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Rotherham Minster

I read another blog post which started, "There comes a time in everyone's life, when one simply must go to Rotherham." And I thought that was such a good first line that I've nicked it. I had not, it is true, previously given much consideration to going to Rotherham. Then I worked out that Sheffield Cathedral and Rotherham Minster were not far apart, and the train ride from Derby was reasonably cheap. Moreover, my cousin Vicky lives in the area and I could pay her a long-overdue visit. Great, I thought, I'll schedule a trip in a few weeks' time. On Friday morning I looked at Rotherham Minster website and discovered that the church isn't usually open on Saturdays, but there was a Community Day the very next day. A bit of hasty texting later, and I had a plan: Rotherham Minster in the morning, Sheffield Cathedral in the afternoon, and Vicky would meet me in Sheffield city centre after that. Rotherham Minster The train to Sheffield was busy but uneventful. A...
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Bradford Cathedral: A marvel in miniature

My family think it's hilarious. I seem to have a gift for finding people who are doing weird and wonderful things. Cycling across all the OS maps in the UK ( Mark Wedgwood ). Going to Rome on a 50cc moped called Rocinante ( Chris Webb) . Walking 3700 miles in Wales to raise awareness of ovarian cancer ( Ursula Martin )  And building a scale model of Bradford Cathedral ( Michael Scott ). Michael Scott's main hobby is constructing an N-scale railway layout of a fictional West Yorkshire town called Chandwell. I forget how I first found his YouTube channel; I think it was shortly before Bradford Cathedral asked if he would turn his talents to producing a model of the building, as part of Bradford's year as City of Culture. He said yes, thinking it would take about nine months. Two years and many fascinating videos later, he finally unveiled the finished artwork at the cathedral. I had to be there. It helped that Graham's sister and brother-in-law live just outside Bradford...
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Cathedrals and Minsters

Cathedrals have always been in the business of getting people to visit them. Back in the Middle Ages, saints' relics were a big draw, as was having the very latest in pointy Gothic architecture. These days, they host concerts, invite you to experience the sun or moon , and have cafes in the cloisters. moon at Lichfield Cathedral One of the latest wheezes from the Association of English Cathedrals is the Pilgrim Passport . This neat blue booklet enables you to collect stamps from each cathedral you visit. Sucked in by the idea of pilgrimage and the prospect of yet another tick-list to complete, I purchased a passport and set out. My first job was to review the list. There are 42 English cathedrals, not including Westminster Abbey (which is a Royal Peculiar) and Peel Cathedral on the Isle of Man. Wales has six, and Scotland technically has none, as its church has no bishops.  For some reason I was also interested in minsters, which is a more nebulous category. Originally the word mea...
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Derwent Valley Heritage Way: Darley Dale to Matlock

My final walk based on the Portway had taken me neatly back to the Derwent, so that I could finish off with one more section of the Derwent Valley Heritage Way. I knew Darley Dale had a 2000-year-old yew tree; I also knew I could get an ice cream in Matlock. That was the two ends sorted. Now to join up the middle. view over the Derwent Valley There is a small free car park near Darley Bridge (card machine on a stick if you feel moved to make a donation). I set off up the lush, large valley of the River Derwent, heading northwards at first to reach St Helen's Church. The yew was fenced off. There were iron railings close around the trunk, and temporary mesh panels blocking the path. To these, someone had affixed a peevish handwritten note: "Quite obviously there is no danger  on this closed-off path." I was expecting the tree to be hollow-trunked and propped, like the specimen at Doveridge , but instead it had a fat, solid-looking trunk and relatively compact crown. Agreei...
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