St Mary, North Marden

I visited St Mary’s on day three of a four-day Pilgrimage back in February of this year. I was following the newly described “Mary’s Crescent” pilgrimage curated by Dr Tim Goulder (2023).

I had seen the book by chance in the local authors section of One Tree Books in Petersfield, whilst shopping in the lead up to the previous Christmas. Having talked for many years about completing a pilgrimage route but holding off due to concerns about the walking health of my right knee, this pilgrimage seemed ideal for a first timer.

• Relatively short days walking through a familiar landscape.
• I was never more than a short drive (rescue) from home if my knee did fail me.
• I could be resupplied on route, so did not need to carry so much food and clothing.
• Exploring aspects of my home turf which I had never previously enjoyed.
• A quiet time of year, so expecting little company along the way, giving me time to enjoy the route in solitude, and quiet reflection.
• Ending the Pilgrimage at Chichester Cathedral.

The pilgrimage is described starting at St Mary, Porchester Castle, and ending at Chichester Cathedral – the walk forming an arc which heads north over Portsdown Hill along the Meon Valley to Droxford before heading east following the South Downs Way to Buriton, then on to South Harting, North Marden, Singleton, ending at Chichester Cathedral four days later.

As my affection for Chichester Cathedral noted elsewhere in this Blog, is given. I will not repeat myself here. However, it is safe to add that walking the final stretch of the pilgrimage on day four from St Mary, East Levant through farmland, the outer limits of the city, then North Street turning onto West Street and then seeing the statue of St Richard beckoning – was a rush. (That I bumped into a work colleague and his partner on North Street and failed to string a coherent sentence together testament to the profound and overwhelming feeling of quiet and well-being invoked by my solo peregrination).

I reached North Marden around lunchtime. I had walked south off of the South Downs Way, past an estate I had not heard of, then down through a hedge of mature Hazel (Corylus avellana) it’s base already showing signs of spring flowers. Then crossing the B2141 followed a farm track, and entered the church yard of this singular building.

Comprising of a single cell with both nave and apse combined, the church’s foundation dated to the 12th Century though modified throughout and up to and including the modern roof and bell-cote, with one bell dating from 1829.

The leaflet found within “Notes on EAST and NORTH MARDEN and their CHURCHES” picks out the variously aged, architectural features, adding meat to the bones of the church’s description within the pilgrimage guidebook.

It is a beautiful and serene space, and on first stepping through the door whereupon my mind was silenced, and I sat for a long time in quiet meditation before exploring the finer details of the churches as described in the literature to hand.

signs of Spring

St Mary North Marden February 13th 2025

Chichester Cathedral - St Richard on St Valentine's Day

Reading:

Goulder, T. (2023) Mary's Crescent Countryside Books Newbury

McLaren, P. (undated) Notes on EAST and NORTH MARDEN and their CHURCHES Midhurst and Petworth Printers

Avebury

The National Trust car park, was completely full when we arrived early afternoon, so we returned to the A4 and parked in the Ridgeway car park, opposite The Sanctuary, and walked through the sacred landscape to the henge, passing Small Barrows and Six Round Barrows before joining West Kennet Avenue at the B4003. After a pint or two of cider at The Red Lion we returned to the car, along the reverse of the route.

B4003 looking towards The Sanctuary

B4003 looking towards Avebury

an old friend

Chichester Cathedral - Illuminations

Shetland Wool Week .. pt 6 .. Lerwick Brewery tour, Jamieson and Smith

We started the day with a full Scottish breakfast at Pete's Cafe including saucermeat, and the iconic Stornoway Black Pudding Thus fortified we took a brief detour to Jimmy Perez' house on the harbourside - before visiting  Jamieson and Smith for some Shetland Wool Week retail therapy.

A. bought a new knitting project, and a lovely Shetland Tweed blanket made by Skye weavers using Shetland Wool.

After dropping our purchases back at the cottage, we waited in vain for a bus to Lerwick Brewery which failed to appear. Instead, we walked the 2 miles to the brewery passing on our way Jamieson and Smith.

