Apuldram to Slindon via Chichester

Today started out a bit strange. As you may remember I stayed at St Mary's in Alpuldram (pronounced "Appledram") for two nights in the hall, which was completely either fully refurbished or a newly built extension in exactly the same style. The key was in a key save, so after attending Sunday morning 8am communion service, I did not see any one of St Mary's any more! As I could lock it up myself...

So this morning I left for Chichester first, but as I had already been yesterday (for Christ Church open air service and a visit the Cathedral), I thought to take a different route. But half way to Chichester I met this lady walking her dog and picking blackberries. I do not think this year's crop is very nice, they're small and not very sweet, due to the lack of rain. So after saying hello, I asked if they were good? They were OK she said and I walked on. Then she called after me: Are you going to Chichester? Because, if so the path later on has been ploughed over and you have to cross the A27 (no tunnel or bridge). As that did not feel very save to me I thanked her and went back to walk on the road to Chichester.

 

She must have followed me, as she caught up with me at a big roundabout. Yes, she's going the same way, so we walked up together, making conversation. Her son sang in the Cathedral Choir and so she attended often. I don't have a faith, though. Me: I hope you get infected! After that had to explain the differences the Anglican Church & the URC, and just before the city centre she went another way to go home. It was a nice meeting to walk together for a time, knowing that we will probably never meet again. 

 

Afterwards, I was thinking of this encounter: When she caught up with me at the roundabout,  I was surprised to see her again. "Are you looking after me?" "Yes", she joked, "I am your guardian angel, by Divine appointment!"  (She already knew I was doing a pilgrimage). She may have been joking, but through her I changed my route, maybe less exciting but safer. So did God sent her? If so, thank you, God, for the correction and providing a bit of company. And I hope it makes her think too, about her faith.

I walked this time through the Bishop Palace Gardens to the Cathedral. This was a lovely route and approach:

And then you also see the south door, which is a fine Romanesque example 

But then I had to walk through the City Centre, which I had already seen yesterday, through the outskirts heading north-east to Boxgrove. Mainly road walking, so not very interesting, but warm and tiring. I passed a Rolls Royce factory, and the Goodwood estate, known for the classic car motor races and exhibitions. Maybe be they don't like footpaths, as every road consists of asphalt!

Rolls Royce:

Goodwood:

Road walking:

At Boxgrove there is the Priory Church of St Mary and St Blaise

 

They have a nice example of a labyrinth in the floor:

 

 

Unlike a maze you cannot get lost in a labyrinth. It is a confusing and roundabout journey but you will always get to the centre. A bit like a pilgrimage? 

 

Near Eartham I had gone up a bit and so could look back over the fields to still see the Cathedral Spire, leading to a nice few of the village :

 

It is a small hamlet (but with a large private school) so the church is small too.

 

 

I finally got to Slindon. Also a very small village and the Church Warden came to explain the proceedings for the night.

 

 

this is for tonight my bedroom!

 

What the Church Warden forgot to say is that it was bell-ringing practice this evening. In house entertainment! 

Stats:

The tracking stopped at Eartham, you'll need to probably add another 2.5m. 

Sunday in Alpuldram and Chichester

As it was Sunday, here's one picture of Chichester: an open air serve in Priory Park of the Chichester Christ Church, a joint Methodist/URC Church

It was good to worship with them! 

Havant to Alpuldrum

Thoughts today have been invariably drawn to death and dying, as, even on pilgrimage, I cannot escape the news regarding the death of Queen Elizabeth & and especially today's  proclamation that Charles has become King. 

In my quiet time this morning I have been reading the story of Joseph, his brothers and his father. Here we've come to the end of the story, where Joseph has invited his family to live in Goshen, Egypt to escape the famine. 

And father Jacob is presented to Pharaoh:

Gen 47:9 And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty. My years have been few and difficult, and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers.” 

Jacob describes his live as a pilgrimage. Being on pilgrimage as I am now, becomes an illustration of life. But what I find that, although I have planned all the overnight stays, I can only think of today : where will I sleep tonight? (St Mary's Alpuldram). Do I need to call them? What are the arrangements for food etc? It's actually quite freeing not to have to think further than today.

