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Pilgrimage Season 8 Episode 3
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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 person
00:54and the self-proclaimed a la carte Catholic I take the best bits of Catholicism I love this service
01:02and the pump and the circumstance of it all I believe the power of prayer they'll trace the
01:08footprint of legendary Celtic Christian Saints from the seventh century that's the most beautiful view
01:14I'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 challenges
01:29oh it's really slippery you're like my carer realizations we have very different views don't
01:45but where will this journey of self-discovery take them today the pilgrims are heading to the
02:00cheviots a range of rolling hills that straddle the anglo-scottish border get ready for the walk
02:08you ready yes they're about to start the hardest challenge of their pilgrimage it's gonna be long
02:14I'm looking forward to it yesterday my feet were hurting yesterday yes me too my hips for Ashley banjo
02:22leader of dance troupe diversity saw feet have been a first I still wouldn't have gone for the foot
02:28wash though you wouldn't know you don't like people touching your feet no yeah he gets a lot of fan
02:34requests has anybody ever been to the cheviots before fill up the cheviots the hills that's where
02:42we're going I know no no never the pilgrims are beginning their walk at the bottom of wide open
02:51hill heading for the highest point on St Cuthbert's Way beautiful Scotland this is it isn't it good
03:03God I hope it's not too uphill we're going to the light the right yeah the signs there right oh
03:10yeah
03:10look the cross to guide us St Cuthbert's Way just as soon as you see that cross you know you're
03:15in good
03:15hands the group started their 390 kilometer pilgrimage near Whitby nine days ago on the way
03:24of St Hilde and have traveled on foot and by bus until they reached Durham before following St Oswald's
03:31Way east from Heavenfield to explore the glorious coastline from there they've traversed Northwest
03:38into the Scottish borders to St Cuthbert's Way in the cheviots with 53 kilometers still to go they'll
03:45make their way to the legendary Cuthbert's Cave before heading to Holy Island also known as Lindisfarne their
03:52final destination for more than a thousand years the faithful have trekked across the changing tidal
03:58sands to reach this historic place of pilgrimage St Cuthbert's Way takes the scenic route as it heads
04:09up wide open hill to spectacular 360-degree views at the top but first the pilgrims have a tough climb
04:20steep in it yeah it's gotta be a burner in it I prefer downhill do you hike no I walk
04:31yeah what's the
04:33difference between a hike and a walk this I'm guessing it's that way Tash from the cross come on
04:39then let's follow cut you got this Patsy yeah let's go team running all the way enjoy bro
04:48oh look at that that is steep oh my god come on Tash
04:57Jesus it's hard actor Patsy Kensett is already feeling the burn I'm struggling I'm not gonna lie I'm
05:07struggling with the uphill stuff okay Patsy yeah go ahead guys I guess we're going right to the top
05:12of this aren't we I believe so yeah you can go in front you sure yeah positive thank you no
05:17problem
05:19you got this girl thank you
05:24this is tough you can do this yeah you can do this I'm not a quitter my fitness is just
05:30shot to shit
05:33these border hills would have been familiar to Cuthbert the North's most beloved seventh century
05:38saint it's thought he came from this area and as a monk wandered out to isolated pagan communities and
05:46preached we've done 1.5 kilometers already all up here all up here as well TV personality Tasha
05:53Guri is keeping the pilgrims on track all right team ready ready let's do it let's do it push on
06:00through you've got this yes you've got this got this thank you have fun straight up straight to the
06:09top I see yeah we're never gonna complain about the tube after this never ever just more time we
06:18reckon that's the peak but we've been saying that for the last 20 minutes it's not just Patsy who's
06:24finding the climb relentless Jesus it's still going up and there's still another hour before they reach
06:31the summit it literally is one step at a time it really is I can't look up yeah if I'd
06:38done this
06:38by myself I would have just quit by now but spectacular views are opening up look how high we are
06:46look at
06:49this yes the gradient of st. Cuthbert's way starts to level off hopefully it'll calm down a bit now
06:59would be nice but this is this is bearable it's nice to give our legs a bit of rest but
07:05it soon
07:06starts climbing steeply again oh no I thought that was the end this is such a mental thing yeah to
07:15get
07:16over your mind yeah you have to not let your mind take over no that's exactly right oh my god
07:23this is a steep
07:25viet man the path plateaus one more time Hassan what do you think about cut but um it's racial I
07:36guess
07:36it's cool that they he has that local connection that people here still remember him yeah so when
07:42you have a legacy like that but you must have achieved a lot in your life and you must have
07:45like been very very good person he was supposed to have quite healing powers yeah shim shim shiministic
07:53he had a big affinity with the earth and with animals and the elements quite um celtic very
