Special Issue: 24 Pilgrimage Churches
It’s been a while since my last newsletter, I know - and I’m sorry, but I also think I have one of the best excuses ever: I was walking 500 miles, from St Magnus Cathedral in the Orkney Isles, to Durham Cathedral. That’s the length of Scotland, and then a bit more.
If you want to read about the walk itself, and see some of the landscapes around these churches, you can check out the newsletter we sent out on the way.
This, however, is more of a whistlestop tour of some of the churches I visited along the way (because there were a LOT). Some of them we’ll revisit later, in more detail, and for some… well, this is all you’ll see of them from me. There’s a few different denominations represented here, and the churches are marked with initials so you know which is which:
CoS = Church of Scotland
SEC = Scottish Episcopal Church
CoE = Church of England
With that explained, let’s begin at the beginning… In Orkney.
The whole point of this pilgrimage was to walk between St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall, Orkney, to Durham Cathedral, because they were built by the same masons.
St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall (CoS)
The thing about St Magnus Cathedral is that it really does feel like Durham Cathedral, but feral. Built of bright red sandstone, the years of sea air and high winds on the exposed Orkney islands have carved her into a new, stranger, shape.
One of my greatest regrets of the pilgrimage is that I didn’t get to spend more time here, or photograph her properly - but the first day was a 17 mile walk, so we needed to get going immediately after the morning Eucharist… I’ll have to go back!
But we were off! Away through the islands, and then onto a ferry back to the mainland, where we spent days walking through the wilderness, filtering water from streams, and camping on cliff tops, until we reached our next church, and the hospitality that came with it - in Helmsdale.
Helmsdale Church (CoS)
Helmsdale Church of Scotland church is located on a curve of road between two bridges, one over the river Helmsdale, and one over the railway line. The church itself is one large rectangular room, with a raised platform at one end, and a small warren of rooms off of it, which are used for various things, from community events, to storage.
The raised platform contains a central pulpit, emphasising the importance of the Word in the Church of Scotland tradition, and behind it, stained glass windows with burning bushes - the symbol of the church of Scotland.
One of the side rooms contained a huge work-in-progress poppy fall that the whole community, led by the church, were making for the nearby war memorial. Our host Ina was so proud to show us it, and weeks later, when we were almost in England, we found out that she was spending the day showing the same fall to the King (she’d been keeping his visit a secret, even when we were there!)
Kildonan Church (CoS)
Ina then drove us a few miles inland, to see another church that was part of the Helmsdale group - Kildonan Church. This church is alone, in the middle of fields, beside the river, and is almost never used anymore.
The present church was built in 1786, but sits on the site of an original church which was founded by St Donan in the late 500’s or early 600’s.
The small gallery at the back gives a good perspective of the church layout, with that distinctive Church of Scotland central pulpit.
In the windows are a small collection of stained glass, the most interesting featuring a depiction of St Donan himself.
Being a church nerd, I was actually most taken by the entrance door, which featured a beautiful bit of problem solving, in the form of a specially made niche in the wooden panelling, so that the door handle didn’t get slammed into the wall and damage it. So simple, and yet so ingenious!
This area of Scotland was heavily impacted by the clearances, where tenant farmers in the highlands were forced out of their homes by the landowners, in order to make way for more profitable sheep farming, with their homes often burned so they couldn’t return. This created generations of turmoil and began a movement of resettlement towards the coasts, where, having been forced from the land they could attempt to gain a living from fishing instead, despite a lack of knowledge of the sea. This was then followed by waves of movement overseas, too - where they could, once again, farm. A memorial on the outside of the church remembers many of those who moved overseas, including a man who’s Great-Grandson became the Prime Minister of Canada.
St. Columba’s Church, Brora (SEC)
Known as The Tin Tabernacle, St Columba’s was built in 1909 to meet the spiritual needs of people arrving by the railway. Built entirely of corrugate iron, and lined with wood inside, it was meant to be a temporary solution - over a hundred years later, it’s still here!
St Columba’s is, without a doubt, one of the coziest, homeliest, most welcoming churches I’ve encountered, and it was wonderful to spend the night there. After a fire in 2016 it was repainted inside as part of the renovations, and the blue and white colour scheme create such a peaceful and welcoming space, the wooden walls flooded with light from the large windows.
It’s not regularly open, but if you ever find yourself up near Brora, see if you can pop in - it’s absolutely worth a visit!
