St Cuthbert's Way - A Solo Long Way by Michael

We are back in prime hiking season, and for this episode we are going to catch up with Michael on his recent solo hike of St. Cuthbert's Way across Scotland and England. 

We are going to find answers to some of the important questions, such as

• Who is St Cuthbert and why does he have a Way?
• Where can you find the best beer on this trail?
• If you can do it, can I?

We have recently launched a new Substack channel called The Long Ways that gives you the stories behind the trails... and... its free! Follow us and join our hiking community!

For more from our hiking trio, follow us on Facebook , Instagram and coming soon - videos on our YouTube channel.

Have a comment or an idea for an upcoming episode - contact us through our website or email us at hikewithus@thelongwayspodcast.com.

Transcript

…Hello everyone and welcome to the Longways podcast. I'm Devin Windelspecht. And I'm Mike Windelspecht. And we are back. with another trail that Michael, solo hiked, this year So dad here he's been doing two hikes not just one a year.
he's been doing a small solo hike in the spring and then doing our larger, hikes in the fall together…
And so dad you this year you did Saint Huffberg's way Yes Uh-huh order of Scotland and England. and so this is your second solo hike last year there's a episode about it You guys should go listen to it on Hadrian's wall. but this is kind of with your second solo hike You've been going to England a lot for these. but you know let's just let's just get started Tell us a little bit about what is Saint Huthbert's way Where is it Why did you decide to hike it? yeah moves lego?
Well I'll be honest with you Devin I didn't really know very much about who Cuthbert was and by the way you're gonna hear me also call him Cuddy. Okay This is something I picked up on the trail where all of the local people in those areas call him Saint Cuddy. So I saw so if I said the word Cuthbert or Cuddy it's the same thing I thought it was kind of weird having a saint named Cuddy but it kinda grows on you on this trail Uh-huh
I was really looking for another doable you know a sixty mile or so trail over a week or so I really enjoyed the history aspect of hadrian's Wallpath. And so what I picked Saint Tucker's way it was fairly easy to do and I hadn't heard anything of it but I didn't do a lot of work on who St cuffbert was I mean I had some books and I was doing a little bit of reading on it but not to the extent, that it was what I did for hadrian's mhmm I think part of that was because It has this this thing I called you know it it's a they call it a pilgrimage, and it kind of is, okay just in the fact it's walking to this one location called the Holy City, the Holy Island Sorry. And But I didn't know a lot about it So I was doing it for the history and we'll get back on that in a second. but it was basically a way to take a trip this spring I love hiking in England and the United Kingdom and Scotland especially.
it's just because it's easy for us relatively easy getting it out of. Mhmm I'm not fighting any crazy language barriers by myself which could create any sort of problems. and in general okay we're not hiking over the word something that includes the word out in it Okay So…not on yours but on the second one But Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah. Anyways like where where is sync up cuff first way when you're like with with England to Scotland? Yeah So it's got and basically if you had do south from Edinburgh.
Okay You're gonna end up in a town called Melrose, which is a pretty pretty…played a pretty large role in early Christianity. There are several abbeys there which avries and and priorities and things We're gonna keep jumping back and forth in our podcast today. and it was it basically still serves as kind of the center for that area. It's then going to go mostly…
it kinda heads like in a southeast direction. and then basically heads west to the coast to a place called Lindisfarne and Lindisfarne's an island that twice a day when the tides receive you can drive across to It's kind of disappears There's not a causeway but if you only pick pilgrims who walk to it and the interesting thing about the Holy Island as is called this was really the center of Christianity in what is now the United Kingdom. This this was where the the bishops lived. this was really interesting and as St Cuthbert plays a role in that Okay And this this walk is basically a follow-up his life Starting in as a as a monk in Melrose Abbey ending up as the Bishop, of the Lindisfarne or the Holy Island Abby there. So it's it's basically a walk along his his route right So…When did he live?
The the sink hovered? Yeah That was another interesting thing This was he lived he was in this area starting around six fifty AD to to probably the six seventies…
In that time a significant portion at the end he went and lived on a deserted island as a hermit Okay Well he eventually dies to go fight the forces of evil in his head Okay But, he was basically around between six fifty and six eighty So this is a time when you know…this you know the the the border, this border region I'm hiking through was an area of tremendous conflict. Yeah Between the Scotts Vikings you know that group and what would then be the the the Royal groups of of of England? Yeah I mean so this is you know kind of I'm thinking about you know I'm a big video gamer Like I'm thinking about like assassin's creed and stuff where like oh yeah time You know the last viking…or the last kingdom is what it's called I think Yep. which is you know all about like the North conquest of like Scotland and and England and stuff And he was living around that time Right? Yes So this is the time where basically the last kingdom was being recorded in and Eric called Northumbria which is really right here on the border area.
And some of the