08:00celtic christianity yeah the last push and finally the summit is within sight and first to reach the top is
08:10radio presenter jane middlemiss we are at the highest point of the journey of the way yes
08:18wow get on that please i'm coming i'm coming it's the highest point yes wide open hill wide open
08:26hill 1207 feet of 368 meters yes we did it girl you did it you did it thank you i
08:36couldn't have done it
08:37without you guys you see everything 360. i think we need a picture guys come on yeah gather in yes
08:50oh
08:52well hey with the summit behind them the pilgrims follow sent cuthbert's way on an undulating path
08:59down the hill i just love this yeah this is my favorite day yeah i really feel like i'm on
09:06the
09:07road now to lindisfond yes like i'm on a pilgrimage so so beautiful actor hermione norris can feel the
09:20change as the hill shields them from the wind the stillness you can really hear stillness yes
09:28it's quite warm now i'm just gonna put my back it seems like a cute little spot isn't it oh
09:36i'm very grateful to you all you really helped me get up the um up that climb because it was
09:42hard
09:43you should be so proud of yourself the way you pushed yourself you did that today survival instinct
09:49you just got to keep going this morning because i'm not the social butterfly i was really excited to
09:55see you all oh what was it that happened that made you feel like that this morning particularly do you
10:02think stockholm syndrome
10:11the stop has given stand-up comedian hassan al-habib the chance to pray this is real
10:18bilal grills praying in the elements
10:24you're surrounded by such beautiful landscapes it definitely helps feel that connection to allah
10:30the symbolism isn't lost on you i think when you're doing so
10:42there's no point right where have you been just been praying oh god oh nice how do you feel
10:49it's really nice to pray outdoors um feels like you're strengthening that connection when you pray
10:55so it's really nice really nice yeah it's a vulnerable thing to agree to do i think this you know
11:00yeah i agree
11:00talk about your faith your religion and who you are and where you are and i'm really grateful that
11:05i've been here with all of you and you that you've all been so generous with yourselves yeah we're talking
11:11like it's the end i know i know like we haven't got another 25 kilometers to go oh shut up
11:16should we
11:17get on with it yeah okay
11:25we're not going up hill that was crazy i can't believe like you just did that i know how are
11:33you
11:34finding it ashley hard work yeah yeah very steep that bit it was very steep
11:45the pilgrims are spending the night in college valley a remote 12 000 acre estate in the cheviot
11:51hills within northumberland national park they're staying at mount hoolie bunkhouse we're gonna sleep
12:00tonight careful with your poles oh god look yeah this is it guys home for the night it looks great
12:09if the roof is new then it's probably dry yeah you have quite low expectations exactly all i want is
12:17warm warm warm and dry dry the toilet's external external toilet no external toilet just right up your
12:26street oh stop it the old 3am outside as well as this student accommodation it is very student
12:34accommodation if i'd actually go to college i hope there's a loo upstairs oh my god there's only one
12:42bedroom oh this is this is not a bit of me banjo you've had a nightmare here banjo oh no
12:50i'm not
12:51gonna fit am i oh that's all right just no no i can't walk right here we go
13:00i was just shaking it like when you get through
13:05comedian ashley blaker isn't keen on sharing a crowded bunk room i there's a sofa downstairs
13:12i'm going to have it just like we can't all be in the same room can we no i think
13:21that would be a little bit much okay okay so this is this is lovely ashley should be in here
13:28ashley you should be in this one this is better because then you can stand that makes sense yeah
13:34right let's go outside i think there's something else i'm going to put the kettle on there's another
13:39one outside if we want to have a look at it before we settle here i'm going to just go
13:43back upstairs
13:44are you yeah are you going to be or you're going to go up there yeah are you not and
13:49apparently the
13:49other one yeah because i was looking online there's ones that's got on sweet really yeah don't tease us
13:57i just want to see the one outside quite fancy doing the outside one so we need to go out
14:02and have a
14:02look let's have a look come on yeah oh here now we have to find it i think that's the
14:09owner's house
14:09listen it said how many was in the top floor nine nine and then the other one was three and
14:15this
14:15was not that's nine that's 18. yeah have i just got it next to the loop is this is it
14:22yeah no no that's three more than 18 yeah no no nine and nine 18. yeah plus there was a
14:28room that
14:28said three 21. oh this is quite cute this is cute and i think there's another
14:39room for three because this this place can take 24. oh yeah there's one more room there's one more
14:45room i reckon so it's got an ensuite
14:50this is a loo right there it's a loo and a shower should we do this yeah yes yes i'm
14:55gonna go there
14:56is that okay
15:00you guys don't want this one do you no nice one i mean this is the one with the ensuite
15:04isn't it
15:04yeah yeah you'd rather have this one yeah go on you take this then go for it yeah all right
15:14you have this okay all right yeah this is my bed
