“The Isles of Orkney. Wild and free in time and space. A purposeful past”

From Yorkshire and the North, to Scotland, the beautiful Orkney Isles, the magical Isle of Mull, back through Durham, Nottingham and home. So many memories, so much to catch up on, so much beauty to embrace. You will notice my write-ups being more concise this time due to the longer quest, though i may add more over time.

Day one: Friday 25th Feb 2022:

  • St Edith Church: Pulverbatch. Shewesbury: A peaceful church of medieval origins, rebuilt in 1853, the west tower in 1773. Lovely energies, set in the heart of the beautiful Shropshire countryside. A Keystone Church. It is said that the Grail was here in 368 AD-450 AD.
  • The Church of the Holy & Undivided: Edale. Hope Valley: Was dark and closed. An earlier church was on the site in 1633 and prior to that a chapel was on the grounds. In 1886 a new church was consecrated. Flickerings, orbs and beams of light were observed. We were not alone on this occasion. A Keystone Church. It is said that the Grail was there from 143 AD-182 AD.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_Pulverbatch

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Church_of_the_Holy_and_Undivided_Trinity,_Edale

Grail Quest Video Link: Craft information and symbolism explained:

St Ediths Church. Pulverbatch.

A two night stay in Kendal

Day two: Saturday 26th Feb 2022:

  • St John the Baptist Church: Skelsmergh. Kendal: Set in the beautiful rolling countryside of Westmorland, built in 1869 on an older foundation. A Keystone Church with good energies. It is said that the Grail was here from 311 AD-368 AD.
  • Holy Trinity Church: Coverham. North Yorkshire: Peaceful but closed. Built 1223 AD. Ancestry Line: Lord Robert De Neville. B.1223 Coverham. Yorkshire. England. D. 6th June 1282. Middleham. Yorkshire. England. 59 years. (21xGGF) 2nd of the ‘New Neville’ line. It is said there is a link here to both the Holy Grail and to Infinity…   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infinity_symbol
  • Malham Cove: Malham. Skipton: Known as ‘Devils Rock’ in times gone by. Interesting ‘happenings’ that very dark night we were there. Aligned energy. Dark void. Moonless sky. The void in space and time. The site of ‘Landings’. Ancestry Line: Lord Maldred Fitz Dolfin. 1157 Raby Castle. Durham. England.1183 Raby Castle. Durham. England. (23xGGF)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skelsmergh

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Trinity_Church,_Coverham

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malham_Cove

Grail Quest Video Link: Craft information and symbolism explained:

St John the Baptist Church. Skelsmergh.

Day three: Sunday 27th Feb 2022:

  • Saint Andrews Church of Scotland: 1 Church Place. Moffat: Donald very kindly specially let us in, as it was closed. Built in 1055 AD on the grounds of an older chapel. Ancestry Line: Lord Gilladomnan of the Isles. 824-885. Dull. Caithness. Scotland (33xGGF)
  • Tweedsmuir Kirk: Glebe House, Tweedsmuir. Biggar: Kept open for us by a kind lady. Built in 1874 Ad on a much older site. Ancestry Line: Lord Gilladomnan of the Isles. 824-885. 61 years. Dull. Perthshire. Caithness. Scotland (33xGGF)
  • Saint Mary of Wedale: Stow. Galashiels. Shut but a beam of Light and an apparitions were seen. Built in1876, but with the chapel according to history being one mile away. It has been claimed that Stow was the scene of one of the victorious battles won by ‘King Arthur’ over the Saxons, and the story also goes that Arthur founded the first church the first church, dedicated to the Virgin Mary. A Keystone Church with connections to the Neville Line. It is said that a chamber below, that is now the church held the Grail from 182-191 for nine years.

https://www.standrewsmoffat.org/visitor-information

https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/peebles/tweedsmuirkirk/index.html

https://www.stowandheriotchurch.org.uk/950847804546.htm

A three night stay in Bathgate. Scotland

Day four: Monday 28th Feb: Rest Day.

