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This page was updated on: Friday, 10-Dec-2010 16:23:00 GMT

Sabbatical Travels

Thank you to everyone who made my three month sabbatical a possibility. I had a marvellous time; three months of freedom, fresh air and family. So many places, people and stories to tell.

Our campervan, my home for three months, took us about 10,000miles from Ben Nevis in the north to Assisi in the South. The month of May was spent mostly in the U.K; June in Europe and July in Dorset. It all began with a surprise trip to Rome, a 40th wedding anniversary present from our family. We were told where we were going on the way to the airport.

We loved Rome with its sense of history, power and past glory. The coliseum, the Sistine chapel. St. Peters were highlights.

During May I climbed, Snowdon, Scafell Pike and Ben Nevis. A whiskey tour on the Island of Islay was followed by a week on Iona living with a Christian Community. From the west of Scotland, I drove through Glen Coe to Lindisfarne (Holy Island). There was a boat trip to the Farne Islands, followed by short visits to St. Julian of Norwich, and Walsingham.

At the beginning of June, remembering to collect Tina, we caught the ferry from Dover to Calais. A brief visit to Dunkirk was followed by a thought provoking tour of the Somme battlefields. Onto to Lake Geneva, then up to Zermatt and the Matterhorn (we didn’t climb, just looked at it).

We had some wonderful walks around the Swiss Alps, many with regular ten minute stops for Tina to admire the beautiful alpine meadows and flowers. Over the Grimsel pass to Grindelwald, in the shadow of the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau.

Up the Jungfraujoch to the top of Europe. A brief stop in Luzern, followed by a long drive to. Oberammergau and the marvellous surprise of being able to watch the Passion Play. God moves in mysterious ways! From the ‘high’ of Oberammergau we moved onto the inhumanity of the Dachau Concentration Camp. Appropriately it was a dreary, dismal, depressing day.

The ride through the Grossglockner pass was amazing. We camped at Heiligenblut. From there to beautiful waterlogged Venice and a long drive south to Assisi.

Assisi was very special. A few days on the Cote d’Azur were followed by a lovely campsite at the foot of L’Ape d’Huez (a famous climb in the Tour de France).

Then back to Fawley.I spent most of July in Dorset and Devon. A week’s sailing course at Lyme Regis was memorable, challenging and often wet. There were a few days of reflection at the Franciscan Friary at Hilfield. The Final exhausting week of my sabbatical was spent playing games with my grandchildren.

Where was God in all this? Everywhere. I felt blessed, guided, prompted and privileged. Thank you all for making my sabbatical a possibility.