15:20too slow too slow defeat yeah i just want a copper
15:30oh my gosh i'm gonna get into bed look at that nice sit down and have a nice chat patsy
15:38oh come on you know snug
15:46okay so the pasta's nearly ready
15:54after their strenuous walk on the hills the pilgrims are ready for dinner
15:58okay so all nearly done
16:04thank you jane come and sit down with two days to go thoughts are turning to the process of
16:10pilgrimage and changes to their own faiths and beliefs does anyone feel like they're in a different
16:15place i think for me like it's a sense of feeling inspired more to take more of an active approach
16:24to faith whether it's cuthbert and what brought him peace in order to kind of help other people
16:31and finding god in that way or connecting with nature thinking oh i need to reevaluate actually how
16:36i approach my faith yeah for me i think it's highlighted again the difference between
16:42religion and spirituality i was thinking last night about you know us following this path of cuthbert
16:49oswald aiden this very masculine path and it seems to me that when spirituality moved away
17:00and became organized religion with that came sort of the patriarchy really women were
17:10marginalized and silenced and as a woman now i sort of feel really uncomfortable with that
17:17um because i don't feel that i have a place in that i'm with hermione i think certain religions i
17:25think have been taken over and really had the divine feminine stripped out so there is no place for
17:35female power and aware so ashley as the sort of only really practicing christian on this pilgrimage how
17:44do you feel thus far it's been um a very interesting journey actually when i hear like you say the
17:52the
17:52patriarchy or the way sometimes the kings and and and even churches have used it for power maybe or control
18:02it feels corrupted to me and it's a shame that
18:08the ideas introduced by a what i would consider to be a corrupt system have taken you further
18:17from my idea of god yes it's so good to talk like this isn't it it's great yeah i don't
18:21realize i
18:22would never have thought you were having this you were thinking these things without you saying
18:27come on but you know what it was only last night i suddenly thought what am i doing sort of
18:32um on the path of because my spirituality is my my faith is really important to me
18:38does anybody want dessert i'd love dessert yeah yes please
18:43with another long day tomorrow patsy's retired early to the ensuite
18:52charming right
18:56after the big walk today i feel like i've been run over by a car
19:06oh there's my little brown trees fruit pastel treat for myself
19:13i need the chair
19:25nicey-nicey
19:26see i just go for straight sleeping bag
19:29in the boys dorm hassan is struggling
19:32i want a hand bro you all right um give me a second wait hold a second i've got a
19:39phd
19:40don't don't forget i'm a phd
19:46okay how have you made this so difficult where's the end of it gone
19:54we're on training here we'll go back to sleeping bag yeah let's then watch what's the roll
20:02oh no you can't laugh you can't laugh at that
20:11how are your bed making skills ash all right let me show you how it's done oh right okay fine
20:16that is a better way to do i oh wow yeah there you go yeah done cheers he's got some
20:23sort of finesse
20:23when he does his right but look the way that he places it he's seasoned
20:29done that's good stuff that's good stuff the victory dance that was spectacular
20:46a new day and a new sound echoes around the valley look it's my shoe listen
20:56i dread to think what that is don't you is that your knee no it's my shoe it's getting stuck
21:02to
21:02the floor listen i was wondering what it was i thought it was a fireplace that's so funny
21:08oh do you know what it is it's one of patsy's bloody fruit pastures on the bottom of my shoe
21:16i don't know about it's so funny life with patsy ken's it
21:22yes oh my god oh that's rank
21:28tash is going to make eggs do you want some eggs yeah scrambled eggs
21:32morning guys tired today how are you good morning team morning
21:41it's the penultimate day of their pilgrimage and the group are making their way to the final leg of
21:47saint cuthbert's way drizzly it's not cold it's not bad bye bunkhouse bye bunkhouse my legs
21:57have no energy left really did you not get the in-house masseuse
22:03you all right jane yeah i'm just tired yeah i feel like we've become a coven
22:08i thought that last night you know the coven of
22:12witches i mean like witches as in powerful spiritual women yeah oh we would have been burned
22:18baby oh we would have well been burned the pilgrims are following the way to the kelso hills
22:26and cuthbert's cave a place long associated with a spiritual past this is one of the places i've
22:33wanted to visit for such a long time because in these places are the points where you can quite
22:40often feel the energy is still there because energy never dies it might not it might just be a cave
22:53but in the late 9th century the monks fled in the wake of viking raids and went to the mainland
23:05they took cuthbert's precious body as well as the head of oswald the celtic christian king
23:11who established the 7th century monastery on lindisfarne was he in a coffin he might have been
23:18it would have been in the coffin wouldn't he they wouldn't have carried him in cloth all of that weight
23:24and everything cuthbert's cave is said to be one of the places where the escaping monks rested
