.
........... ST CUTHBERT'S WAY ........
.... .. Melrose – Holy Island (England) = 102 km

Fotoalbum:
http://picasaweb.google.com/JordanWalks
.... /StCuthbertSWayJune2010

Begin- en eindpunt:
Van Melrose naar Lindisfarne (Holy Island).

Lindisfarne, or Holy Island, has an illustrious history:

• Lindisfarne (later known as Holy Island) is a tidal island
.. (= getijdeneiland).
• It was here that St. Aidan founded a monastery that became a major
.. centre of Christianity, learning and artistry, as exemplified by the
.. Lindisfarne Gospels.
.. The monastery had sixteen bishops in all, the most celebrated being
.. St Cuthbert, who travelled widely spreading the Gospel.
.. After his death the island became a place of pilgrimage, until the
.. monks abandoned the island in fear of marauding Vikings.

• Lindisfarne Castle was built in the 16th century to defend the island
.. from Scottish raiders.
.. It was restored and converted into a fairytale castle by
.. Sir Edward Lutyens in 1903, with a charming walled garden planned
.. by Gertrude Jekyll.


• Lindisfarne Castle is perched on a small hilltop, a dolerite outcrop (ontsluiting).
.. This hilltop is a dyke (= gang), a wall-like body of intrusive igneous rock,
.. formed as magma pushes up towards the surface through cracks in the rock
.. and harden there.

Lindisfarne has a nature trail:

Whin Sill:

The Whin Sill is one of the special geological features of the North
East England and forms some of the area's most dramatic landscapes.   

Molten origins:
The hard, dark rock of the Whin Sill was once molten, but now stands out
as spectacular craggy hills or cliffs.
The Whin Sill formed 295 million years ago when stretching of the Earth's
crust caused molten rock, or magma, at over 1000 °C to rise up through
cracks in the rock from deep within the Earth.
It didn't reach the surface but was injected between layers of sedimentary
rock (= sedimentgesteenten) ( limestone, shale and sandstone).
The magma cooled and solidified underground to form the Whin Sill –
a vast sheet (= plaat) of rock up to 60m thick, which lies beneath much
of North East England .
It is made of a hard dark igneous rock (= stollingsgesteente) and is much tougher than the sedimentary rocks(= sedimentgesteenten) around.
After millions of years of erosion the Whin Sill is now partly exposed at
the surface as craggy hills or cliffs.

Dykes (= gangen) en sills:
• Dykes (= gangen)
. They are formed as magma pushes up towards the surface through
. cracks in the rock and harden there. 
. They form vertical or steeply-dipping sheets (platen) (wall-like bodies)
. of igneous rock (stollingsgesteente).
• Sills (= sills; intrusie-platen)
. They are formed when magma intrudes (indringt) between the rock
. layers and harden there. 
. They form horizontal or gently-dipping sheets (platen) of igneous rock
. (=stollingsgesteente).

Crystals and columns:
The Whin Sill is made of a hard, dark, crystalline rock (een basalt).
As it slowly cooled, the Whin Sill contracted (kromp) , producing vertical cracks (scheuren) along which the rock breaks into rough columns
(zuilen) (see picture below).
This is a distinctive feature of most Whin Sill outcrops (ontsluitingen).

• Cullernose Point ( Northumberland Coast Path) is formed from the Whin Sill.
• The Whin Sill probably took around 50 years to cool from molten rock to solid
.. dolerite (dit is een basalt).
.. During the cooling it contracted (= kromp) , producing vertical cracks (scheuren)
.. along which the rock breaks into rough columns (zuilen).
.. You can see these cracks and columns in the cliff.
• Bij krimp, na stolling, van afkoelende vulkanische gesteentemassa's vormen zich
.. vaak zuilen, meest 6-zijdige, ook wel 4-,5-, 7-, of 8-zijdige.
• During the summer months, the cliffs are home to kittiwakes ( Drieteenmeeuwen)
..and fulmars ( Noordse Stormvogels).


• Newton Point (Northumberland Coast Path) another example of Whin Sill.
• Ook hier krimpscheuren door afkoeling van een basaltlava.

The original sill:
The name 'Whin Sill' was first used by local quarrymen.
To them 'whin' was a hard, dark rock, and
'sill' was a term for a flat-lying layer of rock.
Geologists who studied the Whin Sill in the 19th century recognised its
molten origins and the term 'sill' was adopted for all similar bodies of
igneous rock(= stollingsgesteente).
The Whin Sill is thus the original sill of geological science and is well
known to geologists worldwide.

