Pilgrims’ progress

On Good Friday (April 18) I caught up again with the Carlisle group of pilgrims who set off on this year’s pilgrimage by Northern Cross last Saturday (April 12).

Their final destination was the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, off the Northumberland coast, so it meant an early start for me as I left Carlisle at 7.40am to get there ahead of their arrival. FYI the cost of parking at the car park on the island was extortionate at £7.50 for just four hours.

I had been told they were expecting to arrive between 11am and 11.30am, which I took to mean they would set foot on the island then, but it turned out that was when they arrived at the car park on the mainland.

A fellow photographer friend was at the car park where they met up, as he was planning to cross with them, so he was also able to keep me posted as to their progress.

I got chatting to a couple from, Buckingham in Buckinghamshire, who spend time on the island every year around Easter and watch their arrival as well as a German guy who has a holiday home in Northumberland who met the pilgrims during their journey on Wednesday (April 16).

The crossing takes between an hour and 90 minutes so it was well after noon when I spotted what looked like a large group in the haze of the distance.

So I walked out onto the causeway to get a few shots of them carrying their crosses on the long lens as well as a few with the 24mm lens. As there is still seawater lying on top of the sand it always makes for decent shots with the reflections such as the main photo above.

It was good to catch up with a few of the folk who took part at the end of that particular journey and it turned out they faced adversity during the trek including inclement weather conditions, as well as difficult terrain, but they persevered and made it in the end.

I have photographed the event twice in the past, in 2006 and 2017, so it was good to revisit it this year and this time it was good to get both the start and end of their journey.

And it turns out that next year marks the 50th anniversary of Northern Cross so I might cover it again next year as it is such a milestone.

PILGRIMS’ PROGRESS… Members of the annual Northern Cross pilgrimage arrive at the island of Lindisfarne after a week of trekking across the north of England…
PILGRIMS’ PROGRESS… Members of the annual Northern Cross pilgrimage arrive at the island of Lindisfarne after a week of trekking across the north of England…
PILGRIMS’ PROGRESS… Members of the annual Northern Cross pilgrimage arrive at the island of Lindisfarne after a week of trekking across the north of England…
PILGRIMS’ PROGRESS… Members of the annual Northern Cross pilgrimage arrive at the island of Lindisfarne after a week of trekking across the north of England…
PILGRIMS’ PROGRESS… Members of the annual Northern Cross pilgrimage arrive at the island of Lindisfarne after a week of trekking across the north of England…
PILGRIMS’ PROGRESS… Members of the annual Northern Cross pilgrimage arrive at the island of Lindisfarne after a week of trekking across the north of England…
PILGRIMS’ PROGRESS… Members of the annual Northern Cross pilgrimage arrive at the island of Lindisfarne after a week of trekking across the north of England…
PILGRIMS’ PROGRESS… Members of the annual Northern Cross pilgrimage arrive at the island of Lindisfarne after a week of trekking across the north of England…
PILGRIMS’ PROGRESS… Members of the annual Northern Cross pilgrimage arrive at the island of Lindisfarne after a week of trekking across the north of England…
PILGRIMS’ PROGRESS… Members of the annual Northern Cross pilgrimage arrive at the island of Lindisfarne after a week of trekking across the north of England…
PILGRIMS’ PROGRESS… Members of the annual Northern Cross pilgrimage arrive at the island of Lindisfarne after a week of trekking across the north of England…