23:29and hid with cuthbert's body kind of crazy to imagine yeah the monks cuthbert oswald's head walking this
23:38path cuthbert's growing reputation in death as a miracle working saint was partly due to the belief
23:44that god hadn't let his body decompose hassan yeah as a as a scientist a hundred years to delay
23:52decomposition what are your thoughts i'm chalking that one to the big man bro yeah that's a miracle
23:58right there bro you're all right there pilgrim yeah yeah are you looking forward to seeing
24:06cuthbert i'm very excited well we're not in cuthbert we're in his cave his cave his little
24:11cave we've already seen we've seen where we now in durham so we're now just uh yeah we're going
24:18backwards in time thank you thank you are you the gate man do we need to do we need to
24:23pay to come in
24:24no no no no no i give you a very good price very good price has anything ever happened to
24:30you
24:30and you've thought well that's a miracle no but i do feel like i have experienced the grace of god
24:38yeah oh no for sure and i know so many times but that's quite different to a miracle
24:46as the pilgrims turn a corner they catch their first sight of the cave further up the hill
24:52that doesn't look like something from another world it's huge sort of exactly what i expected
24:59yeah wider yeah and also lower i think it's extraordinary isn't it i mean immediately you
25:05sort of think this is just a a harbor and a sanctuary away from the the wind and the elements
25:11and the
25:12because it must have been pretty intense out here it isn't what i was expecting it's much bigger
25:18yeah you could imagine a sort of a community of people in there couldn't you yeah the graffiti on
25:24the walls all the uh all the names that's a shame for how do they do this yeah i don't
25:32know
25:33i think it's a shame no i i kind of agree with you to be honest people just writing sort
25:38of like
25:38hassan wazir yeah it's like to me it symbolizes making something about myself as opposed to
25:45as opposed to like cuthbert yeah yeah eric it's 1861 that one oh yeah i actually don't mind that it
25:53just shows you like all the people who've come all the people yeah it doesn't doesn't upset you no
25:58not at all this is something that's been important to people and they've come here yeah they've wanted to
26:03leave a mark in some way i think you're adding something to it you think well that's how i feel
26:08yeah legend says cuthbert slept here as a young shepherd and took shelter here later in life when
26:17he traveled the hills preaching as a monk it's quite open to the elements no yeah this is not an
26:24easy
26:24existence i imagine the courage you must have had to come to this spot before you head out to some
26:29of the
26:31more well perceived as savage pagans bro and thinking no that's exactly where i'm going to go
26:38how do you live in here i'm just trying to work out like it because it feels so much more
26:43open
26:43than i thought it might i'm so i'm so grateful for those bunk beds right now bro exactly imagine
26:48imagine coming here you'd give anything for a bunk bed wouldn't you yeah
26:56i felt a need to just separate and be very quiet and just
27:07it felt really really really peaceful
27:13this pilgrimage for me was always about coming home and always about my ancestors
27:21i suppose and meeting them through this process rather than sort of trying to take on anyone
27:30else's religion or you know beliefs it was the cuthbert stuff that really moved me and that was
27:37very surprising for me it's always about visiting the hot spots and feeling not thinking feeling
27:46and asking who am i
27:50it's amazing to be in his footsteps and see
27:55where you came to walk this path i've learned so much on this journey
28:04the sun is coming through it's lovely isn't it
28:10do you know i really wish i would get some spiritual vibes from here but i don't actually
28:16i really would love to i do believe that he obviously had immense charisma and that maybe he had
28:26the gift of healing yeah really in the gift of healing yeah he did apparently he was a healer
28:31but do you believe that yeah i kind of that would be miraculous obviously he was an extraordinary
28:35individual because nothing comes from nothing no absolutely you know no question obviously that he
28:42existed and was a a big important figure in early christianity in what is now england
28:56is ready yeah we're all ready the path from the cave leads to the top of green sheen hill
29:03a sandstone crag apparently you can see linden sparring from the top yeah and the scene my god my quads
29:12okay yeah surprise extra surprise hike i wasn't expecting oh this is really steep man yeah
29:22faster's better
29:28very pretty isn't it northumberland stuff yes i can't wait for this view
29:34the pilgrims are heading for the cairn which marks the top of the hill
29:39that's lindisfarne so we they call it holy island if you live around here it's called holy island
29:46holy island is steeped in history with evidence of human habitation going back 7 000 years
29:54it was known as lindisfarne when aden a celtic christian monk from iona set up a 7th century
30:01monastery for the newly crowned king oswald
30:04and it's where cuthbert was later based as prior bishop and hermit
30:10today there's nothing left to see of their monastery
30:14but this holiest of islands where some still celebrate celtic spirituality is a beacon for pilgrims
