Leaving the Shire

Celtic Hag Pilgrimage - Day 11 May 1, 2024 Croagh Patrick ⛰️ There’s something poetic about a woman summiting Croagh Patrick by herself on Beltane. #croaghpatrick #solofemalehiker #irishpride #beltane #emeraldisle #stpatrick

Celtic Hag Pilgrimage - Day 10 Knock Knock! Kildare. St. Brigid’s Cathedral wasn’t on our original itinerary. I think it’s safe to say this last minute add was a trip highlight for every single pilgrim on our bus. From the divine feminine badassery that’s sewn through the legend of St Brigid to the warmest welcome we received from the staff to the incredible music we shared in this sacred space (plus knights with monkeys) this is a day that will stay with me forever. The audio used for this clip features the cathedral’s Cantor sharing the Lord’s Prayer in Irish ☘️ #motherdaughter #motherdaughtertrip #divinefeminine #divinefemineenergy #stbrigid #kildare #irishpride #dailydiary #traveljournal #videodiary #1se #1secondeveryday

Celtic Hag Pilgrimage - Day 9* Dublin, Ireland 🇮🇪 First time in Ireland and I am forever changed. Pulling into port gave a particulay pilgrammy context to the day. Our new driver Brian is the sweetest little man who tells constant winding stories in his perfect Irish accent. We had a wee tour of the city before parking near Trinity College for a bite of lunch and The Book of Kells experience. You couldn’t film much in the exhibit but the library as you exited took my breath away every bit as much as the ancient book. St Patrick’s for self guided tours and evensong. The sun came out just long enough to paint the inside of the cathedral and the knight helmets with stained glass flashes. Our hotel was RIGHT alongside an old pub called The Bleeding Horse. I went for a pint o guinness and found a full blown trivia night. Most of the questions were about American pop culture haha. Sad not to have another night in Dublin but looking forward to every moment in Ireland. #motherdaughtertrip #pilgramage #dublin #bookofkells #1se #1secondeveryday #videodiary #videojournal #traveljournal #dailydiary

Celtic Hag Pilgrimage - Day 8 Snowdonia National Park & St Winifred’s Well ⛰️⛲️⛰️ Back into Wales we go! The briefest of rest stops at Llangollen gave us just enough time to marvel at the River Dee and pick up lunch before heading onto the Snowdon Mountain Cog Railway. Llangollen made me homesick for Skowhegan, ME and Snowdon made me homesick for Mt Washington in NH. The day ended with a hurried trip to St Winifred’s Well which felt more haunting to me than holy. It’s an experience I’m not sure I’ll soon forget. Checking into our “hotels” in Holywell devolved into an oh-this’ll-be-a-funny-travel-story-someday adventure, but the nuns were the sweetest humans I’ve ever met. The food was good, the beds were comfy, and the roof was solid. Not much more a pilgrim can ask for. (I guess Wi-Fi? But I’m getting caught up on video diaries now in Knock so it all works out in the end!) Sad to be leaving Wales. #motherdaughtertrip #snowdon #snowdonia #snowdonianationalpark #wales #1se #1secondeveryday #dailydiary #videodiary #traveljournal

Celtic Hag Pilgrimage - Day 7 Wales, what do we have here? Up and out of Swansea and onto St David’s to visit St David’s Cathedral and what remains of his mother’s little chapel. The skies cleared just enough to have our boxed lunches at the Bishops Palace (or just outside what’s left of it) The hike through the town and out to the bluffs finally felt like true pilgrimage. I could have spent a few hours along those trails, easily. Wales is full of campers, converted vans, and campsites (we passed a sign for a campsite called “Cozy Under Canvas Campground). Wish I could have met all of them! We cruised through Brendon Beacons National Park on our way to Hereford (where hurricanes hardly ever happen), passing soggy sheep and spring lambs all along the way. Visiting Snowdonia National Park tomorrow! #wales #motherdaughtertrip #stdavids #stdavidscathedral #stnonschapel #nonita #celticchristianity #pilgrimage #dailydiary #videodiary #traveljournal #1se #1secondeveryday

Celtic Hag Pilgrimage - Day 6 Croeso i Gymru 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Today we left Canterbury and made our way to Wales! Winchester was the only stop we made to break up 7 hours worth of driving — and I honestly didn’t know what to expect. Cathedrals can often be as garish as they are ornate but I saw some of the most beautiful art I’ve ever seen today at Winchester Cathedral. From reconstructed stained glass mosaics to embroidered golden apples. My favorite was the figure we happened upon in the Crypt. “Sound II” by Antony Gormley. Paid a gentle visit to Jane Austen’s final resting place to thank her for words like “thither” and “felicity” then bought a copy of Sense & Sensibility in the gift shop. I wish we could have stayed longer to explore the town but we had to start making our way to Wales. We’re settled in for the night in Swansea. Every wall of this hotel has a Dylan Thomas quote on the wall. Headed on to St David’s tomorrow! Nos da! #motherdaughtertrip #janeaustenfan #winchestercathedral #swansea #dailyvideo #dailydiary #videodiary #traveldiaries #travelvlog #1se #1secondeveryday

Celtic Hag Pilgrimage - Day 5 Final day in Canterbury, Kent, England Early morning Eucharist basically in the crypt of the Cathedral followed by a little service to commemorate Anzac Day. Then the day was ours! Around the corner form the cathedral, we visited the Roman Museum (all of Canterbury is built atop the ruins of the Roman settlements in Briton. This museum is down at the level of the structures that would have been here almost 2000 years ago. There’s even a preserved, heated! mosaic floor on display as it was found after a WWII bombing hit Canterbury) it was the perfect stop to round out the history we’ve been learning about this area. Plus we learned a new game: “petteia” Pies and Guinness for lunch at the Old Weavers Inn. Picked up my very own copy of the Canterbury Tales. Then we headed back to the cathedral once the school groups and consecration of the Bishop crowds had thinned out. Dinner at the Old Buttermarket where we ran in to our fellow Kiwi pilgrims. Three days in Canterbury was exaaactly right. On to Wales tomorrow by way of Winchester! #canterbury #canterburycathedral #canterburytales #motherdaughtertrip #1se #1secondeveryday #videodiary #dailydiary

Celtic Hag Pilgrimage - Day 4 Canterbury Tales cont. Nunthing to See Here A lovely breakfast at Canterbury Lodge fueled us up for a full day of on-and-off-the-bussing starting with Chilham. This quintessential old English town is little more than a town square and a High Street. The posted map of the town makes sure to point out the Chilham Castle, St Mary’s Church, and the two pubs! Next, at Minster, we met Mother Nicola of St Mildreds Priory of Benedictine Nuns. The giiiiift of history (and humor!) she shared with us could fill a library of books. Five minutes away, comically closer to the current road than the shoreline, we found the Celtic cross monument that marks the supposed site where St Augustine first landed in England. Fittingly, we finished the day with the statues that depict King Ethelbert informing Queen Bertha of St Augustine’s arrival. We had a little time to explore the streets of Canterbury before Evensong back at the cathedral where the Arch Bishop of Canterbury himself was in attendance. These days are exhausting in all the best ways they possibly can be. We’ve got a full day of freedom to explore Canterbury tomorrow. What should we do?! #canterburytales #canterburycathedral #pilgramage #motherdaughtertrip #celticcross