- 51 minutes ago
Pilgrimage Season 8 Episode 2
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00:01the spectacular landscapes of North East England oh my god look at this view a
00:08cradle of English Christianity from where a new faith spread throughout
00:14England and beyond as soon as you see that cross you know you're in good hands
00:18it's here that seven celebrities are forging their very own pilgrimage
00:27among them a pilgrim with a strong Christian faith we do have a path that I believe God
00:35intends for us and I think part of the journey of life is seeing if you can find it an
00:43observant
00:43Muslim there's a line in Frasier where he says ethics is what we do when no one's looking that
00:48chimes in with Islam everything you do should be to please Allah and that makes you a better
00:53person and the self-proclaimed a la carte Catholic I take the best bits of Catholicism I love the
01:02service and the pump and the circumstance of it all I believe the power of prayer they'll trace
01:08the footprint of legendary Celtic Christian Saints from the seventh century that's the most beautiful
01:14view I've ever seen in my life before arriving at that final destination the holy island of Lindisfarne
01:20some people think this is the holiest place in England over 12 days oh god there will be
01:28challenges oh it's really slippery you're like my carer realizations we have very different views don't
01:36and tears for the first time I feel like I belong somewhere come on pilgrimage they said come on
01:44Batsy I'm coming but where will this journey of self-discovery take them great pilgrimage everybody
01:58over the past few days the pilgrims have been making their way towards the city of Durham
02:05finally they came within sight of Durham Cathedral the final resting place for three 7th century
02:12northern Saints this is very cool you just need a little logo visit England yeah and they crossed
02:18Preben's bridge to the city's historic center the group began their journey four days ago in North
02:28Yorkshire near Whitby on the way of St. Hilde and have traveled on foot and by bus until they reach
02:35Durham with 300 kilometers still to go they'll head towards Heavenfield the start of St. Oswald's way the
02:45pilgrims will explore the glorious coastline before traversing northwest to St. Cuthbert's way in the
02:51city of Cheviots in the Scottish borders they'll make their way to the legendary Cuthbert's cave before
02:57heading to Holy Island also known as Lindisfarne their final destination for more than a thousand years the
03:05faithful have trekked across the changing tidal sands to reach this historic place of pilgrimage
03:19so Durham Cathedral Durham is one of the oldest cities in the north of England at its heart on the
03:28River
03:29Weir sits the 12th century Cathedral home to the tomb of Cuthbert the North's most beloved saint
03:37Jane you know a lot about Cuthbert right yeah this is my guy yeah Cuthbert's like your dude right he
03:42is
03:42radio presenter Jane Middlemiss is from Northumberland I was christened in St. Cuthbert's church nice to
03:50have that local figure yeah and the really weird thing about it is I don't think it's conscious you
03:56know I grew up as a child listening to stories about Cuthbert and yeah I was at a CV school
04:02and can't wait to
04:03me in he's dead right now okay Cuthbert was a revered monk and hermit of Lindisfarne known for his
04:12preaching and miracles he died in 687 AD but in the wake of Viking raids on the island the monks
04:21fled in
04:22875 taking Cuthbert's sacred body with them for over a hundred years he was carried by monks throughout
04:30the Northeast until they found a safe place to settle so basically the monks who were carrying
04:38his body found this place this spot here they set his body down and then the cathedral was built around
04:50on their way into the cathedral the group are greeted by Canon Charlie Allen and introduced to an
04:56ancient pilgrim tradition so one of the things we do is offer people foot washing as they arrive if you'd
05:02like to come and have a foot wash come in this direction Ashley Banjo leader of dance troupe
05:08diversity isn't keen on the idea I feel my feet being touched my feet are the most ticklish so
05:17you've got to imagine yourself back to medieval times we know that people came here from Europe
05:21from here there and everywhere and then you arrive to this wonderful Ministry of Hospitality someone
05:26washing your feet someone giving you food to eat it was a really really big thing so if you just
05:32lift
05:32that up put that over that bowl then mm-hmm it's a very refreshing experience physically and also
05:37so spiritually so there you go thank you thank you it's hot it's hot thank you oh yes it is
05:52hot nice though it really is thank you Charlie and you take cash or card I'm joking it's just a
05:59joke it's all gift thank you so much
06:01sorry thank you got my big Irish feet huge toes oh that's lovely but stand-up comedian Ashley Blaker I'm
06:10not going to do any what decides to opt out this isn't my I don't walk into a abbey and
06:17feel I I belong
06:19here because because I don't it feels kind of alien to me it's interesting that when you're Jewish you
06:24are and that's part of being Jewish is being an outsider it's a welcoming place but I know I don't
06:30belong I think you belong Durham Cathedral is a significant pilgrimage site you can sort of feel all the
06:40history as well as the shrine of Cuthbert there's the tomb of the venerable bead or Saint bead the great
06:48Anglo-Saxon scholar who wrote in the 8th century about the lives of the 7th century Celtic Christian saints
06:54like Cuthbert my god just smells like the candles oh my lord the pilgrims make their way through the
07:09Cathedral a UNESCO World Heritage Site Wow this is breathtaking famed for its Norman architecture
07:17that stained glass is incredible yeah it's all inspiring even six foot six Ashley Banjo feels small