Where to see the Whin Sill:

.
• The Whin Sill extends over a large area from Middleton in Teesdale
.. in the south to Berwick in the north.
• It varies from 30 m to about 60 m in thickness, and gradually thins as
...it goes westwards.
• However, in most places the sill of dolerite is not seen on the surface
...of the ground, but remains covered by the carboniferous rocks.
• Only in a few areas it has been exposed by the erosion of overlying
...rocks.
...In that case, the hard, dark-coloured dolerite, which is very resistant
...to erosion, stands out as craggy hills or cliffs in the landscape.
• Because of its resistance to erosion this dolerite, forms:

.....- islands: e.g. Farne Islands,

.....- ridges: e.g. Hadrian's Wall,

.....- waterfalls e.g. High Force.

.....- the base for castles: e.g.. Bamburgh Castle,. Dunstanburgh Castle
................................................ and. Castle on Holy Island
........................................ (The last one is not sited on a sill but a dyke).

Van dag tot dag volgens www.sherpa-walking-holidays.co.uk

Arrive in Melrose. (Melrose en omgeving is zeer mooi! )
An opportunity to explore the town with:
- Melrose Abbey, a 12th century Cistercian building that is now a
. beautiful ruin.
- Priorwood and Harmony Gardens,
- The "Three Hills" Roman Heritage Centre.

1. Melrose ― Ancrum .... 22½ km .....Middelzwaar... ↑ 430 m
- From Melrose (85 m) to the saddle (325 m) of the steep-sided
. Eildon Hills.
. (Heb je een grote trekkingrugzak bij je, leg die dan tijdelijk in het zadel
. (325 m) en loop zonder rugzak op en neer over een steil pad naar de
. Eildon Mid Hill top (422 m)
- Then a pleasant woodland walk down to Bowden Burn (= beek) and
- walking alongside the river Tweed to St Boswells and further to Maxton,
- strike off along Dere Street (an ancient Roman Road) which crosses an
. undulating landscape.
. Van Melrose tot de top van Eildon Midd Hill is 340 hoogtemeters.
. Bovendien is het vandaag een lange dagetappe. Daarom middelzwaar.

2. Ancrum ― Morebattle .. 19 km .... Middelzwaar ... ↑ 370 m
- Go to Harestanes and then cross the River Teviot.
- At Jedfoot Bridge we join the old Roman Road of Dere Street again
. for a mile.
- There are attractive stretches of woodland, the deep valley of the
. Oxnam Water and a crossing of Cessford Moor.
- Next the trail passes the once-formidable Cessford Castle, which was
. built in the 15th century by the Ker clan and abandoned in the 17th
. century.
- A walk along a quiet country road brings you into the village of
. Morebattle.

3. Morebattle ― Kirk Yetholm .... 11 km..... Licht.... ↑ 270 m
- Today is a short day, but has a steep ascent.
- From Morebattle (100 m) the route crosses the Kale Water river
. before ascending steeply to Wideopen Hill (368 m) where the views
. are literally wide open!.
. (Je bent nu 268 m gestegen. Wideopen Hill is het tweede hoogste punt
. van de route (Eildon Mid Hill (422 m) op de eerste dag is het hoogste).
- Shortly we descend to stroll alongside and then cross-attractive
. Bowmont Water.
- We then come to our next night’s stop at Kirk Yetholm, just at the
. northern end of the Pennine Way, Britain’s first long distance trail.

4. Kirk Yetholm ― Wooler .. 21 km .. Middelzwaar . ↑ 620 m
.. (Vandaag steken we de grens over naar Engeland. Het terrein wordt
. heuvelachtiger en wilder (the only wild stretch of the trail).
. We lopen door het noordelijkste deel van de Cheviot Hills in het
. Northumberland NP
- A 1.5 km long road walk to the Halterburn Valley,
- then a steady climb onto the Border Ridge with Eccles Cairn (352m),
. followed by a gradual descent to Elsdonburn (burn = beek) and a 2 km
. walk along a farm road.
- From Hethpool a mainly level walk in the beautiful College Valley,
. before a short steep climb into the northern Cheviot Hills.
- A high-level walk with excellent views follows before the route drops
. down to the Wooler Common Ponds. (Je loopt langdurig over zeer mooi
. heather moorland; een verkleinde versie van de North York Moors.)
- A final climb through a plantation leads to a gradual descent into the
. market town of Wooler.

