Lastingham and Rabbit pie

Lastingham Church

Today we went back to Lastingham village, again to see the church of Cedd and to have rabbit pie but it was not on the menu, they sold frozen ones so we shall eat a pie tomorrow for tea.  Left Whitby in a mist and then ascended over the moors in a complete fog, so that we had to drive carefully for about 10 miles without another car in sight, until one came upon us unexpectedly - no lights and grey colour, just missed them.....

Descending into the dales and Rosedale the world turned magically into a beautiful spring day, thick clusters of cowslips, primroses, starwort all along the banks, and masses of other flowers - stunning, this place we both agreed is beginning to feel like home.  Arrived at the pretty (but expensive no doubt) village of Lastingham we went to the Blacksmith's Arms pub, its old and opposite the church.  Tankards line the ceiling, bright copper pans and bits and pieces adorn the fireplace.

There is a feeling of excitement as we enter the church and then go down to the crypt with all its Saxon stones laid out and I have written about it here, I think it is because Cedd in the 7th century, came to this lonely spot and decided to build an abbey, and the church today reflects this. But what a place to build something, in the middle of nowhere, on the edge of the moors with a great ridge behind, strange but for all this it did not stop the Vikings from laying waste to the monasteries round here.

As I familiarise myself with the countryside, I realise that the places we have been looking at are near to each other, firstly Wade's Causeway or the Roman road, in actual fact goes straight to the Cawthorn Roman Camps and if you look at this map taken at Cawthorn Camps you can see how the landscape works, with Lastingham and Rosedale Abbeys in the distance.

These incense stones are Romans and are in the church, there use though is rather macabre, the soldiers, in some sort of rite were supposed to burn charcoal in them, if they refused, they were not Christian and therefore executed.

One of the plants we saw lining the banks in places was Angelica Archangel (I think) is a beautiful tall plant,  pale creamy white umbelliferus flowers, and this is one I took last year overlooking the harbour.

Alexander Angelica??

This photo echoes the landscape seen in the Cawthorn Camp illustration.