Annual News 2023

"Phil and I decided to celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary by having a mid week break in Shropshire close to the Long Mynd and Church Stretton. The countryside is superb and pub meals very filling, though we did try and walk a lot." - Miriam

Our calorie-consuming trips included a section along the ridge of the Stiperstones, and another long trek leading up through the industrial archaeology of the Snailbeach lead mine to a viewpoint atop Oak Hill. We stayed in Wentnor, where a steep slope connects its two pubs, but used the car to go over the Long Mynd and find further hospitality at Church Stretton.

There are more photos of Shropshire on this page.

Springtime in Shropshire: a steep, stony track led out of Batch Valley on to high moorland

View from our house in Pateley Bridge: the spire behind the trees is attached to a primary school

On the limestone pavement at Malham Cove, North Yorkshire

Bridge over the River Wharfe near Burnsall

"In July Phil, Martin and I went to north Yorkshire for 2 weeks, staying in Pateley Bridge. We also visited the interesting towns of Knaresborough and Harrogate, the Ribble valley and the Himalayan gardens and sculpture park."

Pateley Bridge, on the eastern side of the Yorkshire Dales, has a wonderful museum crammed with items from household, rural and industrial life. The village proved to be an excellent place to stay, with a beautiful church and several eateries. There are flat routes along the River Nidd but more often we climbed out of the valley, on foot or in the car, to see the best of the area. We twice visited the neighbouring valley, walking alternately north and south along the River Wharfe from Burnsall, where gulls scavenge around the riverside village green.

Although it meant a longer walk overall, we did well to follow the advice of our guide book and approach Malham Cove from the moorland above to get the best view of the limestone pavement which forms part of this remarkable geological feature. We were then able to walk down some steep steps and look back at the huge cliff face on the way back to Malham village. Another bonus was to pass the small but popular Janet’s Foss waterfall.

There were further spectacular views at Knaresborough, especially of the railway viaduct from the Castle mound, and at Settle, where steep steps led us up to the top of a rocky outcrop overlooking the town.

A visit to York gave us the opportunity to call in on a friend who was staying nearby, and on the way home we visited one of Miriam’s cousins who lives near Rotherham.

There are more photos of Yorkshire on this page.

In August I made my second visit to Bolivia, 10 years after we both visited the country as part of a church team. Unfortunately, Miriam stayed behind this time since she had essential duties at home. Our 12-strong team from Birmingham included another Christ Church member, Alison, and we were able to meet up with two further members, John and Elsie, who spent 2 months in the southern city of Tarija.

Winter is the dry season in that part of the world, but it was still something of a shock to find grass fires burning on our arrival and to learn that unusually high daytime temperatures were making people ill. In the central city of Cochabamba, where surrounding mountains keep out the rain and trap the dust from fires, the dryness of the air could really be felt.

Our main purpose was to further grow our links with the Anglican Church in Bolivia, and for me it was a joy to visit and meet some of the people and places I first encountered 10 years ago. The country was hit hard by the pandemic, and this affected the churches too, but they are determined to keep reaching new people and communities. We enjoyed fabulous hospitality, not least the asado - a supersized Latin American barbecue. Travel tip: South America is not a great place for vegetarians.

The full story of the visit is on our team blog. There are also more photos on this page.

Christ Church on tour: in Tarija’s central square, Plazuela Sucre

Tarija’s river, the Guadalquivir, is reduced to a trickle

Travels with Hanna

"In May I went with my mother and a friend Angela for a few days to Herefordshire. This gave mother a holiday and Angela was able to help and gladly offered to drive us all. We stayed in a delightful cottage conversion, with the landlady and 2 dogs keeping us company. My brother and sister-in-law took the opportunity to have lunch with us all on their way to north Wales."

"The weather was pleasant and we took in the local sights and a garden centre."

"Then in November we celebrated her 101st birthday with a 2 night break in south Warwickshire, again joined by wider family. A special guest was Deborah Langton, who translated my grandparents’ diaries and letters from German. Because of COVID-19 this was the first opportunity to meet Deborah and her husband in person, and to tell her how much we appreciated the good quality of the translation."

Hanna with translator Deborah Langton

"We had a long-delayed family meet up in Berlin in October, enjoying a boat trip through the centre of the city with around 25 relatives followed by a meal and family quiz. We visited Potsdam the following day, a much changed place over the years."

Our central location was ideal for exploring this ever-changing and walkable city. The Alexanderplatz - described by our 20-year-old guide book as “largely desolate” - now buzzes with shops and restaurants. Even so, the huge national museums clustered on the Museuminsel were all firmly shut on the Monday, though the neighbouring Berliner Dom (cathedral) was open, providing magnificent views from the roof.

Beauty of Berlin: the spray of the fountain creates a rainbow in front of the Altes Museum

There are more photos taken this year on our Photos 2023 page and my Instagram account.