Sherwood Forest

This weekend, wife, daughter and number 4 son drove down to Nottingham for a birthday party.
We left on friday at lunchtime, but because of road closures and traffic jams, a 5 hour journey actually took 9 hours.

On the Saturday, we spent some time at the Sherwood Forest  Visitor Centre. Of course Sherood was the home of Robin Hood and his Merry Men as they hid from the wicked Sheriff of Nottingham. The place was being readied for Halloween celebrations.

We then drove into nearby Ollerton. This whole area between here and Nottinghma was mining country. But the mines are closed, and though it as many years ago, the bitter Miners' Strike still affects many folk here.

In the evening we enjoyed a very pleasant party with our English relatives.

We drove home on Sunday, hoping to leave the building storm behind us. But the wind was quite strong till we were about 20 miles from Edinburgh, and there was torrential rain at times.

After dropping daughter off at her flat, we then continued along the M8 till we were back home in Clydebank.

http://www.sherwoodforest.org.uk/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherwood_Forest

n.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Hood

Crossraguel Abbey

Last Saturday, a beautiful warm sunny day, I drove down the coast to just outside the village of Maybole.
There, at the side of the road, stand the substantial ruins of Crossraguel Abbey.

The Abbey was founded in the 13th Century by the Earl of Carrick. He invited the Monks from Paisley Abbey to to build this daughter house of Cluny. Paisley and Crossraguel were the only Cluniac Monasteries in Scotland.
In the early years there were disputes about how independent Crossraguel should be, and later, in The Wars of Scottish Independence, the Abbey was badly damaged due to their allegience to the Bruce family.

In  1560, the Reformation brought and end to the Monastery. It was closed, but the few remaining Monks were permitted to live out their time there, the last Brother dying in 1601.

The building then became a quarry for local people.

And so, to last Saturday. The reason for the trip was to attend Mass there. And the weather being so fine, we were able to have Mass, in the Extraordinary Rite, in the actual site of the High Altar. Fr. Morris therefore celebrated this Mass, the first one offered on that spot since the Reformation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossraguel_Abbey


http://www.maybole.org/places/crossraguel/abbey.htm

http://www.mysteriousbritain.co.uk/scotland/ayrshire/featured-sites/crossraguel-abbey.html

http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/propertyresults/propertyoverview.htm?PropID=PL_079