We've been looking after the grandchildren this week, the first week of the school holidays. It's probably the best week to have to look after them, before they get really bored and argumentative and you're wishing they were back at school. We've had a few outings and activities planned, both indoor and outdoor and none of these have involved any great expense.
We decided to make the most of the warm weather on Monday as the forecast for the rest of the week was not looking as good. We headed off to the coast to Heysham Head, which is just south of Morecambe. Richard and I like to visit here from time to time and thought the children would enjoy it too.
The quiet little street of Heysham village is lined with old stone cottages and pots of bright, colourful flowers. There are one or two cafes and a pub, but that is all. The street leads down to the beach, but the tide was in when we arrived, so we walked up towards the headland and the church of St. Peter. This beautiful old church is set in a stunning location overlooking Morecambe Bay.
The oldest parts of the church date from the 8th century and there are some very interesting features.The church was really quiet, but I found a man eating his lunch in the choir stalls. I think he was as surprised as I was. He was apparently 'on duty' so he proceeded to tell us about the church. He pointed out a Viking gravestone and the children sat on the floor whilst he explained the story behind the symbols. I was worried they might be bored but they were quite entranced by his story telling.
Back outside we walked up to the top of the headland to the ruined St. Patrick's Chapel. Here the views across Morecambe Bay are wonderful. The area around here was once a burial site. An interesting feature is the eight stone coffins. This area was excavated during the 1970s and skeletons were found. The skeletons were dated around the 10th century and the bones have now been buried in the churchyard.
I have heard this place described by one of our diocesan bishops as a 'thin place'. This means there is not much to separate the heavenly from the earthly. It's an expression used to describe 'spiritual' places. Richard and I have always felt there was something about this place which was very special. It's a place where you feel very peaceful, very close to God.
We found a place to have our picnic, then we followed a path which led down to a little sandy beach. We had to do a bit of scrambling over rocks to get down there but it was worth it. The children loved playing on the beach and paddling in the sea. Beautiful as it is, Morecambe Bay is a dangerous place with strong tides and quicksands so we didn't allow them to go far.
We made sand castles as always and of course had an ice cream before we went back home. The general opinion from the grandchildren was that they had really enjoyed the whole day, but the best thing was the beach.
