Celtic Spirituality Pilgrimage Join Spiritual leader Jane Stickney on a friendly, soul searching adventure blending worship, personal growth and scenic/historic touring April 17 to 29, 2007 $3395 CDN

This trip offers unique blending of travel, study and spiritual discovery. We will explore the development of Christianity in the Celtic world of Scotland and northern England through on site quality time visits to holy places of worship; from Holy Island on the East coast of northern England to the Isle of Iona on the west coast of Scotland. Our pilgrimage is formulated to foster the growth of personal spirituality and broaden our knowledge of early Christianity as it took root in the Celtic world. Our spiritual journey is led by Anglican Priest Jane Stickney, retreat leader, spiritual director and Celtic enthusiast. Our journey, geographically speaking, is led by Bruce Gurnham, owner of the Whitman Travel Group. He has been providing customized discovery travel for small groups since 1990, and now joins Vicar Jane Stickney on this pilgrimage.

Your leaders have carefully blended scenic countryside beauty, ruins, castles and world heritage sites, places of historic significance to create a holiday sampler of unparalelled inspirational landscape. We will explore coastal white sand beaches, spectacular seacoast vistas, romantic Scottish countryside, mesmerizing Roman walls and fortresses and the awesome Hebridean island laden westcoast of the Scottish Highlands. All the historic and scenic features of the pilgrimage are carefully intertwined with our spiritual journeys so as to enhance our learning and personal growth. The pilgrimage will include lectures about Celtic spirituality and art, times for prayer and personal reflection, an opportunity to learn to draw Celtic knots and gatherings with local clergy and lay instructors along our route of study.


Our journey together begins upon your registration, with a short series of reading and reference materials. Your entry point to Scotland will be Glasgow where Jane and Bruce will greet you and then van to the south and east to our first port of call, Bamburgh and Holy Island. Our worship and study venues include the Lindisfarne Priory Ruins, St. Marys Church, Lindisfarne Castle and St. Cuthbert's Chapel on Inner Farne Island. (Nights #1, 2, 3). We then travel west via the Roman countryside of Hadrian's Wall on to the seaside community of Whithorn.(Nights 4, 5, 6). During our 3 days of workshops, reflection time and worship, we experience the holy sites of St. Ninians Chapel and Cave, the Isle of Whithorn, Whithorn Dig, Whithorn Priory and more.

We now travel north to Kilmartin on the westcoast to a mystical land with one of Scotlands highest concentrations of stone circles, crosses, cupring engravings, burial cairns, some dating to 3000 B.C. (Nights #7, 8, 9)). For the culmination of our journey we travel via ferries onto the Isle of Mull and then to Iona.(Nights # 10, 11, 12). The Iona Community, the partially restored Cathedral, and such Holy places as St. Martins Cross and St. Orans Chapel provide the spiritual setting for the last 3 days of the pilgrimage. On the 13th day we head back with minds and hearts full of new hopes, new thoughts, strengthened faith and perhaps a touch of new person inside. We spend the final evening in Glasgow with a celebration of sharing and reflection. We overnight in Glasgow prior to morning flights home from Glasgow International.

Pilgrimage Study Program The daily structure for our Celtic Spirituality Pilgrimage is carefully organized to provide adequate time for presentations, lectures, disscussion, personal reflection time and common worship. However, the adventure is flexible, providing for personal exploration, both of the natural and manmade wonders in the villages and open countryside, and also of the search for the inner self you may be seeking. Jane Stickney will lead us daily in sessions and activities (inside and outside, on hill and dale, in priory and chapel) that will encompass, but not be limited to, such items as:

• Defining what is unique in Celtic spirituality.
• Tracing the roots of Celtic culture
• Exploring Celtic art
• Discovering the meaning of sacred places to you and I.
• Exploring Celtic Pilgrimages then and now, how have they changed?
• Worshiping , a sacred time alone and with our leader.
• Studying, reflecting and growing through solitude and spiritual leadership
• Introducing the art of Celtic weaving, drawing Celtic Knots
• Utilizing free time for exploration in the Celtic world around you.
• Developing your spirituality with todays neighbors and keepers of the sacred places

Jane B. Stickney Her History and Her Art

Jane is Vicar of St. John's Episcopal Church, a small parish in North Guilford, Connecticut. St. Johns church features a Eucharistic approach; fosters lay leadership, education for all ages, and commitment to stewardship and outreach. She also serves as a Mentor, at Yale/Berkeley Divinity School, facilitating Spiritual Formation Groups as well as providing Spiritual direction for students. She has lectured at Wesleyan University as a visiting faculty member lecturing in Psychology, Spirituality and Celtic Art. Jane is an experienced retreat leader and spiritual director and fiber artist. Her extensive education background includes STM, Spiritual Direction, General Theological Seminary, New York; Continuing Education for MDiv equivalency, Hartford Seminary; BA in Sociolog , Drew University; Honors Certification in Education, Murray House College, Edinburgh, Scotland; MEd Boston College and Andover Newton Theological School, and BA in Sociology, Drew University.