07:26yeah here you know you stood before God yeah you feel small yeah imagine getting married in here huh it's
07:35gotta last yes you can't get divorced if you get married in here at the eastern end of the Cathedral
07:43behind the high
07:44altar is a door leading to Cuthbert's shrine oh yeah I remember this oh oh oh oh wow
08:00wow Cuthbert's body was moved to its final resting place in 1104 buried with him is said to be the
08:08head
08:08of Oswald king and saint who like Cuthbert played a significant role in bringing Christianity to Northumbria
08:17as a Celtic Christian Cuthbert sought closeness with God in solitude deep in the wild places of the north
08:25have you heard about the legend of Cuthbert no so basically he lived in you know a monastic life and
08:32he was
08:32doing some praying in the north sea and then as he came out of the sea two sea otters followed
08:37him
08:38out and he was freezing and his feet were really cold and they sat on his feet to warm his
08:43feet and that
08:45was why people sort of like said he had this affinity with animals and the land and he was actually
08:49quite
08:50shamanic in the way he taught look that there there's these little officers are in that picture
08:55of them oh yeah I love that connection with the wild yeah they've almost got like a hands clasped in
09:02prayer
09:02like he's praying right yeah it's interesting I read that he didn't want his burial place to become a
09:08shrine there's a trouble with shrines that then sometimes it can become almost idolatrous like we don't know
09:16where Moses it was buried because he didn't want to become a shrine to distract from the worship of God
09:27it is such a awe inspiring I don't know if monument is the right word I don't know if humans
09:36would go through
09:36with the trouble to build something quite this beautiful unless it was in the name of something higher
09:44actor Hermione Norris is also moved when I sit somewhere like this I open my heart
09:54I open my heart
10:03to that grace I suppose this is it isn't it
10:18it was amazing wasn't it yeah I feel like I've been on a journey from the moment we arrived to
10:23when we
10:23left don't you a bit of an unexpected experience actually yeah yeah yeah surprising thank you Durham
10:28cathedral yeah thank you Durham the pilgrims leave the historic lanes and cobbled alleys behind and pick
10:38up the way of light a recently created trail which heads northwest through valleys and fells to heaven
10:45field it's here Oswald the warrior saint fought to claim the crown for the kingdom of Northumbria in 634 AD
10:57I'm liking the poles me too the poles actually make it easier I'm feeling the pole action guys look at
11:03his pace I think we should keep this all the way I'm starting to feel a bit delirious you'll soon
11:09be in
11:09heaven field and you can be delirious there you know there's the wooden cross when we get there because
11:17Oswald yeah when he went to fight the battle he was a massive Christian nobody else was yeah he
11:24prayed to God and he had a much smaller army he won the battle and then he said it was
11:28because of God
11:29and Christianity you ever thought about starting like a Cuthbert Oswald fan club like online there's
11:36like a fact maybe just like I feel like you can be president of the Cuthbert Oswald Facebook page or
11:41something
11:41let's do it what shoe size was he Jane get lost banjo the trail leads the pilgrims across open
11:52farmland we got the map out we got it did that way yeah yeah I think so yeah I mean
11:59more or less
12:00yeah yeah guys are you sure are you sure about this the arrow is going towards the flag yeah good
12:07that's a good sign all the talk of Saints reminds actor Patsy Kensett of her Catholic school days did
12:17you go to a convent yeah taught by nuns I think I'd been there I don't know one term and
12:23one of the
12:23nuns died yeah I'm doing about six or seven and we had to go each going one by one and
12:29sit with her
12:30while she was dead while she was lying there dead as a six or seven year old yeah and all
12:36I can
12:36remember was she had her fourth teeth all falling out of her mouth oh my god and I wanted to
12:41push them
12:41back in but I had nightmares for a while after that yeah I don't think it's operates like that at
12:49all
12:49now the pilgrims are almost at Oswald's battlefield we're close guys are we close we are close to the
13:00field of heaven Oswald was born in 604 AD 30 years before Cuthbert and brought up in exile in the
13:09west
13:09of Scotland probably at the monastery on Iona where he became a fervent Celtic Christian this is it yeah it
13:16must be where the few triumphed over the many because of faith victory in 633 Oswald returned
13:24to challenge the powerful king of Gwyneth oh who'd seized the Northumbria throne this is why you won
13:32the battle yeah this is it this is heaven through on the eve of battle in the shadow of Hadrian's
13:38wall
13:39Oswald fell on his knees praying for victory his kingdom secured he sent for Saint Aidan from
13:46Iona to establish a priory on the tidal island of Lindisfarne which helped to spread christianity
13:52throughout Northumbria and beyond and that's some Oswald's church yeah yeah let's go the 19th
14:00century church at the top of the field is thought to have been built over Norman and seventh century
14:06foundations it's just crazy to think all these years ago there's a whole battle right here and if he
14:13hadn't have won we might not be Christians yeah wow isn't it mad all could have worked out so
14:20differently now lives would have been different would have been I can't work out if it would have
14:25been an advantage or a disadvantage to be my size because people would probably just think take him
14:29out first do you know what I mean but you have got the height advantage in terms of the sword
14:33is
14:34being swung from the yeah even the thought of going like this when you're straight no bro is terrifying
