Nice bit of shelter

St Cuthbert’s Cave, or as it is known locally Cuddy’s Cove, is an overhanging outcrop of sandstone supported by an isolated pillar. An impressive cave in the middle of nowhere and perfect to provide shelter for a small group. Very welcome then, one would have thought, for a group of monks traipsing round Northumbria carrying the body of St Cuthbert after Vikings had destroyed their monastery. Well, that’s the legend anyway. It was worth the walk to find it.

We set out with two aims this morning:
Gordon wanted to go to St Abbs Head to see birds and I wanted to find St Cuthbert’s Cave. We did both, but in between we came across a few unexpected and interesting things:
 
*   We discovered St Abbs, a tiny harbour with a lovely little café.
*   We saw a pub that was not really a pub as it was part of a film set
     (filming starts on Tuesday in St Abbs)
*   I discovered that St Abbs got its name from Aebbe, the sister of
     Oswald, King of the North (the book I am currently re-reading). She was
     Abbess of a monastery on that rugged coastline, founded in 635AD.
*   We came across the remains of a huge Priory in Coldingham, which have
     been lovingly restored and made into a garden for the community, with a
     specially commissioned seat for sitting and thinking, – that’s the way to 
     care for and respect such precious sites – linking the past with the 
     present and saving it for the future.
 
   
A good day all told . . . and we dodged the showers.