things in that show are actually somewhat based upon facts okay not not a lot of it but there were these groups these families which were our border families called the Currs, who were very basically called Reavers okay They would they were they would fight on either side of the bat of the border and kill people So this was a very aggressive time, in this area The Melrose Abbey itself was burned down several times during this. Almost every Abby was sacked in this border region Yeah And so you were kind of hiking back and forth across the England Scotland border at this time Like what? What would like, taking a step back what was the trail like What was this trail like? So it was it was a lot of fun it was not a difficult trail We had a couple you know a couple days with some fun ascents and descents but I really didn't It wasn't something as different It's it's say the Julian way or even what we just did with the Westinian way It was pretty easy It was lots of walking through the countryside
you felt as if you were in some ways walking through the shire again You know these big huge fields big beautiful. I was lucky enough It didn't rain…which is really odd at this time of year compared to what I my previous recording on hadrian's where it never stops raining for ten days This one it didn't rain at all So a couple of the portions of the trail there are notorious were being muddy gorgeous. The trail is very well marked except for the start and finish. Okay again the starts the start one was was obstructed by a some scaffolding That took me some time to figure out that that's when that all started In the end I had to walk up to somebody at the at the Abby at the very end and say where am I done at They go guy goes Most people just go stand over there by a statue. There's no black There's no nothing.
Right I had never put somebody that went you know congratulations you finished you know but this is just like yeah go stand by Puthbert over there It's a statue I'm like okay. So I have a new long seven green statue. Maybe it's cuthbert.
but if the trail itself is really nice went through a lot of really nice little small towns great bed and breakfasts. not a lot of a big road walking mostly back roads farm roads, things like that Just gorgeous Yeah. So tell us a little bit about like the highlights of the trip You you hike for about six days What are some highlights along the along the trail? I'll tell you what one of the big highlights for me was actually learning a little bit about Tupper, okay because because you can't walk this trail without running into him history But the first day I started off I had a chance to go to Melrose Abbey and this is where At least parts of Robert The Bruce are buried Okay. His heart appears to be there Okay And so this immediately put me in the mindset of some of the other things that tease these stuff like watch movies you know books I've read I'm like oh my gosh We're I'm walking in history And the Melrose Abbey was you know, is old And this is you know
and then I walked to the dryburg Abby from there And in some of these some of these Abies and forts and houses and stuff, the history was really the highlight but this is the crazy thing about this. Is that you'd always think this was just medieval history. Mhmm I was walking just outside of lower and I came across a World War two pillbox right alongside the road. And I was thinking why would it be here And when I asked a park attendant person at the other end of it they said because they they wouldn't thought equals gonna be invaded by the Germans in World War II and they basically put fortifications across the entire island. Yeah So so you you're writing history I mean it's it's the same it's the same battlefields it's the places where the the gliders were taking off And so that was a real highlight for me Was really getting to know the history of that region by walking it That I've really enjoyed that whole part of it The second highlight for me by far okay is going to definitely be the people
both that Scott is in the English as as expected or you know they they take travelers in and they make sure they're well taken care of and you know every place I stayed from hotels to bed and breakfasts. The food was great They they provided you all the information If you needed something they got it for you It was just amazing hospitality And the Scottish and English I've met some more regions on the trail a couple Americans. everybody was really there to really just soak in and experience this, you know this pilgrimage path that we're on. Yeah. Like and I think that's kinda like my next question It's like, This is the first time that any of us had kinda like done more of like a pilgrimage kind of thing This one is more based upon like religion you know the history the religion of it, was was there anywhere on the anyone on the trail who was there specifically for religious purposes or did you did you find anything interesting more about like the ancient Christian handy on this hike?
You know, the answer is actually no. Okay I thought that I'd actually be running into people who were we're doing the pilgrimage for some reason. And then I began to learn that the pilgrimage was more less of a of like,
the one in Spain Sorry Keeps the camino Camino. Okay Like which is you know this giant pilgrimage which still use as a pilgrimage now this was more of people who were trying to follow in the steps of what is what was really a very a very great monk Okay He really did a lot of great things for the poor and for healing He lived a very very poor life. he's well known for taking care of animals. he was one of the earliest conservationists. he would just walk everywhere He was a wanderer.