Day five: Tuesday 1st March 2022:

  • Rosslyn Chapel: Chapel Loan. Roslsyn: Built in 1446, known all all over the Earthly plane, famous for featuring in films and books and for always capturing the imagination. It still has many secrets and stories yet to tell…  It took 40 years to build and was founded by Sir William Sinclair, the 11th Barron of Roslin and 3rd Prince of Orkney. The Sinclairs and Nevilles are connected, due to them being cousins. The famous ‘Appentice Pillar’ is actually named ‘The Princes Pillar’, the name having  morphed due to a legend in the 18th century. A Keystone Church,  It is said that the Grail was here in 191-217, hidden in a vault beneath the chapel, for 26 years.
  • Uttershill Castle: 10 Pomathorn Road. Peniculk: A ruin undergoing maybe some renovations, as all now behind safety fencing, but still plenty left to see, with amazing views across the valley. Built in 1604 AD. Ancestry Line: Sir Edward Neville (14xGGF) had connections to the area, 1471-1538 (8th Dec) of Abergavenny. Monmouthshire. Wales. Beheaded at Tower Hill. London. Middlesex. England.
  • Kelvinbridge Parish Church: 99 Garriochmill Rd. Glasgow: Built 1899 on a much older site. The area today i feel, has seen much better times, but one gets a feeling that it was lovely in ‘it’s day’. A Keystone Church. The Grail is said to have been here for 14 years from 297 AD- 311 AD.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosslyn_Chapel

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uttershill_Castle

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelvin_Stevenson_Memorial_Church

Day six: Wednesday 2nd March 2022:

  • Dunkeld Cathedral: 10 Cathedral Street. Dunkeld: Closed. Cold. Low energy. The original construction dates from 1574 AD, this building was built  between 1260 AD- 1501 AD. It is not formally a ‘cathedral’ as the church of Scotland nowadays has neither cathedrals of bishops. . Ancestry Line: Connections to Governor Duncan Mac Donachadh, 920 Dunkeld. Perthshire – 965 Battle of Duncrub. Perthshire. Scotland (30xGGF)
  • Blair Atholl & Struan Parish Church: Cold. Closed. Low energy, yet in pleasant enough countryside. The energy lines of the MacAndrews & Nevilles meet here. Ancestry Line: Lord Duncan Mac Donachadh. 949 Atholl. Perthshire. Scotland. 1045 Atholl. (29xGGF)
  • The Church of the Holy Rood: 58 Maule Street. Carnoustie. Cold. Closed. Low energy. Built in 1836 AD, on an older site of a Gothic style chapel. Carnoustie is considered to be the ‘Brighton of the North’. A Keystone Church. The Grail is said to have been here for 15 years from 217 AD-232AD.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunkeld_Cathedral

http://www.scottishchurches.org.uk/sites/site/id/959/name/Blair+Atholl+and+Struan+Parish+Church+Blair+Atholl+Tayside

http://www.scottishchurches.org.uk/sites/site/id/4510/name/Holy+Rood+Episcopal+Church%2C+Carnoustie+Carnoustie+Tayside

A two night stay in Aberdeenshire. Scotland

Day seven: Thursday 3rd March 2022:

  • Holy Trinity Church: 5 Trinty Place. Elgin: Built in 1826 AD with direct links to the Fordham line through marriage via the McAndrews lineage. The church is set right in the middle of the town on a busy road, yet very beautiful and peaceful inside, with some very relevant Craft symbols and features. We were specially let in by the kind Reverend. A Keystone Church. The Grail was said to have been here for nine years from 232 AD-241 AD.

http://www.scottishchurches.org.uk/sites/site/id/515/name/Elgin+Holy+Trinity+Church+Elgin+Grampian

Grail Quest Video Link: Craft information and symbolism explained:

Holy Trinity Church. Elgin.

Day nine: Friday 4th March 2022:

  • Invergordon Parish Church: Castle Road. Invergordon: Very closed and looked very empty too. Built in 1560 AD on an old style chapel site. Where the Sinclair line crosses into the Neville Line.  Ancestry Line: Earl Dungad of Caithness had a connection to the area. 871 AD-910 AD, Caithness. Scotland. (32xGGF)

https://www.invergordonparishchurch.org.uk/parishProfile.html

Day eight: Saturday 5th March 2022:

  • St Fergus Church: High Street. Wick. Very important to Craft. Full of amazing symbolism relating to the Grail and many other aspects of our quests. Has a very ‘tardis’ feel to it. A Keystone Church. The Grail was said to have been here for 56 years from 241 AD-297 AD resting in a lower chamber nearby… Old St Fergus Church and graveyard is also nearby and has a very important significance, and well worth a visit. There are some amazing old headstones and carvings there the see.
  • Dunnet Head: Dunnet Head Lighthouse. Brough. Thurso: At the very end of the UK, spectacular scenery with many points of interest, the very end of the land!. Very wild and windy.

https://canmore.org.uk/site/9136/wick-high-street-old-st-fergus-church-and-graveyard

A two night stay in Thurso

Day nine: Sunday 6th March 2022:

  • The Italian Chapel: Lamb Holm. Orkney. A very pretty and unusual chapel with an interesting history. A point of interest but sadly very closed on this very bright and very cold day.

