Yesterday, with nice weather promised, I was in the mood for an adventure and a day's walking in unfamiliar countryside from a town I did not know at all.
I was up early in my cosy little room in "The Angel and Royal Hotel". It is a very historic hostelry that can trace its origins back almost a thousand years. Kings have stayed or held court there - including King John in 1213 and Richard III in 1483. Quite amazing really - just like the hotel's exorbitant breakfast prices.
After my shower, I was out into the morning sunshine. The town was bustling with work traffic and secondary schoolchildren in their various uniforms. I made for Thatcher's birthplace and then afterwards snapped the top picture of St Wulfram's Church before heading to St Peter's Hill for an economic breakfast and coffee in the town's only Wetherspoons pub - "The Tollmarche Inn".
St Mary Magdalene Church, Old SomerbyBy 9.30am I was ready to begin my long country ramble, plodding east to Beacon Hill and then on to Cold Harbour, across the broad fields then down to the charming village of Old Somerby where I photographed the parish church - dedicated to St Mary Magdalene. By then I had walked almost five miles so I rested for a while in the sunshine and read another chapter of "John and Paul" by Ian Leslie. Sadly, the little church was locked. I would have loved to have a nosy round inside which is what I do whenever I find an open church.
St Guthlac's Church, Little Ponton
Suitably rested I plodded for a further four miles before sitting on a bench in the peaceful graveyard of St Guthlac's Church in Little Ponton. Like most old village churches in England it evolved through time so that the original eleventh century features are tricky to discern. Once again the door was locked so I ate an apple, drank water and read my book before striking north - back towards Grantham.
As the afternoon advanced, the sky clouded over. From the water tower on Gorse Lane I descended to the southern edge of Grantham and walked through a tightly packed estate of modern houses. I couldn't ever see myself living in one of them. It was just an arrangement of boxes - no sense of community - and by packing them in so tightly the developers had clearly intended to maximise their profits.
Back in Grantham town centre by four o'clock, I was happily knackered. I went back to St Wulfram's Church to check out its magnificent interior then I bought a theatre ticket at The Guildhall. I had noticed there was a two man show on at 7.30pm - an adaptation of "Of Mice and Men" and I had also noted that the performance would only last for sixty five minutes, leaving me plenty of time to get back to Sheffield at a reasonable hour.
I was hungry and thought about a curry. Meals are served throughout the day at Wetherspoons so I was back there by five thirty. I ordered a sweet potato Kerala-style curry with rice and nan bread plus a pint of orange cordial and soda water. It was more than adequate. Then a mini chocolate brownie with ice cream and a coffee.
"The Nobody Inn"in Grantham
More reading time followed but I kept being bothered by a sixty-something Welshman with wide eyes, a woollen bobble hat and probably some mental health issues too. He wasn't unpleasant or aggressive but he failed to read my non-verbal signals that yelled, "Please! Just leave me alone!" I was so relieved when he departed to catch his bus home after downing his third pint of Guinness.
I had a front row seat in "The Guildhall" and the two competent jobbing actors delivered a convincing, intense performance. Nigel Miles-Thomas was well cast as the lumbering Lenny while Michael Roy Andrew captured the quick-wittedness of George's character very well too. I was very glad I had bothered.
It all made for a great day out.
Sheep grazing near Woodnook Farm
200 and more English churches are dedicated to Mary Magdalene but only
ReplyDeletea few in Scotland.
A Second Century Gnostic text has an angry confrontation between Mary and
St Peter. She's accused of having secret knowledge of Jesus the Apostles lack.
The Gospel of Mary, the Gospel of Thomas and Pistis Sophia all explore the
rivalry between Peter and the Magdalene.
Legend has it that Mary is buried in the basilica of Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume in
France about 25 miles from Aix-en-Provence.
Mary's sister Martha and her brother Lazarus are also said to be buried nearby.
My favourite YouTube rabbis, Manis Friedman and Tovia Singer would dismiss
it as fabrication and propaganda. The debate continues.
* No One Expected This - God's Plan is Unfolding Now. *
DeleteYouTube. Rabbi Tovia Singer. (Three weeks ago.)
Anti-Semitism was ingrained early in Christianity. A great video.
Those images of churches seem to have made your blood rise like an inner tsunami Mr Haggerty! I advise you to take a nap in your tartan armchair... but do not sleep forever my friend. Now is not the time.
DeleteYou packed a lot in for one day. there are many interesting adaptations of Shakespeare's plays.
ReplyDeleteThe phrase "of mice and men" came not from Shakespeare but from the poetry of Robert Burns - "To A Mouse" I believe.
DeleteIt does sound a lovely day out, shame about the churches being locked.
ReplyDeleteThere's usually some way of borrowing a key from a church warden but that takes extra time and effort and I do not have a mobile phone.
DeleteBreakfast at a pub... who would have thought of that 30 years or so ago. The Whetherspoon's (The Unicorn) in Ripon is also quite popular. I have not had many meals there, since we have our own favourite eating places there, but The Unicorn is situated on one corner of the market square, perfect for people who want to sit there and eat or drink and not miss the Setting of the Watch by the Hornblower at 9:00 pm.
ReplyDeleteWetherspoons establishments provide very good value for money and tend to be run in an efficient, professional manner. Trouble is they suck a lot of business away from independent pubs.
DeleteYou've reminded me of the song with a line, "Little boxes, made of ticky tacky".
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed reading of your wee trip to Grantham. A grocer's daughter indeed. Sniff.
A grocer's daughter because she was gross...
DeleteYou certainly had a full day! Lots of walking, which is great. You could be a tour guide for the English countryside in your next career.
ReplyDeleteI hope that visiting Americans would tip me well and say nice things like, "Gee! You are so cool dude!"
DeleteIf it was our favorite Welshman, he would have said hello in some dramatic way (though he is inherently shy.) Thanks for the photo of the lovely sheep. The USA lacks sheep.
ReplyDeleteThe USA lacks sheep? What about The MAGA red hats?
DeleteI love the churches. Not what they do inside them, but the design of them.
ReplyDeleteI would feel quite at home in the Nobody Inn.
As a lifelong atheist, I am nevertheless fascinated by old churches. They speak eloquently of past lives. As for "The Nobody Inn" - what a great name for a pub. If I picked up the mike, I could become a somebody in "The Nobody".
DeleteWhat a great day you had. I had no idea there were any churches dedicated to Mary Magdalene. Then again, I am certainly no expert on that subject.
ReplyDeleteNot an expert? But you live right next door to a church!
DeleteSounds like you had an excellent day. I can't imagine my husband doing anything by himself, other than watching TV. He's only 65 but his health is declining quickly, years of drinking and smoking are catching up with him.
ReplyDeletePart of what motivates me is that I want to live a further decade or more. It's all I've got.
DeleteGlad you enjoyed "Of Mice And Men" -- I once saw it performed as a play as well, quite a few years ago now at the Stratford Festival here in Canada.
ReplyDeleteIn my life, I have read everything that John Steinbeck wrote. Wednesday's version of "Of Mice and Men" was really good.
DeleteThat's a very busy day. Glad you could check out the local theater offering -- I imagine it's a challenge to mount a production in a small (or small-ish) community. "The Nobody Inn" is a great pub name!
ReplyDeleteMy niece lived in one of those little boxes in Grantham. Like you, I would not have felt happy living there.
ReplyDeleteI've never visited Grantham but, apart from the Thatcher connection, my grandads best friend lived there so know he visited often.
ReplyDelete