Earlier this week, I had a couple of days in North Wales, just outside Aberdaron on the Lleyn Peninsula. There I achieved a long-standing ambition; I took a boat to spend a day on Bardsey Island, off the tip of the peninsula. Bardsey has long been known as a Holy Island; tradition has it that a monastery was established there in the 6th century by St Cadfan, a refugee from Brittainy. In turn, the monastery provided asylum for Welsh monks fleeing the Saxon Northumbrians after a battle at Bangor-on-Dee, near Chester. Later it was the site of an abbey and was a famous place of pilgrimage; three trips to Bardsey was considered the equivalent to one trip to Rome. I followed in their footsteps. Today it is a lot easier to get to Rome than Bardsey; the current between the island and the mainland is strong and dangerous in winds. Colin, the expert boatman, cannot sail if the forecast is bad, so there is an element of luck in finding a day when it is safe for him to take passengers. So what did I experience on Bardsey? I loved it; it was warm and sunny, the views were superb. I spent some time at a makeshift altar in the ruins of the abbey, but I cannot truthfully say I had an overwhelming spiritual experience. I was too busy trying to see all I wanted on the island to linger in any one place. This was as I expected; I often find that so-called “thin places” are pretty thick at the time I visit. I have memories which will return to feed me in the future. But I did have one special experience; the walk down the track to the boat, following the footsteps of pilgrims from the 6th century, the wait for the boat, looking at the same view they saw. Pilgrimage is more about the journey than the destination and I experienced that on my trip to Bardsey.
Rev David Poyner