14:39Jane what I'm good to know you again I've done a lot of searching around lots of different ones okay
14:44and the most I got from was the yogic teachings but I don't know coming back here it's sort of
14:50like
14:50reconnecting me to something which feels quite nice you know I'm sort of historically Church of England
14:56TV personality Tasha Guri has been reflecting on her own spiritual identity so I would say I'm an
15:03atheist but I truly believe that maybe there is some kind of faith in me but I've never recognized it
15:09and I think today as beautiful as it was you know walking inside the cathedral I don't feel that energy
15:16off
15:16a sense I maybe belong here it's really interesting because you you refer to yourself as an atheist
15:24and yet what I'm hearing is you've got an idea that you are actually searching for something
15:32so I'm wondering if you're more agnostic than atheist so agonostic agnostic is someone who doesn't know
15:42doesn't know if there is a god or if there isn't a god but they just have a question mark
15:48over like
15:51I'm interested so I feel like I definitely have a question mark and open-minded to that so maybe I
15:58am will be agnostic I think you know sometimes we can run but we can't hide from what's inside of
16:04us
16:05and some things we are just connected to I think it's amazing it's amazing isn't it yeah yeah
16:12I feel so lucky to be part of such an amazing group they have honestly just welcomed me and
16:18they're not judging me once you know they've I've had such amazing conversations with each of them
16:24and I feel like a sense of community with them you know I live a very lonely isolating life
16:30in the industry that I'm in and for the first time so um
16:45so
16:48for the first time I feel like I belong somewhere that I
16:55I feel a sense of love kindness and just compassion and understanding and for the first time I just feel
17:05like just me I'm so grateful that I get to be with them every day I'm going to be so
17:10sad when this finishes
17:16born 17th February 1861 died 29th of July 1937
17:24so and his wife's in with him she died in November and he died in July
17:29so she followed him that often happens I know it does I know
17:35I'm worried about when my cat dies
17:38keep him and then have him in with you or be sprinkled later on they stay together
17:42or have it as a necklace
17:45I just I just can't imagine life without him
17:48I know they never go anywhere
17:50they don't
17:51I've got my oaths with me now
17:53she's right there
17:53is there yes
17:55there's any pictures of him he's off at boot camp
18:00I think often posthumously they're with you more
18:07and then of course this view this is an amazing view isn't it
18:11it truly is god's land
18:14odd to think of them having a battle in the middle of nowhere
18:17like that
18:18yes
18:19yeah
18:19can you imagine
18:20does it men need to fight
18:22yeah
18:22you don't catch women running around
18:24no you don't
18:25macheteing each other
18:26no exactly no
18:28men with no no knickers on
18:30yes
18:30with no pants on
18:32no pants
18:33running around
18:34chopping each other to bits
18:36yeah
18:36and then praying
18:37and then they're our sons
18:39yeah
18:40and our lovers
18:43yeah
18:44oh hermione
18:45i know
18:46what's to become
18:54just along from heavenfield is the uk's best preserved roman fort house dense
19:00a national landmark along hadrian's wall which the pilgrims are keen to explore
19:06wow this is going to be fun
19:07reminds me of baghdad right hermione this one perfect conditions for a lovely day
19:14but today they're battling an amber weather warning
19:18who else is glad we didn't go to portugal
19:20i'd rather this than before in march oh yes i'd have this any day me too this is real proper
19:26english
19:26weather it is does anyone know much about haitian's wall well it was for the romans to keep the
19:32barbarians out all right the people on this land were viewed as a barbarian yes savages
19:37yeah when it was built it was 15 feet high quick question who was hadrian hadrian was
19:46what's his proper name plebeius
19:51and then it was hadrianus oh yeah excuse me hadrian will suffice hadrian
19:57hadrian yes one more time for money sorry i'd like hearing you say it
20:04let's just focus on this wall let's forget his hadrianus let's just
20:07in the second century when britain was occupied by the romans
20:16hadrian's colossal wall spanned about 118 kilometers from coast to coast
20:22well these are separate rooms it looks like up to 800 soldiers and their families lived here at
20:30housesteads a military fort there were granaries houses with underfloor heating systems
20:38and roman streets i'm not sure i'm allowed to sit on this getting the power and energy from the rocks
20:46as they wander the ruins comedian hassan al-habib is drawn to the facilities okay guys i'd appreciate
20:53some privacy now we've arrived at the toilets oh look at the sophistication of it all a communal latrine
21:03for the purposes of maintaining good hygiene amongst the it says 800 men living in this fort
21:09they had to come up with a sanitation system highly sophisticated for the time i understand
21:15men would essentially sit along two rows they would um defecate yeah i believe is the term
21:21poo exactly and then there would be um sticks with rags that they'd clean themselves with afterwards
21:31a communal stick yeah what communal stick to wipe your bottom after you've done a poo but they must
21:38have like cleaned the cloth well i mean i doubt it sponges were available in the mediterranean
21:44okay but at housesteads it may have been moss bracken or rags it's a good tim bonding session yeah yeah
21:50yeah yeah you know you're holding it together you can chat about your life right the one thing we
21:55should take from this though yeah the word latrine latrine farewell latrine
22:01weird isn't it a loose bit that's really survived i know i could do with a latrine actually yeah
22:10while ashley tasha and jane go ahead to prepare the group's overnight accommodation
