Saint Cuthbert’s Festival

Walking with Saint Cuthbert

The Making of Cuthbert

A number of walks and other outdoor activities were organised during the Festival including sections of St. Cuthbert’s Way, a boat trip from Seahouses to Holy Island and a pilgrimage walk along a route from Norham to Lindsfarne that visited several sites associated with the story of Saint Cuthbert.

Berwick Museum Theatre Group took an irreverent look at the origins of the Cult of Saint Cuthbert in a drama based on new research and written specially for the Golden Age of Northumbria Festival by Chris Green.

Many stories associate Cuthbert with the natural world, such as his closeness to the eider ducks on Inner Farne where the saint spent much of his time in secluded contemplation and prayer.  As a result, the eiders are known to local people today as “Cuthbert’s ducks” or “Cuddy ducks”.

Saint Cuthbert’s Festival included a variety of outdoor activities ands themed guided walks to encourage visitors and local people to explore some of the unspoiled landscapes and historic sites in Northumberland and the Scottish Borders that were associated with Cuthbert’s life, and other characters and events in Northumbria’s Golden Age.