This is a New Year with a difference. A New Year with the Celtic Saints. It’s an opportunity to explore their world, learn about their robust view of faith and life, and walk where they walked. It will be faith-building and fun. With some feasting thrown in.
It runs from Monday 30th December, when you arrive, through two great days exploring the Celtic Christian world on Tuesday 31st December and Wednesday 1st January, to your departure time suitably invigorated after breakfast on Thursday 2nd January.
Monday 30th December 2019
We’ll gather on the afternoon of Monday 30th December.
Naturally, this evening, as every evening at Grey Alders, we’ll share a meal together, with time for fellowship and prayer afterwards.
Tuesday 31st December 2019
On Tuesday, after morning devotions and breakfast, we’ll walk together on the ancient footpath travelled by our local Celtic Saint Gwinio. It runs between his retreat at Cilsant, where we are certain pilgrims were welcomed back in the day, and the site of his community at Llanwinio.
It’s a walk of some seven miles. (Although this can be halved by clever use of cars!) We’ll walk in the actual steps of the man of God along lanes, woodland, valleys and up the hill to Llanwinio itself.
Gwinio regularly trod this way fifteen hundred years ago. As we walk, we’ll see the spot where he lost his life by neglecting the 6th century travellers’ rule – ‘always go together’. It is said a healing spring – living waters – sprang from the ground his severed head touched. No doubt pilgrims then came seeking healing, so a settlement was built to accommodate them. The holding endures to this day as Fynnon Felen – ‘Golden Spring.’
Wednesday 1st January 2020
On Wednesday, after morning devotions and breakfast, we’ll take our pilgimage into Pembrokeshire. First we’ll visit St Govan’s Chapel which is approached down a flight of steps standing at the head of a sea inlet.
It is said Govan escaped from pirates in the sixth century when the rock opened up. He hid in the cleft and founded a church in thanks to the Almighty. The current structure dates from the middle ages.
After that, we’ll motor to St David’s, see the headland where the man of God was born and look around the cathedral close. We’ll see the stream the sixth-century evangelist stood in to pray. The cold mortified the soul. They were a tough bunch, these Celtic Christians! It is renowned that Dewi’s monastic order allowed fish once a week, no meat and only water to drink.
We may catch Evensong in the Cathedral – Cranmer’s combination of Vespers and Compline dates back 500 years to the time of the Tudors. The seven monastic services a day (Psalm 119:164) were themselves built around the devotions of the Apostles and were followed by the early church of which the Celtic branch was an integral part.
Thursday 2nd January 2020
On Thursday we’ll once again serve breakfast before our pilgrims depart for home.
During your time with us we’ll also explore actual (as opposed to modern) Celtic spiritually, find out when the Christian faith really came to these Isles, take a look at the prophetic works of Gildas and ask just why the Celtic church objected to union with Rome.
Naturally we pray you’ll be blessed by your time walking in the footsteps of the 6th century men of God.
Clothing and Catering
Obviously, the event will only suit those able to walk. You’ll need boots and warm clothing. Bring something rain-proof. We’ll be in prayer for a dry spell, of course. But we always work with the weather the good Lord sends.
You will be well catered for, with Bed & Breakfast and three 2-course Evening Meals with drinks included and the occasional snack. (Refreshments purchased in St David’s are excluded.)
At least two of your evening meals will feature meat from our own super-aged beef or mutton from the Grey Alders farm (‘Wernlwyd’ in Welsh). (You can carry some away with you if you wish.)
You’ll enjoy three cooked breakfasts with eggs from our hens if they are laying and home-baked bread. No one goes hungry at Grey Alders events.
George Sadler (verified owner) –
I had a very good time too.
Percy and Hilary Williams –
Percy and Hilary Williams 16 Jan 19
Hilary and I had a wonderful few days at Grey Alders with Stephen and Judy. It was also great to have fellowship with people we had never met before. When the e-mail inviting us to this event came through, we responded immediately and spontaneously; something that we never do. This was just the sort of relaxing break we needed, as we had been busy over Christmas, catering for our family, and prior to that, had a time of stress. This was a real God sent chilling out experience. The home cooked food and the home brewed cider were much appreciated. Stephen and Judy did a wonderful job preparing the food for us from their farm, and they didn’t mind our being in the kitchen, while this was going on. The services in the rustic chapel, formerly an old barn, were meaningful. We both attended C of E services until our teens and then joined the less formal Pentecostal church, and so we found it refreshing to go back for a few days. The weather was surprisingly good for the time of year-not too hot and not too cold. Altogether this was a memorable, worthwhile and enjoyable experience. We took some of this experience home: We bought a box of meat from the farm to freeze and enjoyed the first helping with some of our family.
admin (store manager) –
Thanks Percy & Hilary, it was a pleasure having you with us! Enjoy that beef …
adrian ruffhead –
We spent a lovely time on the 2019 New year with the Celtic saints at Grey Alders. It was great Christian fellowship, with some great outdoor walks, great times spent opening and closing each day with a prayer and Bible reading time following the C of E Prayer Book format and some great food. As a Christian who grew up in a Non Conformist background it was interesting to follow a structured pattern of prayer and readings and I found it helpful. I am interested in local history and about Christian history so to discover a less well known Celtic saint and walk along paths that he and early Christians must have walked was wonderful as well as visiting St Govan’s Chapel and St David’s. Going from the sublime to the, well, sublime in terms of food, the quality of the farm produced food was as high as I have ever had. Home cooking beats every other form of cooking and the quality of the Grey Alders produced meat used in the meals as well as everything else, was outstanding.
admin (store manager) –
Thank you for your comments, Adrian. We are glad to hear you had a wonderful time. God bless.