Day 39 of the End to End in 2019 from Bridgenorth to Ironbridge including the first blog dog. Enter Cilla, a black Labrador associated to the Lay Community of St Benedict. My companions for part of the walk on day 39 were members of LCSB.
The walk started at Bridgenorth which is an interesting town. I particularly enjoyed the short trip on the Bridgenorth Cliff Railway which had very little to do with the walk and everything to do with me collecting different forms of transport from Land’s End to John O’Groats.
The whole walk would have been impossible earlier in 2020 due to severe flooding on this section of the River Severn. Temporary flood barriers were erected and people waited to see if these precarious structures would hold back the surges of water that kept coming down the river.
In 1952 the village of Jackfield on the way to Ironbridge had partially collapsed into the river. In 2020 the pubs and houses were once again threatened. The campsite where were stayed at Ironbridge was also in the news: it nestled in the shadow of the old cooling towers of the now disused Ironbridge power station. These were demolished earlier this year changing the view significantly.
The weather in Derbyshire was ideal for a day’s walking where the emphasis is on the sky. There’s always a lot of dogs on the TPT and in some groups more dogs than people. I’m not a very dog orientated person but I try to be friendly even without a waggy tail. Mostly I was just astonished: the sky was so blue, the foliage was so green, God was so present. It was a fantastic day to be praying with the world.
From the remembered bible
Jesus put out his arms as if to embrace them saying ‘Tell them everything and I’ll always be with you’.
Prayer on a clear day from the Transpennine Trail
Risen one,
I hear your call to go beyond blue sky thinking.
The prickle in my sock holds me down.
You hold out your arms.
I risk it, step off and onwards.
The footsteps do not end here:
This is blue sky being.
JAL 14.05.2020 in Longdendale