22:15a basic hostel the rest of the pilgrims have the chance to find out more about judaism it's another
22:23faith with strong roots in this part of the country and they're visiting newcastle's reform synagogue
22:31newcastle's one of the uk's designated cities of sanctuary and has a long history of welcoming
22:37immigrants and refugees in the late 19th century it became home to hundreds of jews fleeing east european
22:46oppression and those escaping nazi persecution in the 1930s and 40s
22:53i'll be honest with you i don't think i've ever been inside a reformed synagogue
23:00this synagogue follows a very different branch of judaism to the one ashley once followed
23:06i was a ultra orthodox jew for 15 years hassan put this on and yes thank you you're a jew
23:15welcome give me a hug i'm still very proudly jewish it has a huge role in my life in terms
23:22of
23:22defining who i am i don't think i'll ever shake that shoes off no no no no no no that's
23:28that's that's
23:28yours here no shoes on but i don't feel the need to keep the rules i feel that's for other
23:36people
23:36welcome hello i'm ashley welcome the pilgrims are met by brenda and linda lovely to meet you
23:43too i love your hair thank you who are both active members of the synagogue community is it the first
23:48time you've been in a synagogue yes it's my first time ever in a reform synagogue right what's the
23:55difference between yeah reform so reform judaism joined with liberal to form progressive judaism uk
24:04so there are different strands of judaism okay one of the big differences here in a
24:11a reform community or a progressive community is that families can sit together men and women
24:17and boys and girls can all be together actually our previous four rabbis have been women so men and
24:26women are completely equal yeah and that's not the case in the orthodox synagogue absolutely not quite
24:34i mean we can take part in the service we can lead the service whereas in the orthodox community
24:40it wouldn't be allowed i would say if i'm allowed to that uh it's not that they're not equal because
24:47they are entirely equal in the orthodox world they have different roles very different different different
24:54roles not unequal you said unequal not unequal different in terms of a service i would need to
25:00sit behind a screen or upstairs upstairs and not participate participate in a different way by
25:07praying by praying by praying more comfortable here i think for you for many people who wish to be with
25:14their families that's the thing we have very different views don't we well two jews three opinions
25:21exactly that's exactly how it is everybody's right i like and i'm writer than everybody yes
25:27yeah there have long been differences between the more recent reform movement with its more
25:33flexible approach and the traditions of orthodox judaism so feel free to have a look around if you
25:40need any help advice go to linda talk to me talk to ashley thank you don't necessarily listen to
25:47everything you say we're not we're not going to agree are we we're never going to agree that's what a
25:55synagogue is there can i ask you something of course will you tell me what the significance of
26:02these candles are that are everywhere in the jewish seven branched candles the seven yes that's called
26:08a menorah the seven marked candelabra which is part of the temple service we use a slightly different
26:15one with eight uh branches at hanukkah it's called hanakia come and i show you now this has eight and
26:24the
26:24one in the middle is the servant the shamash and simplistically it was at a time when jews were in
26:31the temple with only enough oil for one night as long as there was light they weren't attacked but a
26:37miracle happened of course it's got to be a miracle and there was enough oil for eight days and in
26:43commemoration of that we light our candles and we eat foods fried in oil so we have donuts so we
26:51eat
26:51unhealthy oily food for eight days a year and then for the other uh rest of the year we even
26:58even more
26:59unhealthy wow where do i sign up this is this is fantastic one of the synagogue's three taurus scrolls
27:07was rescued at the end of world war ii from pardubice in the czech republic where the jewish community
27:14was virtually wiped out during the holocaust we have the honor privilege and the sacred duty if you
27:22like to use this scroll now it's quite on there's no vows you can't touch it you don't touch it
27:31with
27:31your hand you use a pointer which is called it's fine don't worry it's a pointer called a yud and
27:37we
27:37read through the whole thing in a year and we're kind of towards the end of the moment and it's
27:41right
27:41for left i have to say that um you might blow my mind today a little bit in here because
27:47i sensed a
27:48real passion i know i think it's it hasn't reignited it's ignited exactly my yiddish and a shama you
27:57know that is a jewish soul and it never goes away it doesn't know we can run away from it
28:02but it doesn't
28:03go away armani wants to understand ashley's strong reaction to being in a reform synagogue it's interesting
28:12because i obviously haven't been religious for a long time but when i come into a reform synagogue
28:24it makes me quite defensive almost quite angry really there are many things that i'm doing like
28:30what i'm eating or that i'm not keeping the sabbath or i've got tattoos that are against the rules but
28:37i
28:37know they're against the rules whereas here there are no rules when we went to durham cathedral
28:44i felt a bit alien but the same thing gets unsettled when i come somewhere like this
28:50and i think no this isn't this isn't this isn't my judaism but surely if it's going to durham cathedral
28:57does that and coming to a reform synagogue does that it's actually emboldening and reaffirming
29:04what you really who you really are and what you really really believe in but i think it shows that