30:25oh that's the destination quite extraordinary hmm it is it's like weather
30:33the earth meets this no end is there between earth and sky
30:41it's going to get a better view of it yeah it looks so close but it's going to be so
30:47far so far
30:48exactly well that's where we're crossing tomorrow guys yes at the moment the tide is in between the
30:55mainland and the island covering the causeway as well as the ancient pilgrims way which stretches across
31:02the suns that's going to be our final destination of where we're going to our final day that is
31:09where we're finishing our journey exactly the end is in sight guys and can i just say
31:14it's a beautiful end isn't it it is look at that holy island here we come let's do it holy
31:20island
31:22it's nice to see the end isn't it yeah do you know what they should do on holy island open
31:29a golf course
31:32that is so sacrilegious that is so sacrilegious
31:37i wonder if i want to get a holy one
31:40hey come on man that's very good i know right actually it's a long day that's a good one
31:46i think that's good thanks i didn't get the laughing dessert thank you thank you thank you
31:49do you know what blake thank you very much it's this way guys i think
31:56that was a long day tonight the pilgrims are staying on the mainland
32:03tomorrow an early start and a five kilometer walk across the sands in the footsteps of saints and
32:08thousands of pilgrims will bring them to their final destination
32:206am the tides out and the sands of the ancient pilgrims way leading to holy island are exposed
32:28i really really don't want to go in cold water i'm not built for it i'm half african man i'm
32:35i'm not
32:36built for this stuff 6am i'm looking forward to seeing patsy that's going to go down well
32:47i'm not looking forward to fishing on the sand please st cuthbert if the uh the sun's out that
32:56would be just a blessing to reach the start of pilgrims way the group walk along the causeway
33:03the road to the island which is submerged by the north sea twice a day for five to six hours
33:09each
33:09tide absolutely stunning that is deceptively near it looks holy with the sunshine it does it does look
33:18holy with the sun shining through it looks heavenly doesn't it right it's the final leg right so i don't
33:24want to complain yeah but this is without a doubt the coldest challenge yeah it's gonna be it's actually
33:32i think it's gonna be much tougher than i thought yeah i'm wearing socks with hand warmers socks
33:38yeah shall i book an uber it's not too late oh my god my ass is freezing
33:46i love the fact that it gets completely cut off yeah they call it on the island apparently they call
33:53it the tide is shut the tide is shut the pilgrim tradition is to walk the five kilometers across the
34:00sun's with bare feet all right ashley you're not taking your shoes shut up are you doing it shut up
34:09pardon then are you really doing that well because otherwise we're gonna have wet socks
34:14you know oh my god he's doing it ashley i have got so much respect for that all right okay
34:20i'm down i'm
34:22in thanks hermione thank you all right oh my god it's not as bad as i thought it'd be
34:33pilgrims can find themselves in deep mud and quicksand if they don't follow the poles marking
34:38the path to the island and that's the pilgrim's way yeah that is the pilgrim's way it is actually
34:43quite it is quite deep yeah hermione have you got cold feet
34:53the entire island and its natural surroundings is a bird sanctuary and we have to walk in a straight
34:59line so that we keep out of the way of any bird life i don't see why this is going
35:05to be hard it's
35:06just walking across some sand how are your feet blaker cold cold yeah i'm not surprised my friend
35:13do it don't bother doing it yeah it's true that's my attitude you know all or nothing
35:18all i said all or nothing well i'm very happy with nothing right now
35:28i would like to see more birds oh look that's a bird hide no that is where they get that's
35:34where
35:35it gets gets dark and they have to climb up and wait can you imagine think that would be terrifying
35:42nothing's more powerful than the sea are you still cold tash yeah it's my face yeah cold hands cold
35:50feet so i'm just trying to trying to keep the pace up trying to keep moving feet are cold they
35:56are
35:56cold i'm not gonna lie i'm not hating it it's very slippery oh you all right yeah yeah it's really
36:03slippery yeah yeah are you finding it slippery or do the boots give you a bit more you get a
36:09bit more
36:09purchase this is nice isn't it when the sun breaks through on there yeah and it sort of reflects off
36:20everything whether it is holy or not yeah you know you really you really get a sense of why
36:25people thought it was yeah see this is heaven stunning isn't it magic yeah i know i keep saying
36:34it and it's probably getting boring but look at that i know it's insane that is that is genuinely
36:39blowing my mind yeah yeah it's very beautiful it's like the pathway to heaven isn't it
36:48i think here i've been much more open with my faith it's given me the ability to really look inwards
36:59there's something about returning back to the simplicity of nature walking that has really connected me
37:08to my faith i feel i feel more at home internally and i'm and i'm really looking forward to being
37:18able
37:19to take that back and if that's not what a pilgrimage is for then i don't know what it is
