Pilgrimage in Dumfriesshire, Day 1

[wjshaw2]

On Sunday, September 15th I was due to be ordained as a priest in the Scottish Episcopal Church. It's customary, when ordinations or other big personal events are happening, to go for a retreat. Usually, the retreat takes the form of going somewhere quiet (like a monastery), doing little but praying and eating and reading and listening and hopefully finding the peace that's needed to enable you to take the step that's to come.

I'm not very good at sitting still and, if sent on a retreat like the one above, tend to have to go out for long walks from wherever I've been stuck. It's on the walks that I have my long chats with God. If I ever actually manage to sit still and silent, I tend to fall asleep. So this time, I thought I'd do away with the pretence of sitting still (it probably wouldn't happen) and do my quiet business with God on a pilgrimage.

Well, I say pilgrimage, but it wasn't to anywhere that means much to many people. However, I grew up in Dumfriesshire, living around Tynron and Moniaive, and there is a great deal of Christian history in the area. The area is peppered with references to saints, particularly St Conal, and I knew nothing whatsoever about him. It's also an area that was at the centre of the Killing Times, when the Covenanters were hunted down for daring to worship God in a way other than the one the king and the Episcopal Church (of which I am part) were trying to impose. I was part of the Church of Scotland when I lived round here, but I wanted to see how it felt to go back now coming from the "side" of the persecutors.

So I worked out a route: from Holywood near Dumfries to Kirkconnel, via sites of interest from history and from personal experience, some places I'd been before, but many I hadn't, only a few I'd been anywhere near for 20 years. Five days, four nights: two under canvas, one staying at my Mum's, and one at a pub. 109.2km and 3746m climb. Several covenanter memorials, three sites associated with Conal, four new Sub 2000ft hills and only one repeat. Bag packed, boots on, bus caught from Edinburgh on Sunday afternoon, and off we go.

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Day 1, Holywood to Barnsoul, 17.4km, 434m climb

I arrived at Holywood at about 4pm and was glad when I found a street sign mentioning Dercongal because that's all there is to see. Holywood was the site of a Premonstratensian abbey from about the 12th/13th century and was quite influential locally. Dercongal means Congal's oak wood, which then became Holy Wood, Holywood. It is quite likely that Conal and Congal are the same person (and Conval as well). So here where there is nothing to be seen (the abbey was finally demolished in the 18th century), but a saint has left his mark in place names, seemed a good place to start. If, in a thousand years or so they're saying that such-and-such-a-place is dedicated to St Willie, but we've no idea who he was, then I'd be more than happy (if dead). Actually, it was a good place to consider that the work I'm called to can have an eternal impact, even if it's far more likely that no-one will remember me in 100 years' time, let alone 1000. The vast majority of us end up obscure, but not forgotten by God.

The start...

Is it a sheep or a dog? Maybe a sheepdog. And what's that on it's head? A third eye?

The holy nature of Holywood may come from an even older site nearby. The largest henge in Scotland, the Twelve Apostles, is just over the road, driven past hundreds of times, but never visited. It consists of a stone circle of rocks of varying size and origin, some with cup marks on them. When it comes down to it, no-one knows what these places were used for, but faith of some description may well have played a part. The 'largest' tag must come from the diameter of the circle, because I seem to remember being far more impressed with the Ring of Brodgar in Orkney.

The Twelve Apostles

Cup-marked stones

Pink stone

From there, I strolled along the roads through Newbridge and towards Irongray. Brambles here were perfectly in season. I needn't have carried any food at all.

See Morris Hill from the road to Irongray

Brambles

At Irongray there's a beautiful church and churchyard, and, opposite, a field of my favourite cows, Belted Galloways (*thinks* beef in bramble sauce, mmm). Nearby, there was the first of the covenanter memorials. It's a memorial to six people, four of whom were shot on the spot and two more hung where their ashes are now scattered at the memorial. It really doesn't look like a place for murder...

Irongray Kirk

This chap was hobbling :-(

This chap wasn't happy either...

Window at the Kirk

Covenanter memorial

From there, I followed roads round to the south past the big houses at Ingleston and Drummond House to the metalled track to the top of See Morris Hill. The rucksack was starting to take its toll and it was getting dark as I climbed. It was also the first of many experiences of going through fields with bulls in them, both in the field before getting to the mast at the top and in the field with the trig point in it, plus in the field that I crossed into to get out of that one. I thought I'd have to cross one or two like that on this walk, but every other field seemed to not just have cows, but bulls in with their ladies. It must be that time of year...

See Morris Hill summit looking north to Bishop Forest Hill

The views were slightly (very) limited by darkness, but the bright lights of Dumfries seemed well behind me. As I still had a wee way to go to get to Barnsoul, I didn't hang around long. I skirted the bull-laden fields to eventually descend to the wee, steep road to the west of See Morris. As I approached the bottom of the road I saw, shining brightly out of the gloom, a measuring stick with reflective paint on it. It seemed to be submerged in water, a few metres of fast flowing water. It turns out that the road fords the river there rather than using a bridge. A moment of panic. It was too deep to cross. But a few more steps and it became clear that there was a footbridge. It didn't quite cross the slightly swollen river in a dry fashion, but the waters around it's feet were shallow. A wee bit more rain and I'd've been cut off from the campsite.

From there it was a plod in total darkness to the campsite. The lady who looks after the site was just writing that the camper booked in for the night hadn't turned up when I stumbled in. I pitched the tent where directed, ate the last of the sausage rolls taken as a doggy bag from a trip up to Nairn the previous day, said evening prayer, and fell asleep.

The routes for the following days are as below and the reports will follow soon.

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Day 2, Barnsoul to Moniaive, 23.4km, 932m climb

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Day 3, Moniaive to Chanlockhead, 17.2km, 819m climb

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Day 4, Chanlockhead to Sanquhar, 24km, 756m climb

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Day 5, Sanquhar to Kirckconnel, 27.2km, 805m climb

[dunrig]

Thank you wjshaw2,

I find the history of christianity in Scotland fascinating and enjoy 'reading' it in the landscape - through myths, ruins mounuments, graves, churches, coffin roads ... there is something especially moving about the covenanters hidden places of worship out in the countryside during the 'Killing Times'.
I used to walk sometimes with a man obssesed with the reformation, when we were out he saw it everywhere. Even for a non-believer like me this adds depth and resonance to the experience of hillwalking.

- I wish you well in your ministry.

[wjshaw2]

Thank you, dunrig. The hills give us all opportunities to look up, beyond where we are to past times, to really see the present, and to gaze into the distance...