29:10even though i might not observe anymore i'm still a jew fair dinks
29:18this synagogue was founded in the early 1960s by jewish families including refugees who fled the nazis
29:25during the holocaust and has strong links with current day immigrants we have people that will
29:32help fill in forms for them we as a community collect food and clothing what can we do to help
29:40these people and i think that's jewish tradition it's certainly our family tradition my family were
29:46immigrants my family were actually shall i say encouraged to leave russia around about 1890 and
29:55settled in newcastle in an area where there was a high percentage of jewish people really and the story
30:03goes that they arrived uh at hull they did think it was america and couldn't speak english and the
30:12person who admitted them to england said you know what's your name and they couldn't speak and the
30:18chap said to them it's okay you're a free man now so our family name from england is freeman
30:26that's a lovely story and there are a lot of jewish people called freemen who are not related
30:31because the same thing obviously happened to them so you they were met with real kindness absolutely yeah
30:37absolutely yeah brenda would it be okay if as a muslim i used this space here in the synagogue to
30:43pray
30:43it would be wonderful oh thank you that's very sweet thank you
30:50definite parallels between myself and brenda coming from an immigrant family you really
30:55remember and treasure those acts of kindness shown to you by people that have less in common with you
31:02the reason i wanted to pray and there is the torah being recognized in islam made perfect sense to me
31:10this is a building dedicated to worship so in that sense it felt very natural to do that
31:22the pilgrims off-grid hostel is in harwood forest deep inside northumberland national park
31:30so the kettle is on ash do you want to look after the kettle well me and tash do a
31:35bit yeah no
31:36problem ashley tasha and jane arrived earlier and are settling in so i mean when this screams at
31:43me yeah pour the water in there that's it i can do that i feel i'm just in the way
31:47aren't i really no
31:48oh oh wait right on cue i've never used one of these before have you not so that's done right
31:53yeah
31:55oh my god
31:59no put it under cold water
32:03you still do it because it gets hot you didn't tell me that i had to pick up the kettle
32:07with a thing
32:07to be honest i forgot is it really sore no no it's not that bad it was just it was
32:14just hot
32:14it was like you just shock it just shocked me because i'm used to a morphe richards where you
32:19just a place of rest for the night ah i see pilgrims oh pilgrims oh hi welcome thank you oh
32:32how cozy
32:33into the warm shalom how's everyone feeling are you cold freezing yeah there's a little stove in
32:39there it's nice and warm do you want to go in there make yourself comfy i'll bring some more wood
32:42let's get this nice and warm thanks team how was it guys how was your trip yeah honestly they were
32:49very nice to us brenda and um linda very kind very generous to their time allowed me to pray
32:59really really nice what do you guys think i spent quite a bit of time with linda and
33:05this one were you being combative what happened ash it's not for me let's put it like that what the
33:13reform synagogue yeah why from so it made me feel quite uncomfortable i mean when i was more observant
33:20i wouldn't even have stepped inside there why ash because it's a totally different religion
33:25all the rabbis rule so also you can't go inside it's a kind of heretical place but i'd never
33:32actually been inside one before and it felt like it felt like being in church what's interesting ash is
33:40you um essentially you don't follow judaism anymore you don't i don't keep the rules you don't keep the
33:47rules so for someone who doesn't keep the rules and worship i feel passionate about the rules it is
33:52strange this is what blew my mind your reaction today to it you were fighting your corner yeah
33:59you always had quite a visceral and emotional response i really do it's hard to explain that
34:04very as you say visceral reaction just like red rag to a bull i just saw a really interesting other
34:12side to you and i think it's quite touching it's like you'll be at the synagogue next week genuinely i
34:19don't think i will that'll be brenda and linda right now to argue with you yeah it's getting late
34:29and the pilgrims need to figure out their sleeping arrangements it's a lot colder up here so this one's
34:35got i think this one should be the girls because it's bigger and there's four of us okay this is
34:41not
34:41bad do you know what this is this is like we're doing basic training you and i yeah yeah sas
34:45yeah
34:47it's chilly it's very cold i think i may have lucked out because this is this is by the radiator
34:53oh you
34:54have luck now
34:57where have you brought me there's no towel no mirror no light no reception
35:09i can't want a pilgrimage they said
35:17normally i'm given a script i'm told what to wear what to say where to stand what to do what
35:23the
35:24scene's about and here i'm outside my comfort zone i can tell you yeah no mask
35:37this is it do you want to watch me put my hormone replacement on
35:50so i'm gonna tuck in for the night i'm actually quite looking forward to it it's been a it's been
35:55a long
36:15world day
36:16there's nothing around for a very long way if you run out of milk i mean you'd get to a
36:23cow quicker
36:24than you would do to supermarket to find any milk
36:33look at this this is literally the life incredible view you feel so at peace even though i kept thinking
36:40all night anything wants to happen how are we going to get out of here i'll tell you how we
36:44got out of
36:44here how ashley banjo the protector of course no one's coming no one's kidnapping anyone whilst that
36:49man's around of course you'll just call yourself and just run out exactly exactly