Ryan, the assistant brewer led the tour of the brewery, which ended with a small tasting platter comprising of Tushkar Oatmeal Stout, 60^O North, and Lerwick IPA.

Stocking up on off-sales I also purchased the second to last can of UHA ’25 IPA which was brewed exclusively for this year’s Up Helly Aa in collaboration with the head Jarl.

On our way back into town, emboldened by a glass or two of Lerwick’s finest, I asked an operative if we could have a cheeky look in the wool store and sorting bay at Jamieson and Smith, without hesitation we were given a brief tour of the workings.

80% of Shetland Wool passes through this brokerage, from which it is processed, graded, and shipped to Yorkshire for cleaning and spinning into yarn. The air was thick with the taste of lanolin. Our tour guide seemed familiar, but I was too shy to ask if we had met her previously on our trip to Fair Isle some years back.

Shetland Wool Week .. pt 5 .. Yell, Tablet Weaving, and Salt House

This morning, I dropped A and a fellow “wool weeker” at North Noss Public Hall on Yell – before heading out for a rain blasted day attempting to explore some of Yell’s archaeological remains. I stopped first at Old Haa Museum  enjoyed the exhibits and nursed coffee and cake as the rain lashed in from the north east.

Following the gist of tours laid out in Fojut, N. (1993) [see reference below], I punctuated my journey at the road heads for several brochs on the east side of the island. At the first stop the rain was so heavy I declined to leave the car. At the second and third stop I did not feel at all welcome as a tourist. Several strategically placed fences (all at deer fence height) and hugging the road so tightly they prevented me from both parking and accessing the second site without a long walk in from elsewhere in the rain. At the third stop the road ended at a croft and several sheep folds.

Here, there was room to park without obstruction, but I would have felt uncomfortable walking through the small folds. My discomfort was heightened when a Hi Lux pulled in and the driver so obviously letting me know he was “checking me out” before turning around and driving straight back up the road. Bollocks to that, I was clearly unwelcome, the vibe being so uncomfortable I could almost hear the banjos playing on the bitter wind.

I plugged Brechon Sands into the sat-nav and headed north and west. Parking at the road head, the local crofter welcomed me with a cheery hello and relieved I set out on the short walk to the beach.

The archaeological remains in the dunes were extensive, cluttered, and apparently comprising of Viking, Pictish, prehistoric, and more modern remains. The remains completely defied my amateur attempts at distinguishing anything about them other than the more obvious stone clearances of the field systems.

Returning to North Noss I was pleased to see that A and her colleague had had a rather more productive and enjoyable day crafting.

We caught up on each other’s day over a pint or two at The Noost, before heading to Mareel for the excellent Salt House It was a cracking end to the day.

Shetland Wool Week .. pt 4 .. Bressay .. a handful of seals and a souterrain

After a relaxing start to the day, we headed to the Bressay Ferry terminal for the 12:00PM crossing. At the jetty I noticed and orange “football” floating around the foot of the jetty. Then it flexed, and suckered legs appeared propelling along the ironworks. It was our first ever encounter with an octopus, and it was extremely exciting. The camera being stowed in my rucksack – we were unable to get a photograph before it swam further away and into dark water.

As we crossed to Bressay, I did a search of Octopus species to be found in UK waters, and both Curled Octopus (Elodine cirrhosa) and Common Octopus (Octopus vulgaris) seemed potential candidates based on our briefest of views. This evening, I referred to the hive mind on the Shetland Birds and Wildlife FB group, and Curled Octopus was put forward as the most likely, as it has the most northerly distribution.

Walking past Bressay Marina Harbour we noted 3 Grey Seal (Halichoerus grypus) and two Common Seal (Phoca vitulina) hauled out on the rocks, whilst a fourth Grey Seal corked in deeper water.