5. Wooler ― Fenwick ... 19 km..... Middelzwaar .. ↑390 m
... (Transfer to Lowick 5½ km by road)
- St Cuthbert's Way then crosses the rolling terrain of Weetwood Moor
- and the River Till,
- reaching St Cuthbert’s cave, where the saint’s body was taken during
. the flight of the monks from Lindisfarne in 875AD after a Viking raid.
- You then descend through forests and agricultural land to reach
. Fenwick. Phone here the Inn where you are staying tonight in order to
. transfer you to Lowick.

6. Fenwick ― Holy Island ... 10 km .... Licht.... ↑0 m
- In the morning you will be transferred back to Fenwick, from where
. you cross the main road before taking the appropriately named
. ‘Fisher’s Back Road’ down to the tidal causeway (getijdendam)
.. (Causeway = dam) across the sands to the tidal island. Lindisfarne.
- The causeway is covered by the tide for up to. 5 hours in every 12,
. so correct timing is essential.
.. From here there is (only during low tide) a choice of routes onto the
. island to explore the village, priory and castle:
.. 1. barefoot across the sands ( drooggevallen wadzanden) on the
...... Pilgrim's Way, marked by a line of barnacle-encrusted poles.
.. 2. over the tidal causeway (de getijdendam )
.......(Desgewenst lift je met een van de auto's over de drooggevallen
...... dam naar het eiland)...

- While exploring the island you should visit:
..... - Osborne Fort & Lindisfarne Priory
..... - Lindisfarne Castle, lime kilns and herring boat sheds.


During low tide there are two routes onto the island:
1. barefoot across the sands (de drooggevallen wadzanden),
.... marked by a line of barnacle-encrusted poles.
2. over the tidal causeway (= getijdendam )
.... ( Desgewenst lift je met een van de auto's over de drooggevallen dam
.....naar het eiland )

Verlenging St Cuthbert's Way mogelijk:
Desgewenst kun je dit langeafstandspad met enkele dagen verlengen
door er de twee zeer mooie dagetappes van het Northumberland Coast
Path aan vast te knopen. Dit zijn:
1. Bamburgh ― Craster (22½ km)
2. Craster ― Warkworth (19 km)

Zie voor verdere info:

Northumberland Coastal Path Highlights (bij contours.co.uk).

Coastal Walks Around Britain (mooi wandelboek)

Northumberland Coast Path.

Wil je de St. Cuthbert's Way lopen ?

Wees er dan op bedacht, dat naast West Highland Way en
Great Glen Way ook St Cuthbert's Way een zeer populair pad is
met een schreeuwend tekort aan accommodaties.

Je kunt dit probleem op twee manieren oplossen.

1. Ga met rugzak en tent, waarbij je indien aanwezig een camping
... bezoekt en de overige dagen wildkampeert.

2. Boek bij onderstaande goede reisorganisatie. Zij nemen je een
... hoop organisatorische zorgen uit handen. Je wandelt dan met
... een klein groepje en verblijft in een leuk landhuis halverwege
... de Cuthbert's Way.
... Er gaat een gids mee, maaltijden zijn geregeld en de logistiek
... rond de wandelingen wordt verzorgd.
... Ook brengen ze een bezoek aan de vogelrijke Farne Islands en
... sluiten ze af met een mooie kustwandeling langs de kliffenkust
... bij Abb's Head.
... Omdat je elke avond terug komt in dezelfde accommodatie is
... een bijkomend voordeel dat je niet elke dag door moet, maar
... het ook een dagje rustig aan kunt doen, mocht weer of fysieke
... gesteldheid even niet mee zitten.

... https://agronatura.nl/reizen/activiteit/wandelen-wandelreizen

Te bestellen bij:
Reisboekwinkel de Zwerver ( webshop voor reisgidsen en landkaarten) 

.. . Overnachtingsmogelijkheden:

West Highland Way, Great Glen Way en St Cuthberts Way zijn populaire paden. Daardoor zijn er problemen bij het vinden van accommodaties.
Boek dan ook tijdig.

Kijk bij Accommodation and services along the way op
www.walkhighlands.co.uk/st-cuthberts-way.shtml

... Deze wandelsite is niet-commercieel, onafhankelijk en gratis.
... Dat is enkel mogelijk door steun van de bezoekers.
...
... Heb je hier goede info gevonden, toon dan je waardering door een
... kleine donatie voor het vele werk.
... .Zo kan de website ook gratis blijven en uitgebouwd worden!

...............................................

....Uiteraard kun je ook doneren door overschrijving op mijn
.. ING-bankrekening:

.. IBAN : NL38 INGB 0003 5057 89
.. BIC : INGBNL2A
.. t.n.v. P. C.M. Smulders.