A four night Stay in Quoloo, Orkney

Day ten: Monday 7th March 2022. Rest Day:

Day eleven: Tuesday 8th March 2022:

  • St Magnus Cathedral: Broad Street. Kirkwell. A magnicant building, full of mystery and history and maybe a few secrets too. Construction began in 1137 and continued for 300 years. A very cold day but could have spent many hours in there. Many interesting headstones nad carvings to be found there and many other fine monuments too.
  • The Ring of Brodgar: Stromness. A national monument, a Neolithic henge and stone circle with world heritage status. Extremely windy and exposed here, but Karl escorted me to the stones as the winds tried to knock me off my feet. ‘Time out of time’ here, and ‘out of our time’ for sure… The stones and the wind hold their own counsel here, for only the few shall really know their tales….

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Magnus_Cathedral

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_of_Brodgar

Day twelve: Wednesday 9th March 2022: Planned visits closed:

Day thirteen: Thusday 10th March 2022. Fare thee well to The Orkneys:

Grail Quest Video Link: Craft information and symbolism explained:

From the Orkney Isles: The Quests so far….

A four night stay in Argyll and Bute

Day fourteen: Friday 11th March 2022:

  • Lochbuie Standing Stones: Isle of Mull. The Isle of Mull is a truly magical place that seems to drift in and out of time. Many riddles and secrets make sense here as the unknown becomes the known to the few. A place where the Ethergilan meets, some say a portal… Sadly part of the stones which would have been ideal for disabled access was on privately owned land, and the public path from the road was a long distance to walk. But see the stones we still did manage too…
  • St Kildas Church: Isle of Mull: Lost in time to all but the astute travellers, but actually built in 1876. A place of interest and understandings. ‘A place of greatness’ with a ‘tardis’ quality and some interesting features both inside and out that could easily be missed. But just who was St Kilda, some say he was a mythical person, some say someone else entirely.
  • Pennygown Chapel: Isle of Mull: Aspects of reality are to be found here, a chapel that drifts in and out of time. It is said that on the sunrise of the day of judgement Pennygowan will rise up from its roots… A very magical place.

https://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=491

https://www.alamy.com/st-kildas-church-lochbuie-isle-of-mull-inner-hebrides-scotland-uk-image385673704.html

https://www.britainexpress.com/scotland/Strathclyde/churches/pennygown-chapel-mull.htm

Grail Quest Video Link: Craft information and symbolism explained:

St Kildas Church. Isle of Mull.

Day fifteen: Saturday 12th March 2022:

  • St Columba Church: Midton Road. Ayr:  Built in 1898 AD on a much older site. Quite an imposing building, on a busy urban road junction, with some interesting stained glass inside. A Keystone Church. The Grail was said to be here  for 17 years from 1509 AD to 1526 AD.

https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/200357049-ayr-st-columba-church-midton-road-ayr-ayr#.Y_5NUx_P1PY

A two night stay in Kilmarnock

Day sixteen: Sunday 13th March 2022: Rest day:

Day seventeen: Monday 14th March 2022:

  • St Cuthberts Church: North Road. Durham: In pretty grounds, built in 31/05/1827 replacing two older chapels but sadly closed for renovations the day we were there. Felt very out of season with current time. Ancestry Line: Lord Uchtred Fitz Maldred. 1075-1120 45 years. Raby Castle. Durham. UK. (25x GGF) A Keystone Church. The Grail was said to have rested here for 36 years from 1473 AD-1509 AD.

https://www.thisisdurham.com/things-to-do/st-cuthberts-north-road-p953671

A two night stay in Worksop

Day eighteen: Tuesday 15th March 2022:

  • All Saints Church: Raleigh Street. Nottingham. Full of interesting and relevant artworks inside. A Keystone Church with Grail clues inside.

Grail Quest Video Link: Craft information and symbolism explained:

Our last days round-up!

Arrive home in Cambridge on Wednesday 16th March after a truly incredible quest where time and tide told their secrets to those whom could see. But does the mystery deepen or become clearer over time?

‘More than one nod to the enigmatic and mysterious ‘Fisher King’ here in St Kildas Church on Mull.

‘The Keeper of Scrolls’

moon.willow@ntlworld.com

Published 23/02/2023