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Walking The St Cuthbert’s Way. 5 Days From Melrose To Lindisfarne, Holy Island

I walked the St Cuthbert’s Way from Melrose, Scotland, to Lindisfarne, Holy Island, on the Northumberland Coast in early October 2021. It was a secular pilgrimage to an area of the UK that I have always wanted to visit and since the pandemic restrictions prevented travel overseas, I decided to take the opportunity to finally go.

This article covers the 5-day walk, including the final crossing to Lindisfarne, Holy Island. There were challenging elements every day in terms of distance, weather, and terrain — but it really was a worthwhile trip and I highly recommend it. I share day-by-day pictures from the walk and some practical information if you’re considering the route.

Cicerone Guide to St Cuthbert's Way and paper OS Maps — Cicerone Guide to St Cuthbert’s Way and paper OS Maps

I organized the trip independently, walked solo, and carried my own pack. I used the Cicerone Guide to Walking St Oswald’s Way & St Cuthbert’s Way and also took physical OS Maps with the route highlighted. I also used the Komoot app and I have the OS Maps app on my phone. Although there is a phone signal most of the time on the way, there were notable occasions with no service, especially in the valleys in the more rural section of the Cheviots.

My book, Pilgrimage, Lessons Learned from Solo Walking Three Ancient Ways, is out now.

Pilgrimage Kickstarter Banner4 — My book, Pilgrimage, Lessons Learned from Solo Walking Three Ancient Ways, is out now

London. A Personal History With J.F. Penn

Podcast, Travel Memoir

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“It is difficult to speak adequately or justly of London. It is not a pleasant place; it is not agreeable, or cheerful, or easy, or exempt from reproach. It is only magnificent.” Henry James

London can never be contained or defined in one way. Everyone has a different perspective and experience that changes over time, and my relationship with the city has certainly evolved over the years.

My Brooke and Daniel crime thrillers are set there, and my love for the city resonates within those pages through the eyes of Jamie Brooke, but it certainly wasn’t always that way.

In this episode, I’ll talk a bit about the history and highlights of the city and how it’s played a part in my life. I can’t possibly cover it all, but I can give you a glimpse.

1997-2000 Cool Britannia. London in my early twenties
2011-2015 Literary London. A new career in my mid-thirties
2015 onwards. City of inspiration in my forties
Visiting London — places to visit and tips on making the most of it
Recommended walks and books

JFPenn at the Royal College of Surgeons, London. The inspiration for Desecration.

The History Of England Written In Stone. Literary Canterbury With Anna Sayburn Lane

Podcast

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Some places are so dense with history that stories emerge from every stone. Canterbury in Kent, England, is rich with literary and religious history and you can walk in the footsteps of pilgrims who have visited the city for almost a thousand years.

Anna Sayburn Lane is an award-winning short story writer, novelist, and journalist inspired by the history and contemporary life of London. Her latest book is The Crimson Thread, a mystery set in Canterbury, England.

Show notes

Literary history of Canterbury
How Canterbury Cathedral has the history of England written in its stone
Unusual and beautiful aspects of the cathedral
Other interesting places in Kent, particularly for book research
William Blake and his uncompromising artistic passions
Creating an amateur sleuth who is a walking tour guide and an academic
Recommended travel books

You can find Anna Sayburn Lane at AnnaSayburnLane.com

My book, Pilgrimage, Lessons Learned from Solo Walking Three Ancient Ways, which features Canterbury Cathedral, is out now.

Walk The South Bank Of The Thames From Tower Bridge To Westminster. London, England

Places, Walking

South Bank is one of my favorite walks in London. You pass places of historical importance and architectural beauty, as well as iconic cultural locations, plus great places to eat and drink alongside the River Thames while people-watching in this fantastic city. I set my Brooke & Daniel crime thriller trilogy in this area and I do this walk whenever I’m in London.

If you walk the route from end to end without stopping, it will only take you about an hour or so to do the 5km along the Thames Path. But if you make the most of everything along the way, you could be busy for a week or more. It’s a great way to orientate yourself if you’re new to the city where so many get the Tube or a taxi when it’s easier and often quicker to walk.

London, South Bank Of The Thames on a bright day. Panoramic image taken from the Tower bridge. Photo licensed from BigStockPhoto — London, South Bank Of The Thames on a bright day. Panoramic image taken from the Tower bridge.

Start at London Bridge Station which is a major transport hub for overground and underground trains. There are many different exits but it’s easy enough to find the river!

The Shard is next to the station. You can pay to look out over the city at The View From The Shard, which is worth it on a glorious day.

The Old Operating Theatre is also near the station, Europe’s oldest operating theatre, pre-dating anaesthetic and antibiotics.

Walk The South West Coast Path From Lyme Regis To Seaton, England

Walking

Although this walk is part of the South West Coast Path, it is mostly within the wooded Undercliff National Park. It’s also surprisingly challenging and took much longer than expected for the distance (7 miles/11 km in 4.5 hours) so I thought I’d share the journey. You can walk either way and get the 9A bus back to whichever end you started at.

It’s well sign-posted all the way.

South West Coast Path sign Photo by JFPenn

The first mile out of Lyme Regis is through fields and up behind the cliffs. You’ll pass a little fence with portrayals of the women who made Lyme Regis famous in the world of Paleontology and Geology, Mary Anning being the most well-known.

Mary Anning on a fence on the SW Coast Path. Photo by JF Penn

After about a mile, you enter the Axmouth-Lyme Regis Undercliffs National Nature Reserve. The woodland has grown over cliff rockfalls over many generations and forms part of the Dorset and East Devon World Heritage Site, protected for its biodiversity.

If Only I Had More Time. A Motorcycle Journey Through Britain with Mark Probert

Podcast

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Good travel books are not just about a physical journey or a place. They are also about the emotional side of travel and the feelings we experience along the way.

In this interview with Mark Probert, we discuss his motorcycle journey through Britain following the path of writer John Hillaby 50 years after the original book — and how the passing of time impacts our choices around travel, especially at a time when we cannot take it for granted as we did pre-pandemic.

Mark Probert is the author of Another Journey Through Britain about a motorcycle road trip through the back lanes of Great Britain.

Show notes

Riding the length of Britain on a motorbike
The pros and cons of motorbike travel
Changes to parts of Britain over decades
Enjoying food specific to local areas (like cheddar in Cheddar)
Does reporting on travel change your experience of it? And does that matter?
Reflections on the passing of time
Recommended travel books

You can find Mark Probert at MGProbert.com

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