side of the mountain. There isn’t too much left of the fort outside of the foundations for the walls of the buildings that once stood there. One interesting feature was the bath. At one time there was a streamlet that flowed through the bath creating a cold bath, a hot bath and a steam room all in one building.
This was pretty ingenious in my opinion for having the comforts of home where a soldier would be stationed.
From this vantage point you can also see the upper Eskdale Valley with Scafell Pike in the background.
In all, this is a very lovely site to visit.
We went to a place known as Rannerdale. The outstanding thing of this area is all of the Blue Bells that were in bloom all over the slopes at the foot of Whiteless Pike. I’m told the Blue Bells are now an endangered species because of non-native plants that have been introduced in the area.
However, it is still very pretty to look at, as you will see in the photo below.
We had also visited an area known as Wasdale Head, England’s deepest lake [Wast Water]. This is overshadowed by England’s highest peak, Scafell Pike.
One of the outstanding sights in this area is the way the mountains are being broken down by the successive freezes in the winter. The rock piles at the base of the mountain range are called the “Screes”. From a distance it looks like fairly small gravel but in reality, some of the stones are maybe a meter in size. I would imagine the mountains were quite a bit taller at one time
While we were driving in this area, we stopped a church that is used by the local farmers, St Olafs; which is built out of the stone from the mountains. Sadly I don’t have any photos of the outside but here is one of the inside.
There is one thing I found interesting about the stone from these mountains; it seems just about all of the older buildings and enclosures all over England were built from this stone. After the one Enclosures act which was passed I think in 1845, this work was done to help fight poverty by putting laborers to work. The country at that time was in a severe recession, one that makes today’s recession look not so bad.
We also went to an area known as Borrowdale. The outstanding feature of this area is the “Bowder Stone” A giant boulder that was left standing on a corner from the last Ice age.
While we were admiring the area, we thought we heard music and after some investigation, we found a husband and wife on top of the stone playing Medieval Music using Recorders. We went to the top and after the usual social pleasantries; the couple asked if we would like them to leave so we could explore the top of the rock. We declined their generous offer with a request they keep playing. They were a bit shy about it but I assured them there was no problem with the quality of their playing especially since I don’t play anything at all.
I really enjoyed the visit to this place. Here I am, 3900 miles from home sitting in the woods on top of a relic left over from the last Ice Age listening to Medieval Music. Whilst they were playing I closed my eyes and proceeded to become very relaxed, after a bit, as I opened my eyes and at that time symphony of birds joined in with their chorus making for a very lovely sound. I looked up at the sylvan setting and then to the sky and felt in total awe of the natural cathedral God has given us. It was at this moment I truly felt the presence of the Lord. In my humble opinion, the magnificent temples to God that man has built are indeed grand but in all honesty, when you have surroundings like this, you are in the true temple of our creator and really don’t need anything else.
We had also toured a number of other places, however I think I will set the stage for a book my host has written called the “Armchair Fell walker”. This has not been published as of this writing but I will let you know as soon as it is. The one last place I wish to comment on is the visit to the “Lakeside and Haverthwaite Rail Way”.
When British Rail did a so-called streamlining of it’s services, many of the smaller branch lines were abandoned. As a result, heritage railway enthusiast restored many of these lines to working order and they serve the purpose of educating the public on how Railways used to be operating with steam and early diesel. In this particular case, the trip offered runs from Haverthwaite to Lakeside meaning the lakeside of Windermere.
This is a short but nice run with a 0-6-0-tank engine and maybe five carriages.
After we arrived at the lake, we were able to get some pricing for the cruises offered on boats that were originally run on steam power but are now motorized.
Sadly, we didn’t have the chance to take a ride due to time constraints. However, this something that is still on my to-do list.
We returned to Haverthwaite and went back to Cleator Moor via a road my host had never been on before. Of course we got to see many more of the wonderful sights of the Fells.
For the evening activities, I was presented to many of my host friends of whom one is the owner of a pub. We had a number of meals there and had very nice time whilst doing it. We also had several suppers in my host home where I was treated to Cullen Skink which is a fish soup made with smoked Haddock and potatoes. This is a cream based soup, which I found to be very good. We also had Smoked Salmon on Lettuce and boiled potatoes. I will say, when here, I do indeed eat very well. One night our tour guide ate with us and while we were waiting for supper, I had allowed him to read my letters. He was a bit surprised of my knowledge of GREAT Britain and began to understand why I call it my “adopted country”. On the last night there, I was treated to a lovely steak supper at the friend’s pub. It was at his time I realised that I had been truly accepted by these people as a friend. We had to hire a taxi to take us home because there was no designated driver. When we had arrive at my host home, our tour guide said to me “Terry, please get Out of the car, I want to give you a hug”. You will never have any idea of how I felt receiving this small act of affection from someone who was a stranger.
The next day my host drove me to Carlisle to visit the cathedral there whilst waiting for my train. The visit was cut short because of a wedding that was to take place. One thing I was privileged to hear was Andrew Johnston leading the choir into the sanctuary during the processional hymn. I’m sure I will visit this place again and if I do, you will get to hear about my visit. My train arrived and my host saw me off with a warm farewell. As I was traveling back to London, I had time to reflect on the past several days. It didn’t take too long to realise I had been truly blessed with what I had been given in friendship and witnessing God’s Glory as revealed in the Fells.
I had arrived somewhat late in London but I still had time to clean up and go to my favourite watering hole, “Moon under Water” A.K.A. Wetherspoons, Norbury. After supper I went back to my hotel and crashed.
The next morning, I went to St. Philips for church. The parishioners as well as my friend from Cobham, Kent and my Russian friend greeted me. After a nice service we had the tea social and I was able to say hello to some of the older boys and shake hands with them. I might point out here that due to changes in British Law, contact with children under the age of 16 in not permitted and can land you in jail. I personally think this a bit over the top when I consider the fact that in this case, the letter of the law is being followed instead of a more practical spirit of the law. In the sanctity of the church, there is no reason supervised contact can’t be made. However, this is the paranoia that has now gripped the country as far as child protection is concerned.
After wards, friend from Cobham invited my Russian friend and myself to lunch. We accepted this kind offer and proceeded to have a very lovely afternoon enjoying the comforts of his home and a wonderful meal. We then returned to Norbury for Evensong and enjoyed lovely music from the choir.
When the service was over and we were saying our goodbyes, I ran into one of the parents that I had hoped to at least have a drink with. As it was, that night was a parents meeting and it made our meeting very short. He was able to meet with me just as my Russian friend and myself were finishing supper in Wetherspoons.
After he had gone, my Russian friend and myself had a drink and then we said our goodbyes. This wasn’t the normal “See Ya” but rather a prayer followed by a very warm handshake-hug. I was sad to see him go but he had to get back to his home, as did I.
On the way to Gatwick Airport the next morning I had some to so I decided to stop by and chat with Canon Washington for a few minutes. I know this is a bit offish, stopping by without appointment but as you may expect, this was a spur of the moment decision. Canon Washington was in a meeting and couldn’t invite me in for tea but very graciously came to the door and chatted with me for a few moments.
Afterwards I went to the airport and came home to Conshohocken. I will say one thing for this visit, there was never a dull moment and I was able to meet even more people who are just plain nice. Like I have said before, people are people and for the most part we all have pretty much the same hopes and fears. I still believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ is King and I do indeed thank him for the many blessings he has given me.
As always, you are in my prayers.
Grace and Peace,
Terry
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