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Pictorial Itinerary

	Glasgow: Our Pilgrimage Begins Guide Bruce and our Pilgrimage Leader Jane Sticknery greet you at Glasgow Airport eager to take you out into the countryside of Scotland to begin our learning and growing together. Glasgow, a Scotland in Bloom City, has undergone a Renaissance to the arts and culture world. The new, well laid out Glasgow International Airport is your port of entry. We will have an evening of pilgrimage closure in Glasgow on the final day of the tour.
Holy Island and Lindisfarne "Accessable only at low tide, Holy Island is home to the ruins of Lindisfarne Priory, Benedictine Monastery and St. Mary's chapel. Lindisfarne Castle, rising high above the eastern side of the island on a rocky mound, provides a glimpse into the Northumbrian past.
	Farnes Islands and St. Cuthberts A paradise for birdwatchers and pilgrims alike, the islands are home to over 70,000 pairs of nesting seabirds as well as a grey seal colony of over 2000. We will land, weather permitting on Inner Farnes island to visit St. Cuthberts Chapel.
Hadrians Wall and the Roman World Housteads Fort and the ruined city of Vindolanda provide us an amazing sampling of Roman life from 128 a.d. Vindoanda, on the original Roman road(Stanegate), is an active archeological site which has produced the oldest written records in Britain dating to 90 a.d. Together we will walk along Hadrian's wall to relive the "dividing line" between Roman Christianity and the Pictish world to the north.
	Whithorn Our studies in and around Whithorn will take us to ancient Norman churches, Northumbrian chapels and the Whithorn Archeological Dig at the Whithorn Priory, site of Scotland's first recorded Christian community. We will also explore holy sites of St. Ninians Chapel and Cave discovering an amazing array of 4th century Christain Crosses.
Kilmartin At Kilmartin you will discover one of Scotlands highest concentrations of neolithic monuments;stone circles, cupring engravings, crosses, burial cairns, sculpted stones and more. Our workshops, worship times and discussion groups are all centered in Dalriada, capital of the ancient Celtic Kingdom.
	Isle of Iona Culmination of our Celtic Spirituality Pilgrimage is the Isle Iona, home of St. Columba's 6th century monastic community. We will learn about the modern Iona Community, visit the restored Cathedral, St. Orans chapel and the burial place of Scottish Kings and Clan Chiefs.

Quality Lodging: Lodging on all of our tours is selected from a range of high quality, comfortable B & Bs, country manors, small family run hotels, lodges and when necessary for convenience, a western style hotel. Throughout the tour we stay three nights in the same place for comfort and relaxation. Travel time and mileage occasionally may require a one night stay, as is the case for the last night of the pilgrimage.

Tour Package Price $3395 CDN
(per person based on Double Occupancy)

Includes:

• 13 nights lodging, country manors, B & Bs, and small country hotels
• Full Scottish Breakfasts daily
• Ten picnic style or pub lunches
• Two evening dinners at select pubs
• Mini van transportation throughout the trip
• All Ferry and miscellaneous transportation
• Services of an experienced spiritual leader, the Vicar Jane B. Stickney
• Services of a knowledgable guide, Bruce H. Gurnham, owner of Whitman Travel Group
• Admissions to 4 selected Castles, Heritage Sites or historic/scenic attractions
• 4 guided walks in villages or the countryside
• Participation in 4 select events or traditional Scottish activities
• Daily worship, discussion sessions and retreat seminars

Not included in the tour package price are airfare, evening meals (except 2), airport arrival or departure taxes, pre and post tour extra night lodgings and gratuities

Deposit and Refund Schedule:

Within 14 days of your trip reservation being made . . . . . $895.

90 days prior to commencement of the tour. . . . . $1500.

60 days prior to commencement of the tour, balance of. . . . . $1000.

Full refunds (less $100 administration fee)are given up to 60 days prior to commencement of the tour

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