Last year money was raised for County Durham Foodbank by Emmanuel Church cycling club on their Coast to Coast Cycle adventure. This year on the 3rd of May, eleven of them will become pilgrim cyclists departing from Holy Island, where Cuthbert spent most of his life, to embark on a journey which will end 36 hours and 125 miles later, with them touching the Sanctuary Knocker of the door of Durham Cathedral in aid of County Durham Foodbank.
The journey will take them via Bamburgh Castle, Seahouses, Craster and on to an overnight stay in Warkworth. This part of the journey is believed to be the coastal route used by clergy and monks to travel to Tynemouth in past times.
Leaving Warkworth, they cycle to Blythe via Druridge Bay onto Tynemouth to cross the Tyne to South Shields by ferry. Then they head down the coast to Sunderland, via Whitburn and then on to visiting St Peter's church at Monkwearmouth, which is the oldest church still still in use in England, and where Bede, at seven years' of age, dedicated his life to God.
Thence they travel along the Wear to Chester-le-Street, where there has been a worshipping Christian community since 883 AD. It was at Chester-le-Street that monks from Lindisfarne, bearing the body of Saint Cuthbert, built a shrine which became, for more than a century, the Cathedral of the Kingdom of Northumbria.
The final leg of their journey takes them via Finchale Abbey to Durham Cathedral, where both Bede and Cuthbert are laid to rest.
Please accept our sincerest thanks for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.