36:56so everyone have a good night oh i slept so deep did you yeah it's really cozy i was up
37:03and down
37:03actually last night yeah right you see yeah which way pilgrims down down down down down into the depths of
37:11our
37:12soils bye bye thank you what a place yeah it was amazing wasn't it stunning isn't it yeah
37:22it's nice not to be in the pouring rain isn't it it's a new day another day another saint who's
37:29our saint today aren't we going on a bit of oswald's wear are we okay
37:34but their first stop this morning before they reach the trail will be a retreat center celebrating
37:40new monasticism really interesting actually because there's so much stuff about like the sound of
37:47celtic christianity that sounds beautiful right it's like absolutely god in nature and the landscape
37:52especially because in modern society now we've lost maybe that that simplicity that's the word isn't
37:59simplicity precisely so i wonder how how simple of a life this new monasticism is i can imagine they're
38:07happy right how much deeper of a life it must be as well yeah because of how shallow and how
38:13vain we
38:13can be on social media now if we turn up and they've got a hot tub i'm not going to
38:19be convinced
38:23so this is lovely for me coming onto this you know i easily live like a hermit i'm quite happy
38:30me and the cat so it's been great to be around people and it's quite challenging though isn't it
38:37it is it really is challenging yeah would you do it again no no no no
38:45cold shower you showered this morning i was like i had a horse bath and you know
38:53i had a look around with the you know ben brush i'm sorry if i smell you don't don't smell
39:01how are you feeling about today all right fascinating to see what this is going to be like
39:04yeah me too new monasticism are they going to have the haircut i wonder the celts had uh
39:11the celtic tons here which is basically like a mullet they might all look like me yeah
39:18and have bleach blonde hair and a mustache that'll be cool hipster monks hipster monks maybe
39:28hi hello are you paul i'm paul yes hello paul has been part of the northumbria community for 15
39:36years hello patsy some members live here at nether springs but like many paul comes to the retreat
39:43as a volunteer if i can take you to the chapel which is just down here and introduce you to
39:49sarah
39:50thank you are you gonna take your wheelbarrow paul you take it and then you can push me
39:57don't because i would quite happily
40:02you come in thank you i love it here isn't it nice welcome so this is sarah sarah's been a
40:10member of the
40:11community for 23 years whatever you're you're sort of selling here i'm i'm i'm in nether springs is the
40:22mother house of a worldwide network of about 2 000 people here at their retreat the community
40:28prays four times a day and their daily lives are inspired by the seventh century northern saints
40:35celtic christian spirituality is an indigenous spirituality and it's particularly in the
40:42northeast i know we call them saint edel and saint cuthbert and saint hilde but they were ordinary men
40:49and women and we now revere them because they are like waymarks for us in the past that help us
40:55make
40:55sense of the times that we're living within so this community northumbria community was founded in the
41:0170s and 80s when there was a lot of struggle and turmoil in the northeast of england yeah the
41:06minor strike that's right the economic turmoil that was there and the political and yes and suddenly
41:13those that you're with and have been alongside there's a struggle and aiden and cuthbert and oswald
41:23and hilde were in such a time there was political upheaval and struggle what are your practices one of
41:31the key monastic principles is taking time aside and taking time out of normal everyday life and
41:38its demands so we talk about going to your cell from what you're saying do people retreat into
41:45themselves and become sort of in isolation like a hermit yeah yeah i mean because coming on this journey for
41:52me i'm really like happy being on my own it's been wonderful but i'm really out of my comfort zone
42:01yes and i know god's in all of us i just hope that i can really reinforce that and and
42:08be more open and
42:11social because i just it's just i find it very very hard what you have got is actually really very
42:17valuable
42:18and really important i mean cuthbert particularly was somebody who did want to be a lot on his own
42:25and so it was like you patsy but he kept being called to be a bishop or to be an
42:31abbot of a monastery
42:33he embraced it and he became someone that we talk about now you know so many years later
42:42paul takes the pilgrims into the community's walled garden we have spaces where people can just sit
42:49yeah and be with themselves reflect meditate whatever people like to do so go and find out
42:55about them all and spend some time with it thank you i want to get your plum i want to
42:59say hello to
43:00this guy look at this beauty sweet i mean this life is just how wonderful yeah like a nice jumper
43:11oh
43:11a lovely jumper like a lovely alpaca jumper and this hairstyle is coming back in fashion it's a model
43:17that will sue you the garden has a labyrinth used for contemplation and reflection it's sort of like
43:27a mini version of a journey perhaps a life journey it helps you to think about the turns and the
43:33things
43:33that change in your life so do people walk around it then yeah so you enter well there we go
43:38and the
43:39idea is as you face out of the circle you're thinking about your outer life how you engage with
43:45the world and when you're facing more in you can reflect on okay what who am i really who is
43:51whom
43:51i inside it's a it's a very reflective little walk amana is it it is a great walk
44:00i think it's very beautiful i really like the purity of that celtic religion and also what
