2023 UK Pilgrimage

DAY 1 HOUSTON / FRANKFURT

Depart Houston on Lufthansa German Airlines to Frankfurt.

DAY 2 FRANKFURT / EDINBURGH

Arrive Frankfurt. Change planes to Edinburgh. Arrive at Edinburgh Airport and meet with your driver and English-speaking guide before transferring to Edinburgh City. Discover Edinburgh, the inspiring capital of Scotland, with a panoramic city tour. From the historical closes of the Old Town to the largest avenues of New Town, explore an outstanding city of contrasts and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Along its main
thoroughfare, Princes Street, you will witness the most unique sight of Edinburgh Castle, majestically dominating both Old and New Town. See Colton Hill and its National Monument, rightfully giving Edinburgh its nickname: the "Athens of the North". Visit Edinburgh’s Castel which has been a stronghold for over 3000 years. In its dominating position overlooking the capital city, the grandeur and historical significance of Edinburgh Castle has made it a globally famous icon of Scotland and part of the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site. Sited on top of an extinct volcano, gaining stunning views across the City of Edinburgh, the castle has witnessed many of the defining events of Scottish
history and has dominated its surroundings with majesty for centuries. Captivating visitors with its ancient buildings and marvelous views, it continues to spellbind with its wonderful story. Check into your hotel in Edinburgh for dinner and overnight.

DAY 3 EDINBURGH

The Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption is a Roman Catholic church located in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh, and the mother church of Scots Catholicism. Visit the Palace of Holyrood house, founded as a monastery in 1128, the Palace of Holyrood house in Edinburgh is The Queen's official residence in Scotland and is closely associated with Scotland's turbulent past. Mary, Queen of Scots lived here between 1561 and 1567. Successive kings and queens have made the Palace of Holyrood house the premier royal residence in Scotland. At the end of Edinburgh's Royal Mile and against the spectacular backdrop of Arthur's Seat, the Palace of Holyrood house visitors can explore the 14 historic State Apartments and the ruins of Holyrood Abbey. The Queen's Gallery at the Palace of Holyrood house hosts a program of changing exhibitions from the Royal Collection. Enjoy the balance of your day at leisure. Dinner and overnight in Edinburgh.

DAY 4 BERWICK / BAMBURGH / MORPETH

Leave Edinburgh and travel to Berwick upon Tweed, known for its dominant town walls and cobbled streets, and follow in the footsteps of the ancient monks who built the priory nearly 1,400 years ago. Discover the story of the monks who lived on Holy Island and explore the cult of St. Cuthbert and the medieval manuscript of the Lindisfarne Gospels and the most important centers of early Christians in Anglo-Saxon England.  Stop to visit the Lindisfarne Castle which was originally built to defend and become a holiday home that was renovated by Arts and Crafts architect Edward Lutyens in the early 20th century. Continue to Bamburgh and see the Bamburgh Castle and the seat of the kings of Northumberland that stood guard above the coast for thousands of years. See St. Aidens Church founded by St. Aiden “The Apostle of Northumberland”, built in 635. St. Aiden was called by King Oswald to establish Christianity in his new kingdom. The church exemplifies the excellence of the stained-glass windows in both modern and Victorian, one of the first is the Grace Darling memorial window. Head to your dinner in Morpeth for dinner and overnight.

DAY 5 MORPETH / ALNWICK / THE VILLAGE OF ALNMOUTH / DURHAM

Depart this morning to Morpeth known for its cobbled streets and spectacular coastline, which was featured on a film location in both Harry Potter and Downton Abbey. Drive to Alnmouth to celebrate Mass. Alnmouth Priory is set high up on Bracken Hill overlooking the sea. It was originally a private house but the Franciscan brothers arrived in 1961. The house is situated in its own beautiful gardens at the entrance to the charming village of Alnmouth. We will round off the day with a well-deserved drink in the charming Red Lion Pub in the village. After an orientation tour of the city, drive to Durham and to Ushaw College for dinner and overnight.

DAY 6 DURHAM / YORK

After breakfast at Upshaw College, we will have a tour of Durham and visit the Durham Cathedral (UNESCO World Heritage Site) which is over 1,000 years old and has the distinction of being built in both the Romanesque and Gothic styles.  lt boasts the first structural pointed arch. As a former Benedictine residence, it has retained some of the most significant surviving monastic buildings. We will visit the tomb of St. Cuthbert whose body arrived here in 995, following the Viking invasions, as well as that of St. Bede, the greatest of all Anglo-Saxon scholars. St. Bede is known as 'The Father of English History' having penned the first history of Britain in 731. Then stop and visit Durham Castle which is a Norman Castle, built in 1072 in the order of William the Conqueror. Visit the Norman Chapel, the Bishop’s Becks Great Hall; a relic of the 15th and 14th centuries. Continue to York and visit York Minister, which is 800 years old, and is a masterpiece of glass and stone. It has more Medieval stained glass than anywhere else in the country. Inside the Lady Chapel is the Great East Window, completed in 1408 the largest expanse of stained
glass from this period in the world. In the north transept is the remarkable Five Sisters Window, each over 53 feet high.  The Minster stands in the heart of the ancient city of York, known for its network of charming, half-timbered, cobbled streets, shops, traditional inns, and old pubs. Head to your hotel for dinner and overnight in York.

DAY 7 WALSINGHAM / LONDON

The shambles is a picturesque old street in York with overhanging, timber-framed buildings, some dating back as far as the fourteenth century. This was the street of the medieval butchers where St. Margaret Clitherow, one of the forty Catholic English Martyrs lived. Her home is now a little shrine, and this is where we will celebrate mass. St. Margaret was cruelly executed for refusing to enter a plea to the charge of harboring Catholic priests. She did this to save her children from being tortured to inform upon her and she was canonized in 1970 by Pope Paul VI. Continue to Walsingham, The villages of Little Walsingham and Great Walsingham house the Catholic and Anglican shrines to Our Lady and are affectionately known as 'England's Little Nazareth'. In '1061 a Saxon noblewoman Richeldis de Faverches had a vision of the Virgin Mary in which she was instructed to build a replica of the house of the Holy Family in Nazareth in honor of the Annunciation. Set in the Norfolk countryside, it has been a place of pilgrimage since the Middle Ages. At the heart of the Shrine is the Holy House containing the famous image of Our Lady of Walsingham. Head to your hotel in London for dinner and overnight.

DAY 8–11 LONDON

After breakfast, the days are free to explore the city on your own! Dinner and overnight in London.

DAY 12 LONDON / FRANKFURT / HOUSTON

Depart at the airport for your flights back to Houston.

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