Last week I attended the official launch of Fife’s Pilgrim Way. Jack and I were drafted in at the last minute to represent the local Community Council.
I had been under the impression that it was taking place in Dunfermline Abbey but it turned out that it was in the oldest part of it, the nave which was apparently originally the priory which was founded by Queen Margaret of Scotland (King Malcolm’s wife) – or Saint Margaret as she’s sometimes called.
They had an actress speaking as Queen Margaret and some musicians playing appropriate music on old style instruments. It looks rather empty but it did fill up, some people had walked the eight mile stretch of the Pilgrim Way from North Queensferry to the Abbey, they definitely deserved a seat, we stood though, not realising we would be there for over an hour.
The ex-Prime Minister Gordon Brown was a Fife MP and lives close to the Pilgrim Way at North Quensferry so he was one of the speakers, the photo of him below is very grainy, zoomed in too close I think.
It was really the stone columns that impressed me though, the ones with chevrons are similar to those at Durham Cathedral but have more details, very elegant.
The nave isn’t huge but it is impressive. We didn’t go into the actual abbey where a short religious service was to take place. It is where Robert the Bruce is buried and if you’re interested you can see a previous blogpost of mine about the abbey here.
Fife’s Pilgrim Way is 64 miles long and I intend to walk it all – but in various stages. I think I can manage eight miles or so at a time, if I get the bus back home!
64 miles sounds doable in stages and I always like walks that have a kind of theme and purpose, if you know what I mean. Otherwise it just feels like exercise… đŸ˜‰ Mind you, I’ve been saying I want to walk the West Highland Way since it opened sometime in the ’80s. It’s getting less likely with every passing year! ?
Fiction Fan,
Ha, like you I’ve been saying for years that I want to walk the West Highland Way and when we stayed at a Travelodge(?) in Milngavie, the nearest we could get to Glasgow at the time – it was full of ahem – older people who were actually doing it – putting me to shame!
What a lovely building and what a lovely ceremony. I like the pillars, too.
Joan,
I think most of the locals have never been in that abbey.
I’m the same with the SW coast path – I shall be delighted with my achievement when I’ve walked the part either side of us. Maybe then I’ll look further afield.
Sandra,
That’s what I’ll do too – at some point. I’ve only walked about six miles of the Fife Coastal Path too and have been meaning to do more for years.
I noticed the beauty of the pillars at once.
What a glorious building and, with the Pilgrim Way, clearly a place of history and deep spiritual significance, where mere mortals can acknowledge the passing of time and reflect on things that matter beyond this transitory world.
Valerie,
I’m not particularly religious but I’m always struck by the atmosphere and the feeling of how much history the stones have witnessed – so to speak. It’s a peaceful place.