37:28but look at these grasses they're completely because that is completely covered by the tarot yes that must be
37:34their birds feeding ground salt-loving marsh-like grasses can grow through the sticky tidal mud
37:42and avoiding them can be an extra hazard for pilgrims
37:47careful guys really careful everyone it's slippery what let's take a moment
37:52you'll see keep your balance all by yourself just kind of lower your gravity down a bit this is hard
38:00it's blaker he's like he's got no grip i'm gonna fall i don't want to walk across here i don't
38:08know what
38:09right get ash ash ash is struggling you cool blaker yeah need a hand are you all right got your
38:24you all right guys be careful there here it sinks okay yeah tash i prefer if you go first thanks
38:33oh it's right now the pilgrims have been walking for an hour
38:41is it just me like i've never seen anything that beautiful no it's stunning i'm not even being
38:47dramatic that's like the most beautiful view i've ever seen in my life
38:52so i'm like anywhere else isn't it
38:56it's blinding light i know i cannot lock up i think i've learned on this trip that
39:03maybe my connection with faith has kind of taken a slightly a back seat maybe my career has taken up
39:11some of the time where i'd normally be a bit more connected with my god so yeah i definitely think
39:16pilgrimage has strengthened my faith you're just surrounded by beauty natural beauty that
39:22it's whatever you believe it's not been created by man seeing hills that have existed for centuries
39:28and centuries and will do for long after i'm gone and i think it's really um humbling
39:35but walking for walking's sake no i'll cycle
39:43another hour and the shores of holy island are in sight oh it looks really close now it does doesn't
39:49it i can't believe it i know right it's cold it's quite bracing i loved that i absolutely loved that
39:58it's when you approach it and you can literally have life coming out of the ground if it's just an
40:04incredibly alive place victory blaker did such a good job i think he he most embodied the spirit
40:13and the legend of custer i can just about wiggle my toes a little bit a bit sandy a bit
40:20dirty but i did it
40:24good morning welcome welcome
40:27sarah hills is the vicar of saint mary's the island's parish church and she often greets weary
40:33groups of pilgrims as they arrive bring it in welcome it's great to have you here on holy island
40:40you walked all that way in the footsteps of the ancient saints aiden and casper and all the thousands
40:47of pilgrims who've walked these poles so can i just give you a quick blessing yeah yes please
40:55life is short and we do not have much time to gladden the hearts of those who journey with us
41:02and so make haste to love and be swift to be kind and may the god who travels with us
41:09the god of
41:10pilgrimage the god of hope keep you safe this day and forever more amen thank you thank you it's
41:20pretty cold isn't it yes it is yeah let's go
41:26finally the pilgrims are on lindisfarne
41:29wow an island that attracts about 800 000 visitors and pilgrims every year tell you what
41:36banj lindisfarne is lindisfarne beautiful place they come to visit a former fortress as well as
41:45historic churches and the ruins of the 12th century priory the priory is said to have been built on top
41:53of
41:53the foundations of aidan's seventh century monastery that became a powerhouse for the spread of
41:58christianity in england it was at the monastery in around 700 a.d that the lindisfarne gospels were
42:07created said to be made in honor of saint cuthbert they're the most elaborate books made anywhere in
42:14the world in that era i don't know why i just imagined it as an island i've forgotten that there's
42:20going to
42:20be a beautiful village here but in a field next to the priory part of the island's history is about
42:26to be rewritten a 10-year archaeological dig has been taking place every summer the pilgrims have
42:35a unique opportunity to sit down with the digs directors david petz hello and maya pina dacia to
42:42hear what their discoveries may mean for the history of lindisfarne in the times of early christianity
42:48this literally came out of the ground a day or two ago wow top of the list is the 7th
42:54century
42:55monastery cuthbert and aidan may have known and have you found it yes i think we're quite happy that
43:02we've got the monastery it's very very big it underlies the whole village so beneath us is where
43:08the monastery was yeah under here and all this has been built on top of it yeah yeah yeah and
43:14not just
43:14the monastery itself but a large part of the cemetery that was associated with it so the people
43:21who were living around the monastery at the time before during and after the viking raids wow that's
43:26incredible so could this dig sort of rewrite the history books of what we know the traditional idea
43:32is that the monks all leave because of the vikings and what we're actually showing is that a lot of
43:37people stay yeah changing it from a story of destruction and abandonment to one of
43:41survival and continuity but one of the really amazing things about this dig is that we have
43:47found some people's names okay these are these are small grave markers we've found 13 of these in
43:54the cemetery behind us we're finding new names we've got a thrift which has never been recorded ever
44:00there's not just men there's also women and children it's quite a special feeling to be the first