Dornoch Cathedral (CoS)
I’ve gotta say this now… I’ve got some problems with Dornoch Cathedral. Firstly… she’s not a cathedral anymore. A Cathedral is the seat of a Bishop and the Church in Scotland doesn’t have any Bishops, therefore the most northerly Cathedral in the UK is Inverness Cathedral (Because St Magnus Cathedral isn’t actually a Cathedral either).
Secondly, this display of “gargoyles” is actually a display of grotesques - gargoyles are, by definition, active parts of the drainage system.
Finally, and most importantly, it was all just too messed around in the 1800’s to really be much fun. You see, the Cathedral had been (lightly) burned down in the 1500’s during a feud between local clans, but bits of it were still mostly intact. However, when it came to fix her up a few hundred years later, they knocked down the original aisle and just… built whatever they wanted in it’s place.
Mostly, however, I dislike that the people who funded the ‘restoration’ and rebuilding were the Sutherlands - the landowners who evicted their tenants from the Highlands. The intention was to create a fine burial place, and, though the tomb of the Duke and Dutchess isn’t marked or remarked upon by the interpretation within the Cathedral (an oversight in itself), this place is, in it’s restored form, a monument to the couple. And having just walked through clearance villages, and heard the stories of the descendants of the people they evicted from the hills, as they welcomed us into their homes on the coast… I didn’t really like that at all.
Inverness Cathedral (SEC)
Fun fact for you all - Inverness Cathedral is actually the most northerly cathedral in the UK. How is this possible when you’ve already seen two more northerly cathedrals in this post, you ask? Well, a cathedral is a church that contains a “cathedra”, the seat of a Bishop (it’s literally a chair). The other “cathedrals” we’ve seen so far are part of the Church of Scotland, which doesn’t have Bishops - so although they are called cathedrals, because they were historically cathedrals, they aren’t, really, cathedrals at all. Not functionally, anyway.
Built in the 1860’s, Inverness Cathedral was also the first cathedral to be built in the UK after the Reformation, and was designed to make a big statement on a small (for a cathedral) footprint.
Fortrose Cathedral
Though not on route, our host in Inverness drove us out to see the ruins of Fortrose Cathedral. Built in the late 1200’s, the cathedral fell into decline after the reformation in the 1500’s, and began a steady collapse. After the stone was plundered in the 1600’s to build Cromwell’s citadel in Inverness, all that’s left are the south aisle, and the chapter house.
She’s a beautiful ruin, and certainly worth a visit, if you’re up near Inverness.
St. Michael & All Angels, Inverness (SEC)
Built in the 1880’s to serve a poor area of Inverness, St Michael and All Angels was hit by flooding so often that between 1903 and 1904 the church was dismantled and moved, stone by stone, across the river, to sit in it’s current position.
Like many churches built in slums and areas of deprivation in the 19th century, this church is heavy on the decoration - the intent being to place an inspirational speck of heavenly beauty into the otherwise grim world of the poor.
Dunlichity Church (CoS)
Though only a few miles from Inverness, Dunlichity Church feels like it’s in the middle of nowhere, the valley walls cradling the building and its graveyard.
Though the history of the site dates back many centuries, the current church is no older than 500 years and has been much renovated internally and externally. Internally, plasterboard walls have been erected and the space was clean, white and light, with a beautiful blue concave space framing the central pulpit.
Though the church has recently been closed, and many of the furnishings sold, it still contains the memory of a thriving community within its walls.
Dalarossie Church (CoS)
A walk across the Monadhliath mountains took us to our next church. Though Christian worship has been happening on this site since the 8th century at the time of St Fergus. The current church was built in 1790. Like neighbouring Dunlichity Church this is a simple whitewashed stone structure within a walled graveyard, with a plasterboard interior.
Also like Dunlichity Church this church has been closed, but memories remain all around.
St Mary’s Church, Grandtully
St Mary’s dates from the 1500’s, and though very occasional services are held there, it’s in the care of the Government.
Though, externally, the church resembles a low whitewashed barn, the interior holds something incredibly special: one of only two post-reformation church ceilings still in situ in Scotland.
Added in the 1600’s, the ceiling is an astounding piece of work comprising of dozens of wooden panels depicting everything from noble crests, to the writers of the Gospels, to the day of resurrection, right in the centre.
Amulree and Strathbraan Church (CoS)
Built in the mid 1700’s and refurbished a little over 100 years later, this church sits alone in a stark and windswept landscape.
