David on the summit of 'Great Shunner Fell' 716 metres (2,349 feet)
In her introduction to the bible notes, 'A Pilgrim Heart', Sally explains that a 'spiritual journey' can refer to a journey by foot of many days or weeks . . . . or a short walk of a few hours. I can't believe that 14 months have gone by since walking for 49 days on the Camino de Santiago in memory of my wife Lynne who died in June 2018. Of course, once again, it is that time of year when I especially think of Lynne . . . . the love of my life, my best friend and my soul mate!
I learn't so many things about life, people and faith while walking the Camino. It is said that the Camino does not end at Santiago de Compostela or as it was for me . . . Finisterre on the Atlantic Ocean. The Camino becomes settled 'deep in your heart' and the pilgrimage continues throughout the rest of your life! Sally Welch in her excellent book . . . 'Pilgrim Journeys' says . . . .
' . . . lessons learnt by pilgrims while on their journeys do
not stop at the end of the journey but can be adopted and
absorbed by those who have travelled and those who have not.
Insights gained on the journey can be incorporated into the
spiritual life of every day . . . as we face the joys and challenges
of life'.
The Camino not only gave me the opportunity to consolidate lessons learned through overcoming challenges and difficulties while walking on this journey but . . .
' . . . reinforced by the hours of reflection that are part of the
gift of a pilgrimage . . . time and space to think and reflect, to
allow insights to sink deep into heart and mind. On return to
every day life, with its daily routines and obligations, it is easy
to forget those lessons, to bury them deep beneath the usual
round of work and recreation.'
The start of my 'pilgrimage walk' on the Pennine Way . . . up Great Shunner Fell
'How valuable might they be if they were incorporated instead
into a pattern of praying and living that could gradually conform
the life of the pilgrim to one of constant pilgrimage . . . sharing
the route with others'.
So since the completion of my Camino just over a year ago I am doing my best to approach my life journey and faith in the true spirit of pilgrimage. My walks, whether they be short or long, provide me with the wonderful opportunity for prayer, reflection and experiencing the joy of Creation. This is the case whether it be a 30 minute local walk down to the 'ford' at Knox, a fantastic day out in the splendour of the Yorkshire Dales or a remote trek in the Himalayas.
During this time of 'lockdown' my garden has been a precious place of tranquility and peace. I also appreciate that this is not the case for everyone. The easing of 'lockdown' now provides the opportunity for everyone to enjoy the outdoors . . . be it a nearby park or the fells of a national park.
Views of Upper Wensleydale on the approach to Great Shunner Fell
The walk starts at the village of Hardraw, near Hawes, in Upper Wensleydale. The route rises with the Pennine Way to culminate on the moorland summit of Great Shunner Fell. It was a 'training walk' for my 23 day adventure hopefully walking on the Pennine Way in August. I will be starting in Edale in Derbyshire and walking for 268 miles northwards to Kirk Yetholm in southern Scotland. Of course it all depends on my B+B accommodation en-route being available with the easing of lockdown restrictions. There are 47 days before my departure!
Tufts of moorland 'rushes' flank the flagged path on the damp moorland
approach to Great Shunner Fell
The summit 'cross-wall' of Great Shunner Fell at 716 metres (2,349 feet)
'Window of blue sky' . . . on the upper slopes of Great Shunner Fell
The practice of mindfulness is linked to all the world's great religions. For me 'Christian mindfulness' teaches me to 'focus on the moment' . . . . it is a gift from God! It provides me a time, when walking through the landscape, to 'let go' of the normal constant internal commentary and allow God to speak to me through my experience of His truly awesome creation.
Long Gill Beacon looking down into the upper reaches of remote Cotterdale
. . . 'The Mighty Mountain' with the following:
'Climb a mountain and you find yourself where
the sun rises sooner and sets later, where the air
is clearer, the light is brighter, and where
ordinary life feels far away.'
I have always enjoyed the sensation of reaching the summit of a hill or mountain! In my youth I spent many hours on my beloved 'Blackstone Edge' near my home village of Littleborough. On the Lancashire/Yorkshire border the Pennine Way actually passes over the summit itself. I often climbed up to its rocky gritstone summit at both difficult times . . . such as when my dad died or when difficult decisions had to be made . . . or times of joy and celebration. In my younger days, and especially now I have always found it easier to think, make decisions and reflect on life when I am in the great outdoors, especially on top of a hill or mountain.
Solitary pine tree on the western slopes of Great Shunner Fell
My descent from Great Shunner Fell was now 'off-piste' across boggy moorland, initially to Long Gill Beacon (see photo above), then steeply down into Cotterdale. Once again I was relieved the weather was fine and clear as there was no sign of a footpath in this high open environment. I was amazed to come across a solitary pine tree nestled in a peaty depression en-route to the beacon. I paused by the tree and remembered an interesting question Adam Ford quoted in his book 'The Art of Mindful Walking - Meditations on the Path' . . . . .
'Is this my body taking my mind for a walk - or is it
my mind that is control and is doing the walking?'
Entering the forest in Upper Cotterdale after the descent from Great Shunner Fell
Truly awesome sight of a native red squirrel in the hamlet of Cotterdale!
Peace and tranquility in remote Cotterdale
My Great Shunner Fell and Cotterdale walk had provided me with the delights of the great outdoors combined with a true 'pilgrimage' experience.
Throughout the day, as nearly always on my adventures, I deeply felt something 'beyond' trying to break through into my consciousness. It had been a truly inspiring walk in the northern Dales. I had been out on the trail for six hours without coming across another human being! I had a keen awareness of a deeper layer of life beneath my 'normal' everyday existence.
It is often said that there are 'thin places' between heaven and earth where you can have a real sense of something 'bigger' than ourselves. My experiences on Great Shunner Fell that day had been such an experience!
As I descended off Great Shunner Fell I came across this beautiful natural spring!
John 4:14 . . . "but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life."
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'Ultimately, the most important thing to take with you on your journey
is openness of heart and mind. Leave behind narrowness of vision and
weight of expectation; such things will slow you down more than the
heaviest of packs. Be prepared to be generous, to share your thoughts
and feelings and to listen to those of others. Be ready to love, to laugh
and to open your heart . . . . to the landscape, the people and God'.
Regards
David
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