44:07she mentioned about the struggle that it rose up around struggle because i always think faith is born
44:14out of adversity really that's the time i've drawn close and also the one with nature and the
44:21seasons and the simplicity lack of pomp and ceremony and all that but ashley's finding it hard to connect
44:31i'm struggling a bit with the other pilgrims to be honest it's really strange trying to fit in in a
44:38group it's not something i'm used to but i find when we're walking it's a very solo experience and
44:43everyone else is deep in conversation i don't know why it's interesting most of my friends are neurodiverse
44:52um weirdos reclaim the word we're a bunch of neurodiverse weirdos and for us it's quite difficult
44:59difficult to enter a typical normal world
45:06i am in what i believe is called a pustinia a pustinia is just is the russian word for desert
45:15and it's a place of silence solitude and prayer really it's a it's a it's a small silent place to
45:25connect with god and what i love is that it feels closer to what i believe and what i practice
45:36weirdly
45:38there's something about it being simple and real and pure that connects to me in a deep deep way
45:48the cuthbertness of this shed is speaking to me genuinely it is thank you so much thank you guys
45:56enjoy lindis farm when you get there it's time for the pilgrims to head off a wonderful experience
46:02great experience east towards the northumberland coast and join st oswald's way they were lovely
46:09really nice they were lovely people wonderful people just people filled with light bro coming
46:14out of them exactly good energy just great energy great energy st oswald's way starts at heaven
46:19field and goes east crossing northumberland national park the pilgrims are joining it near
46:26walkworth before following it up the coast to dunstanborough castle
46:32quite slippery guys hermione says it's slippery be careful the generally bad weather has been
46:39causing problems for tasha who has a cochlear implant because of the wind like i'm struggling
46:45to hear people's conversations the wind that muffles my microphone and if i got my hood up because it's
46:51raining i hear the rain but it's hitting my hood by the microphone and it really overpowers everybody's
46:56voices especially when the walking group conversations it's it's been tough for sure and a lot of time not
47:04all the time but a lot of the time we're talking about deep stuff that i'm sure you would want
47:10to
47:10hear yeah not once i've felt like excluded but i feel like being on this journey i think i'm struggling
47:17to connect with god because there's a borderline that i'm struggling to get over which is i think if
47:24god was all loving why would he give people disabilities i guess it kind of boils down to
47:31if god is all loving why is there suffering in the world why does anyone have to suffer so i
47:37guess
47:38with so many of these questions it like it comes back to having faith faith in allah that or faith
47:44in god that um that you can handle whatever hardship is coming your way that's got me a bit emotional
47:53right it's yeah i think it's lovely to hear you say that because i always struggle with like
48:00like sometimes like why why me it's questionable but then it's also i know it's my purpose i know
48:07to be doing what i'm doing to help people um but sometimes i struggle to like just have that question
48:15no no no i can't let's hug it out are you all right like but it's true should we join
48:25up with
48:26the rest of the crew yes they're going to miss us after a while you see because i feel like
48:29we're
48:29the most popular people on the journey we are a lot of them lack social skills and it's up to
48:33us
48:34really to carry that load the pilgrims are heading for a hermitage belonging to walkworth castle
48:40owned from the late 14th century by the powerful earls of northumberland i'm looking forward to seeing
48:47a hermitage how hermity is it is it like really alone i don't know the hermitage sits alongside
48:55the river coquette carved out of a rocky outcrop it's thought to have been there since the early 1400s
49:02are we there yet must be nearly there must be nearly there now
49:08what what yeah that's the one to reach the hermitage the group will need to cross the river
49:15this is our guy steve steve is their boatman and guide great just step down gently i'm in
49:24have you ever had anyone fall in i haven't had any fatalities this week not this week
49:31if you spread the ballast that's it time
49:38normally the only time you see an arab on a small boat
49:43is the 10 o'clock news
49:46i'll say to steve as i come on the boat i'll say to him listen i want you to know
49:49i've got a passport
49:51don't there's nothing funny going on here my family came here on a big boat
49:58just step down gently
50:02especially you yeah especially me
50:05i feel like i'm making the boat veered you are a little bit i'm making the boat
50:08back that's that oops sorry just grab that handrail on your right
50:13take your time thank you steve thanks steve
50:22wow look at this wow it's pretty you can see it's a lot more than a hole in the cliff
50:29and that's
50:29because the occupant was a person's personal hermit priest and this was his place of worship where he
50:36held mass in england the tradition of hermitage which st cuthbert was part of started in the
50:43seventh century i really thought it was going to be like a hole in the wall did it i thought
50:46it was
50:46going to be more like a cave by the middle ages when christianity was firmly established priest
50:52hermits were popular with the aristocracy it's thought their role was to say masses and prayers for
50:59the souls of the earl and his family
51:04this is so amazing oh my god that's quite because that's really substantially sort of
51:11made it was proper down the roof nice yeah i know it's a lot more than a cave it's got
51:16vaulted ceilings it's got these central carved bosses it's got pillars did he used to live in here