Peering through the windows you catch a glimpse of the 1905 East window which dominates the space…
And heading in, you can see it in its full glory, as the wind whistles through cracks in the walls, creating ominous noises to interrupt your reverie…
Culross Abbey (CoS)
Founded in the 1200’s, Culross Abbey used to be a Cistercian monastery - now, it consists of a strangely large and rambling parish church, and a collection of ruins.
The ruins are typical, with the memory of old vaults, and aisles of columns.
The parish church, however, is a different story. The nave had been demolished before the reformation, so entry is through what was once a central tower. Once inside the church is cruciform, with strangely wide transepts, divided into different areas.
The strangest section of the church is the Bruce vault, tacked onto the north transept. Cobwebby and dim, it’s full of memorials - the most striking being the one to George Bruce, complete with effigies of his eight children kneeling in front of it.
In complete contrast, the south transept has been renovated into a community space full of cushions, cosy corners, and prayer spaces.
Holy Trinity, Dunfermline (SEC)
Holy Trinity is an Inclusive Church in Dunfermline, with a large church hall (where we spent the night)
By this point in the walk I’d become very familiar with the styles of Church of Scotland vs Episcopalian churches, and this felt very typically Episcopalian in a way that felt homely, and comforting. It was beautifully maintained too - and, as they get a fair few pilgrims, they greeted us with little pilgrim snack packs and bottled of water to take with us on the next leg of the walk. It’s safe to say, I was charmed.
Dunfermline Abbey (CoS)
A short distance away from Holy Trinity is Dunfermline Abbey. This place has the strangest organisational set up I’ve encountered in a church, with the monastic ruins and nave and being run by Historic Scotland, and the Chancel (added in the Georgian era) being run as a parish church.
The nave is a classic chunk of crumbly Romanesque grandeur, but through that illuminated window is a surprise. The chancel is all whitewashed Gothic Revival, with clean lines, and pew-filled balconies.
To the outside the Georgian nature of the tower and east end are clear, tacked on to the much older nave. The tower itself is home to one of the tackiest bits of architecture I’ve ever seen - stone letters reading “King Robert The Bruce” circle the top, advertising it to the world as the King’s burial place.
St Mary's, Dalmahoy (SEC)
Hidden inside the gates of a country house hotel, St Mary’s was built in 1850 to serve the grand family and the servants who lived there.
A classic bit of Victorian church architecture, my favourite part was that each pew cushion was a different tartan!
Denholm Church (CoS)
Further south in Denholm, the Parish Church was established as a Free Church, and it is said, was built of stones carried up from the river by the women of the village.
Compact, and very pink, it’s a charming sort of place.
It’s also a reminder that more churches should have circular windows!
Bedrule Church (CoS)
The Vicar of Denholm is also the vicar of some other churches - and she took me on a late night explore.
Bedrule is closely linked to the Turnbull Clan, with Bishop William Turnbull, the founder of Glasgow University having been born nearby. He’s memorialised by a portrait at the top of the Chancel arch.
Members of the clan from the USA recently paid for a new window to be put in, despite the uncertain future of the church amidst sweeping church closures across Scotland.
Minto Church (CoS)
Minto was a chance for a Church climb, so here’s a look at the little gap between the ceiling and the roof.
And then up into the tower itself.
While up there I found a bat. This is my first belfry bat and I am DELIGHTED.
St Peter’s Church, Falstone (CoE)
Upon crossing the border we stayed in St Peter’s Church, Falstone - our first CofE church of the journey. How many times has it burned down? Way too many. The tower keeps surviving, but the body of the church is much newer.
I don’t know if it’s the friendly welcome from the Warden, or the knowledge that this was a member of the Inclusive Church network, but this is another simple little church with a charming vibe!
St Giles Church, Chollerton (CoE)
We just ate lunch in the graveyard here, but… she’s pretty, so here’s a pic.
Hexham Abbey (CoE)
I love Hexham Abbey, so this is definitely going to be a bigger individual post, which means I’m holding back most of the photos, but for now… check this gorgeous old girl out:
St Michael and All Angels, Witton Gilbert (CoE)
Founded in the 1100’s, and then restored and rebuilt almost constantly across the centuries, this is a charming little church built to save people from making the long journey into the city to attend mass during obligatory and principal feasts.
A real patchwork of a place, the church is home to multiple community groups and services, giving it a comforting lived-in feel some of the fancier churches can often miss out on.
Durham Cathedral (CoE)
Finally, the place we walked 6 weeks to get to - my favourite cathedral in the world. Durham!
And with that completed… regular service should now resume!