Grey Seal, Bressay Marina

Common Seal, Bressay Marina 

Following Uphouse Road, up and over, we turned downhill to the Loch of Brough. From the open moorland came the calls of Red Grouse (Lagopus scotia), and as we turned our attention towards the source, a covey flushed away from us. Turning to follow the track along the side of the Loch, we disturbed a couple more small groups of grouse.

Red Grouse

Our destination was the souterrain [Fogou] at Wadbister; the former an underground passage dating to Bronze Age; the latter an abandoned mediaeval settlement. Having found the entrance to the underground chamber, I climbed through the short narrow remains of the passageway and sat inside for a while. Using the phone torch to explore the very cramped interior, I noted the repurposed quern stone in the dry-stone walls.

Wadbister settlement

entrance to the souterrain

inside - note the repurposed quern
on the left of the picture

looking out / looking in

looking in / looking out

Exploring the remaining structures of the mediaeval settlement we saw our first Shetland Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes zetlandicus) of the trip. Returning to the Bressay Ferry terminal we noted the non-native Monkeyflower (Mimulus guttatus) flowering in the wet ditch alongside the Uphouse Road.

Seep Monkeyflower, Uphouse Road

Back on mainland the short walk back to The Watchmakers, was punctuated with respite at both The Noost and The Lounge.

Shetland Wool Week .. pt 3 .. a croft visit and St Ninian's Isle ..

We have enjoyed a really engaging visit to West Lynne Croft, run by Cecil and Sue Tait – Cecil is a sixth generation Shetlander living in Ireland, whose family originally arrived on Mainland because of the highland clearances. Along with the sheep and the wool making – the working croft is also the location of Paparwark Furniture and we were shown around the workshop by the young apprentice to the craft.

Both of us were completely captivated by the pair of working sheepdogs - Ness and Bell, who rounded up the flock with only the briefest of commands from Cecil. A joy to watch.

After the Croft, we took lunch overlooking the tombola linking St Ninian’s Isle to mainland. As we ate, we were entertained by three Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) fly-catching from a large rock below us. White Wagtail (Motacilla alba) passage migrants no doubt heading back from Iceland were also on the wing.

On the tombola itself distant waders flushed as walkers or their dogs intruded on their strandline forage.

Walking across the thin stretch of white sand the waders’ identities were clarified, Dunlin (Calidris alpina), Sanderling (Calidris alba), Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula), a Redshank (Tringa totanus), Turnstone (Arenaria interpres), and a single Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa) following the tide line pickings.

At St Ninian’s Kirk we congratulated a couple who announced that they had just got engaged – he proposing as they explored the sacred site. It was a touching moment.

Approaching the “well” we got distracted by the marginal and aquatic plants in the seeps and drains. Encountering a new plant to both of us: Montia arvensis ... colloquially known as Blinks.

Blinks

Water Forget-Me-Not (Myosotis scorpioides)

Marsh Willowherb (Epilobium paluster)

Bulbous Rush (Juncus bulbosus)

Lesser Spearwort (Ranunculus flammula)

Broad-leaved Pondweed
(Potamogeton natans)

Marsh Bedstraw (Galium palustre)

Crossing back to mainland on the tombola our eyes were drawn to the wreck of jellyfish (Aequora vitrina) and a couple of dead Gannet (Morus bassanus) of the latter we worried that they might be an indication of Avian Bird-flu?

Northern Gannet - deceased

Aequora vitrina

Returning to Lerwick we grabbed a couple of pints at The Noost Bar followed by a swift a pint of 60O North at The Lounge Bar. Although welcoming, the latter watering hole was somewhat tired and the few local customers all very much the worse for wear, despite the time of day.

Back at the cottage, we’ve broken the seal on the Shetland Reel and I’m sampling the Tushkar Oatmeal Stout brewed by The Lerwick Brewery so perhaps I should not be too judgemental?