44:06person that reads that name out in you know one and a half thousand years wow when we find people
44:12and we find these stories and we uncover them it's extremely moving it's extremely humbling there are
44:17the standard narratives that we hear over and over again about the vikings and so on and these are
44:22bits of the story that weren't written down and i think that's one of the things that has brought us
44:26back again and again isn't it yeah absolutely yes how many more anticipated seasons this is the last
44:33one is it your last one why is it your last one because we have to write it all up
44:39we can't just carry
44:40have to write those you have to write those history books basically yeah true while the tides still
44:45out hermione tash and ashley head straight for a small island a stone's throwaway where it said
44:53cuthbert would often seek solitude should we do it should we try and get over yes definitely
44:59the other pilgrims decide to explore the 12th century priory
45:02oh finally finally here at the priory some people think this is the holiest place in england
45:12because really yes why am i amazing to be here isn't it yeah blake let me ask you something
45:19the two of us neither of us are christian and yet we're here on this christian pilgrimage
45:25how do you feel about that i've enjoyed it but you know for me i wouldn't say this to the
45:29others
45:29um but i'm hanging my bets yeah i've done a christian pilgrimage and and if the jews are
45:37wrong they'll stand me in good stead that's an interesting strategy it's definitely affirmed my
45:44identity doing this pilgrimage as a very proud jew i've learned a little bit more about myself and
45:52how i relate with other people as a neurodivergent person it has been a challenge
45:59there was a few moments where i did think can i carry on with this but i'm definitely glad i
46:05didn't
46:05quit i think sometimes one has challenges and you just have to keep going and that is that is life
46:15this is it this is this is where he was buried well this is yeah this is the cup at
46:20stone
46:20so that's his cross there this is where they think he was originally buried in the original monastery
46:28this is the man that we've been following i'm fascinated about all the gold yes here
46:34he certainly was the guy wasn't he he was i mean he was he was the guy it's very powerful
46:40i don't want to seem like a cliche but pilgrimage really brought me out of my shell
46:46and i'm very grateful even on the hardest days i've enjoyed it i've enjoyed it i don't
46:56love a bunk bed i have to say but it's been good for me to do this
47:02my mind feels really really clear and i've definitely found a place of peace
47:12it's really humbling to sort of like walk in the footsteps of someone that is still inspiring
47:20pilgrims to this day to come here
47:24legend says cuthbert's island is where he would stand up to his neck in the sea and pray all night
47:31it's like you know when you think you arrive at holy island which feels separate and isolated
47:37yeah and now we've just found the next level of separation and isolation
47:43cuthbert spent most of the last nine years of his life as a hermit on innerfarn an island southeast
47:50of lindisfarne there were two dwellings one a hut for his frequent visitors and the other a circular
47:58cell with walls so high he could see nothing but sky it was on this island in 687 a.d
48:05that cuthbert died
48:08i think living somewhere like this where you've got the power of the
48:13light and sea and the and the tides and the elements being being one with nature like that
48:20would change you and it does have a power and an energy that you know that religion came to
48:32being on a pilgrimage it sort of squeezes you it's a bit of an endurance test physically mentally
48:39spiritually and it has reaffirmed that i don't subscribe to any religious organization or order
48:46or doctrine and i am very happy with my relationship with my my my spiritual life i'm very happy with
48:56that
48:58i probably am a pagan i love jesus you know i love allah i love jane's people i love them
49:05all bring
49:06it on you know i do really whatever whatever gets you there
49:13i mean look at that point of arrival
49:29well
49:35the thing that strikes me most is that thing that cuthbert lived with of that duality of needing
49:44this kind of solitude but his also his needs to connect and that conflict within him
49:55that is the human experience you know we all sort of yeah struggle with really doing this for
50:03me i came in as i would say an atheist and i think i'm even more agnostic and that's because
50:10of lessons i've learned and i get emotional because can i tell you something about you what i found
50:15interesting is you're the only person here who doesn't have a spiritual practice and yet you are
50:21the person who i would say has the purest heart agreed and the essence of holy island
50:29my journey on pilgrimage has been so special i've been so closed up for the past few years and
50:38i feel like this wall has just kind of gone like this release of negativity all the pilgrims are such
50:48special people i felt like i was being seen i feel like they've just welcomed me with love
50:58and along the way they've given me strength they've given me lessons they've educated me in the most
51:03positive way and i think i've learned that not everybody is going to love you and like you
51:08and that's okay the only people that matter is people that do know you and love you and