You know you got this guy who's kind of a little early biologist who likes to hike I make some connections there on that but I don't see any people doing the pilgrimage. Right people were curious about it And in most towns you stopped in there's gonna be some sort of reference back to Cuddy Okay What you know how's how's this building fit in But it really wasn't until the end when I really started to learn that the reason why they were going to this Holy Island was this was the center for Christianity. This is where Christianity basically takes root okay in what's not the United Kingdom okay in places like Melrose and Dryburg and others were outlined areas which were then unfortunately, you know having problems with being destroyed Okay…
So it what it didn't have that huge religious feel to it You may find it in other pilgrimages. Right But it was more of acknowledging this really down to earth monk who becomes a saint not because he dies horribly or something Yeah Unfortunately the way some scenes. But because he basically took care of nature. Okay He took care of a a people of the poor, and he just tried to spread Christianity through love And it was really pretty amazing that that's why that was there Mhmm Mhmm Mhmm I mean, this is now your you know taking a step back here This is now your your second hike through England I've been kinda like a historical hike You know the first one being hatred, this one being Saint Cuthberts. You know…a lot of our trails that we hike they have a historical aspect like Mhmm.
Turkey and Delycian way We were hiking to like these ancient city states and Roman ruins you know, the Julian Alps We were like on the borders of like local one and that kind of stuff…
But it really feels like your your hikes in England these solo hikes you have have a big historical element to them. And I kind of want to take a step back and be like what are you learning about kind of England and the British Isles…from these hikes Like what…what kind of you know better understanding of the history of this are you gaining? Well I'll be honest with you I'm I'm re learning history You know I mean the aspect of history that I've been taught is is just you know one one view of it And Mhmm I think is is placing yourself in a place where the the history defines the people more than anything else It's it is it's their culture It's who they are. Every single person I ran into had a story for me not about something that happened hundreds of years ago. Right I mean times would be there's a lot of stories about things that happened before there was a United States or in America.
And so…I think it really is what I what I like about…about these types of hikes is is that you you can kind of immerse yourself in the time. I stayed in in,
in war Okay I stayed in a very a hotel which was built four hundred years ago. Yeah And I think they put the internet in four hundred years goes everywhere. I mean the entire house there Right But but I mean it was just you know I'm staying in places at four hundred years ago people who were moving through with you know with goods and stuff would have stopped as a tavern and had a drink Like you see that you talk people talk about it was in this building Right You know Yeah Yeah The tanker the tankerville in. So it's just experiencing it and seeing it remember when we were on Valencia Way and we go to walk through Olympus. Mhmm And next thing you know you're standing in…I mean that was that was Greek Okay But it was definitely built by earlier by the phoenicians right So Yeah so it…you get another whole feel for history when your feet are on the same spot that these people's feet were on…
Do you think you're gonna do another one next year? I would like to do the lake district Everybody keeps telling me it's a it's a wonderful one One to do The coast to coast would be fun but I don't think I solo like it is that's a that's a longer as two hundred something miles. There are some offshoots and some other ones I looked at Be honest with you what I think I may do next time is I may go back and do a couple of the ones back over in Ireland too Just because we had we had one really you know interesting experience there and I think that would be an amazing, thing to do I think I will go back. I'd like to go back with with definitely you and Eric and you know type portions of hadrian's, you know or I do like a history you know series of small history hikes…it was just pretty pretty amazing. Yeah Some of the castles and fortified houses and stuff that came across And remember hadrian's and Peth Burt's are probably not separated by too much time.
Right Yeah. Well I mean there's probably less time between Cuthbert and Padrian than there is between
Austin Cuthbert at this point. Oh gosh Yes Yeah Definitely yeah Yeah I mean hadrian I mean hadrian was you know long gone obviously but it it it wasn't. It you know he one of the places we know that Cuthbert won was Hexom Okay Which is basically a wall street that I actually went through on Hadrians I remember how old that was and he would have made a a pilgrimage or a visit there to walk over to that He he several times He went back and forth from there So I mean they were well he was well aware of the Roman you know aspect of things It wasn't what he was getting. Well let's take a quick break right here and then we'll be right back…
Hi everyone This is Devin from the Longwis podcast. I just wanna talk a little bit about our sub stack that we're also publishing. We host it every two weeks or so and it's just a little place to go a little bit deeper into the stories on the trail some of the history, some of the curious moments, some of the times I just made a stop and think about what's really going on kind of behind the scenes of the trail You know where the stories here was the history of the place…but it's from the characters on the trail. So they're not very long They only are about six hundred to eight hundred words which takes you about five to eight minutes to read it also includes some of our great photography from the trail from our wonderful Eric. That's something that would interest you Go check it out You can find it at the long ways dot substack dot com.