I also listened this morning to Lectio 365, and they included the following reflection:

 

"At the burning bush God reveals himself to Moses as ‘I Am’ - the eternal God of the present tense. Many people today try to find God in the past - in dead religious traditions, or in the history of revivals, or in their own previous experiences - but He is no longer there. Others try to find God in the future - continually on the brink of a breakthrough, perpetually praying and prophesying about something so much better than the moment they are in. But God can only ever be encountered here and now, in the present moment. It never gets more real than now. "

I think that the feeling I have for this pilgrimage is that : to find God today. And then my bible app showed the following verse: "even to your old age I am he, even when you turn gray I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save." Isa 46:4

I am carrying a heavy back pack, but it gets easier with practice and improved condition, but I could not carry myself. Fortunately I do not have to, as God does. And with that knowledge let us then try to focus in today, not tomorrow or yesterday, but today, as that is where we are and God is. 

One church today that I spent quite a lot of time with is St Mary's in Chidham, which is one of the Peninsulas in Chichester Harbour. 

This is the birthplace of St Cuthman, whose story is that he was called by God to start a new church. He then took his dependent mother in a cart-like wheelbarrow and carried her al the way to Steyning, where he started a new church! Another form of pilgrimage and he may well have followed the Old Way as later in the week I will also hope to stay in to Steyning 

The following is a detail of a recent stained glass window and icon of St Cuthman:

 

 

This is the full window:

 

They also had Teasel Men made for and by the children for the church's jubilee depicting the history of England. Here are a few:

 

And of course one for Elizabeth, with the sign quickly amended. 

For those who like textiles, this is Chidham's version of the parish in textile:

 

Churches were busy today, signing of the condolence registers, ride and stride and also a wedding in Bosham. This meant that not only were churches open but there were people to make everyone welcome. That was a nice change! 

Bosham has a road that floods with high tide - you have to be careful with parking there! Here's a photo of  near-high-tide and after wards;

 

Just a few hours different. 

Tonight I am sleeping in a Sanctuary church at Alpuldrum, just south of Chichester.

 

 

Tomorrow is Sunday and I will have a rest day. Go to church here at 8am and then probably walk to Chichester without a heavy bag pack! But as I will have a rest I will also not do a blog. I may just post one picture... 

Talking about pictures, here are a few of today's walk and sunset afterwards... Enjoy. 

 

And the usual stats:

 

Wickham to Havant

My hosts dropped me off again this morning in Wickham, and from there I walked to Southwick. 

Walking is well away from the coast now, so everything looks more rural. This long stretch of straight footpath in between fields could be called 'The Pilgrim's Highway'. 

 

I could therefore make good time and arrived first at a small village Boarhunt. With a small village comes a small church: St Nicholas:

A lovely little church. In the porch someone had left a card and a bunch of tulips on the floor in the porch.

As I sat down for a break, a lady came in with the card & the flowers. Turned out that this was in memory to the Queen. She arranged them nicely in the 12th C baptismal font. 

After that Southwick. Everywhere lots of signs with Southwick Estate, and "no entry". In Southwick there's the church (St James).

 

Very nice and bright. Note also the condolences register for Queen Elizabeth. 

Southwick is known as the place where the army commanders for D-Day were based :

Only one wall remains of Southwick Priory, it was an excellent lunch stop:

 

From there the journey continued to Havant, and autumn signs are visible:

 

But forest makes place for towns, so quite a bit is now through housing estates or in between schools, recreation grounds and parks :

And in between signs of human suffering and death. These two impromptu memorials were only five minutes apart:

A good reminder that as the country is mourning the death of its monarch, other people die too. Loved ones in a smaller circle, but both in the prime of their lives... 

On the outskirts of Havant, my first Catholic Church. 

It probably was Anglican before, as the Church is is older than 2007.

Havant's town centre church is St Faith's, hidden behind trees. 

 

Fortunately, someone made a maquette so we cam still appreciate it:

 

And finally Havant URC, my final destination of today! 

 

As usual some more details of today's walk:

The mileage and hours are not correct, as my app stopped recording a number of times...