51:12cherish you and doing this has made me realize that massively
51:22will lift me up i don't think my knees will get me up anymore oh they did a miracle occurred
51:33i don't want to say goodbye to the seals do you i know i love it but we should probably
51:37get back
51:37before we get cut off by the tide yeah exactly they're forced by the tide the pilgrims reunite
51:43being somewhere like this you know you've heard that term thin place the sort of earthly dimension
51:48and the heavily dimension in certain places are closer i really do think there's a there's a special
51:53energy about this place yeah it felt thin is this the thinnest place you've been to in your life
51:58you think i think so yeah they have one last visit to st cuthbert center a united reformed church
52:06which celebrates cuthbert and his life hi hello welcome welcome thank you come in if you'd like
52:14to take a seat the minister k blackwell has adopted the rhythm of celtic daily prayer and regularly meets
52:21with pilgrims who finish their journey so since the beginning of your journey i wonder what has brought you
52:29joy i wonder what that's going to feel like as you go back to your lives now what are you
52:35going to hold
52:35in your heart she's asked the pilgrims to bring objects or any reflections that they may have about
52:42their journey and if you would like to share so so we were on a beach and we were looking
52:50for these
52:52rocks with fossils in oh yeah and tasha gave me one that she'd found so i like this because it's
52:57a
52:57reminder of like the friendships i've built in the group thank you for sharing pleasure when i was
53:04walking up to st cuthbert's cave yeah i found this feather it felt like that place was really special
53:12to me because i felt like the cave was um where i let go of a lot of my things
53:19i was carrying so this is
53:20from the beach where everyone saw dolphins for the first time oh wow and it represented like the
53:27friendships and the relationships i have with every single one of you i have um you know we were
53:34looking for ammonites and we found i found this fossil i feel like it found me yeah and um i
53:41suppose
53:41that's what i'm looking for in my life the direction to go in it finding me rather than me imposing
53:48myself
53:49from it what i have it's something that i brought with me my belief hasn't changed but the weight that
53:56this carries is now different after this trip it feels heavier in the best way
54:04there's a lot of noise in my head when i started this and that's honestly gone i just pray that
54:14you know
54:14it's this is a great reset oh thank you for sharing i've often felt a little bit outside
54:26the group at times i'm the only jew among the group built have felt a strong connection with
54:32everyone in one way or another so in my mind yeah all of it is significant yeah beautiful well thank
54:40you for sharing that thank you so don't let the world rush in too quickly every day i pray a
54:46blessing
54:47on all the people that come here and all the people that go and i always pray that when they
54:52go
54:52they go with peace in their hearts and a little piece of the island journeying with them
55:02i'm so sorry i don't know what's wrong with me today i think it's just it's the end of our
55:08journey
55:10and i think sorry
55:16i think we said about don't let the world rush in that really resonated with me so it was nice
55:22just to
55:23hear that right and that's something i've massively learned on my journey doing this it's finding peace
55:31and my mind was such a mess before coming to do this but i'm now leaving me a clearer mind
55:40for more peace in my heart beautiful so yeah i mean i'm just emotional basically
55:50well it's been an important journey hasn't it i think all the important journeys can leave you
55:54feeling quite emotional a bit like you've held on to those objects hold on to that that piece that
56:02you found on the journey with the tide now in to celebrate the finish of their pilgrimage the group
56:16heads to the beach to meet with the cuthbert cuties in the shadow of cuthbert's island the sun's gone in
56:25it's coming the wind is flying hi sarah i'm so pleased you're coming swimming yeah with the
56:32customers cuties are we just going for this yeah yeah we're doing it are we actually doing it
56:38we're going in there yeah bring it on it's a best mate and our pilgrimage journey come on
56:44do you know how cold that's going to be don't think about it don't think about it
56:49yes don't think about it i finished pilgrimage i feel great i'm looking forward to cuthbert
56:56baptism self-baptism oof you've got a whole swimsuit here he is tom cruise impossible
57:07it's all or nothing with me yeah if you're going to do pilgrimage you've got to go in
57:11you just got to yeah embrace it fully it's already cold it's already cold i'm not built with this
57:19one of you's a liar it's not cold at all trust us we're ministers oh you're both okay
57:24okay you ready yeah please lead the way cut back cuties
57:43oh jeez hi oh my gosh
57:47i am freezing
57:49brother it's horrendous
58:05oh my god
58:10guys guys group group dip to channel puppet
58:14ready we're gonna go three two one dip
58:16oh my god
58:17oh my god
58:20oh my god
58:41Step into the story of pilgrimage from ancient paths to virtual experiences with the Open
58:46University's interactive journey through time. Scan the QR code or visit connect.open.ac.uk
58:53slash pilgrimage.
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