Once again there's long ways dot substack dot com. Alright Back to it…
Okay And we're back. you know we're kinda like coming towards the end of the of the podcast here But for someone who wants to hike Saint Cuthberts what are what are three things that you would recommend that they that they pay attention to? Well I think the first thing if you're gonna hike anywhere in the United Kingdom in in April be prepared for the weather. even even though Cussport does not have any large elevation changes I think the the biggest elevation change I'd have during the day is four hundred meters There I remember it was it was very cold rain a very cold rain of wind a little bit of rain on it We ended at the top of some of those hills at four hundred before you got back down the valleys again. So definitely once again you know…I did hadrian's last year and it was solid water and it was dry and warm this year So it's it's typical Be prepared…and be prepared not just because traditionally the weather is supposed to be that way at all Right…
The other big thing I would tell people is it is not a technical trail Okay So it is is pretty easy to solo like it you're never far from a town or anything like that But I think one of the mistakes I made the first day was if you take it over five or six days you have plenty of time to walk. You're not site to site walking There's so much to experience take a leisure pace. Mhmm Right Really like like if you're gonna like stop by the Abby and dry bird even though it's not right there on the trail Right? it's worth to forty five minutes to an hour to walk through it You know, try try to get to the town You know if you get to town a little bit early go go find something downtown like, to go find a little more. there's an amazing little town there So I think there's all sorts of things to make sure you take a very leisurely pace with this one because of it.
The other thing I've saved that the only challenging thing I found with
this is we've I use Max Adventures again who is absolutely fantastic And thank you Max okay for trail number eight Okay. that that I'm doing is…
the depending on what time of year you go, accommodations can be kind of difficult. Mhmm Okay Because you're in very small towns And so what happens is a lot of these hiking groups will actually set up some logistics okay of you know we'll have a cab pick you up and bring you over to this town where you spend the night and come on back. They do a great job of that Okay But plan your day you know to, accordingly Right You know you wanna be there a few minutes before the cab obviously but don't wanna be there like you know the two hours earlier you don't have a lot to do right during you know seeing one side of the road So the logistics of also getting into Melrose and then back from Holy Holy Island can be a little bit different a little bit difficult So definitely plan out each day where you need to be And if if at some point in time you have to contact a cab or something in advance or a transport company or something because some of them will say like an hour out give you a call. Well one day I didn't do that And I got there and I called them They said it'll be an hour before we come get you Yeah Right And I said well, I'm gonna sit here You know I can't do anything about it So I would say that little bit of
a little bit of logistics was there. so I would say those are really the three things and then read something about Cuthbert I have this great book Okay I'll put it up on our website Just called Saint Cuthbert's Way the official died by Ron Shaw. It's easy easy to follow It gives you enough of history so you can carry it with you and just kinda get a feel for oh that's what I just saw right there And this and and then do a little bit more work on it Research on it…
Well I mean I guess the last the last question for you is where did you get the the best pint of beer…
Well I'm gonna have to say it was in Scotland. Okay
once again and some of them had very local brewers associated with them I was up at a place called the Manor House. and and Kirk Yacom. I'm sure I'm butchering that name because I I my gosh I got corrected on names all the time Uh-huh. Yeah I would say a name and they're like that's not how you say it I'm like okay Okay I'm in New England Yankee. So, you know but anyways it was a Kirk Yat home And I was up on sitting a little bit out of town, and there was a place called the Manor House and I went in there and they not only had the best cold beer up there Okay And it was just I think it was Charlesburg…They may have had a local one there as well but also they had the best fish and chips I think that ever had on the entire planet.
so yes I found some great clubs. My problem as we've learned before is on this hike you do cross through some some towns…
you know like in mid in the middle of the day…
Yeah Okay and chances are there could be a pub in there So you know that that could you got billed in the time for that If you're gonna be you know pub crawling on the middle of St Customers So…
Perfect. Well I think that's a good place to to call it close here Dad well once again I'm Doctor Wendell Spect And I'm Mike Wendell Spect And we will see you at Scotland in two months. Exactly. So keep an eye out keep an eye out for our sub stack as we said earlier. and we will have more for you guys to come…Hey everyone Before you go in addition to our new sub stack we've also been working hard to get some of this amazing video we've been generating on these trips up on our YouTube channel So if you're a YouTube follower go over and find us on the long ways podcast, and check us out Are gonna be posting a lot of shorts from some of our trips up there in the next couple weeks especially about seeing covers way where we're starting from So I'll see you there as well Thank you.