51:22originally he did live in here right so this here is the altar
51:30and behind the altar in that recess there would have been some sort of religious icon or a crucifix
51:36and in the window here is a nativity scene where this is the virgin mary can you see her head
51:42lying down that's her lying flat that's a baby jesus on her chest where my hand is so that's the
51:49chapel
51:49late 14th century and this through here is the new extension this is early 15th century but just
51:56watch your head it's a little bit very low going through here okay i'm getting a bit claustrophobic
52:06in here so i'm gonna i'm coming with you you okay yeah it's just a bit too claustrophobic for me
52:17i know
52:18i don't understand why somebody who has all the money in the world to live here owns half
52:24of northumberland yeah and then comes here would you live here as a hermit not in that cave would
52:30you no would you live as a hermit depends on the location if you're somewhere abroad nice weather
52:38absolutely so this room here you can see through those fenestrations into the main chapel
52:43but you're separated from the main congregation and it's been suggested that this room was so that
52:48lepers could worship oh do they have lepers in northumberland apparently didn't know that
52:57the hermitage fell into disuse in the late 1500s after the reformation when henry viii closed the
53:03monasteries and banned this way of life this is not how i imagined hermitage this had like
53:10multiple rooms beautiful carvings so yeah it's essentially a spiritual man cave i mean come
53:17on it's pretty cool right leaving the hermitage behind the pilgrims continue on saint oswald's way
53:29as it turns onto the coastal path and heads north i like walking do you yeah i do bloody love
53:35it
53:36there's a castle so many castles oh look at that it's dunston breath you can't swing a cat without
53:42hitting a castle or india there's so much poop sorry i'm trying to avoid it all but it's just lots
53:50of it do you know what is just being in this landscape yeah yeah this outlives all of it yeah
53:58yeah this is and it will outlive every single religion in the world because you think about you
54:03know these religions they're not that awalled no jesus was only you know 2025 years ago yeah they
54:10were pagans before that yeah you're right back there blaker that castle won't be here anymore
54:14but this will be the dolphins and the land the sky will be beyond all of it
54:23do you think ultimately that is it yes an eternity an eternal life force yeah look at
54:32what am i living in that wow
54:36it's pretty special work this is special yeah team selfie okay okay team three two one
54:46oh it's a really really nice one guys cute cute i can't believe you've not been here before i know
54:51i can't believe it but it's like christianity isn't it you grow up with it you're instilled with it
54:56within your culture really aren't you you very rarely get a chance to question it or actually even
55:01read the bible have you read the bible for example years ago have you yeah i haven't yeah i had
55:07a
55:08children's bible but the good news bible the good news yeah going straight down there the beach looks lovely
55:21it's nice to be on a beach this is just peaceful peaceful white sand i keep seeing things kind of
55:30pop
55:30up in the sea and thinking it's a dolphin wishful thinking i think never know oh yeah wow that's
55:38close i thought i saw a dolphin i was right there that is one of the biggest dolphins i've ever
55:45seen
55:45this is craziness it's so exciting three
55:55one more there i've never seen dolphins in my mind in all sea ever because we're human we forget
56:01that you know that we're part of that we just like work and we get so caught up in that
56:08and then
56:08you see that and you're just like all of that is rubbish
56:16pretty special that is isn't it twice we've seen dolphins that's magic i want to get in i want
56:24to go and swim with them come on pats coming let's get in
56:35it's been a real blessed day i think it really has we are of differing faiths
56:41but yeah we can respect and love one another as human beings right we're in a country that is
56:46predominantly christian faith right so did you always feel included marginalized you know for
56:54your faith or even your heritage where i was in school i was the only arab i was only muslim
56:59i was about
57:00seven when 9 11 happened and i remember really distinctly the day after 9 11 a kid in my class
57:07saying to the teacher oh miss what why did they hit the planes and cured those people
57:14and the teacher went i don't know ask hassan and as a seven-year-old as a seven-year-old
57:21yeah so
57:22you really feel a sense of otherness absolutely and being british is just who i am
57:27that really confusing go back to where you came from it's like well what do you mean yeah i i'm
57:35i'm from here i remember once at school someone said to me uh so where where are you from then
57:41and i was like oh my family are iraqi and she went mate no offense
57:46do you ever just think like maybe you should just go back to pakistan
57:53what am i going to do in pakistan sister something cricket
57:59well what can you do apart from make a joke about that honestly i've got no idea bro
58:04anyway next pilgrimage in lahore brother let's go next time next time god i hope it's not too uphill
58:19the group faced their biggest challenge yet jesus still growing up hermione has a revelation when
58:26spirituality became organized religion with that came sort of the patriarchy it's so good to talk
58:34like this isn't it it's great i am freezing and the pilgrims channel cuthbert brother it's horrendous
58:48step into the story of pilgrimage from ancient paths to virtual experiences with the open university's
58:54interactive journey through time scan the qr code or visit connect.open.ac.uk slash pilgrimage
59:25so
59:29you
59:30you
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