No sunshine today

I have a meeting in Newcastle tomorrow, so we decided to head North East today and make a couple of days of it.

We went the 'pretty' route through the North Pennines and into Teesdale. Well, it would have been pretty, but we couldn't see a thing because of mist and fog the whole way. We had planned to get to the coast, but then the rain started and put paid to that idea. So here we are in the middle of Durham. We did manage a lovely lunch on the way - at one of our favourite places - The Rose and Crown at Romaldkirk, near Middleton-in-Teesdale.

This is a sculpture in the centre of Durham. It was installed in 2008 and, called The Journey, it pays tribute to the story of St Cuthbert's coffin. The coffin was taken from Lindisfarne, after the monks fled from a Danish invasion, and was transported to different locations, ending at Durham Cathedral at the end of the 10th Century. Apparently the sculpture itself might be moved from its current position at Millennium Place to the grounds of the Cathedral. One version of the story has it that it is out of the way and not seen by enough people. Another version is that they want it out of the way of late night drunks.

Addition
The sculpture is life size and is very impressive. The original was carved from wood - elm, and is now on Holy Island. But I didn't know this and have not seen it there. For this one, the artist made a casting in bronze. I think this answers a few of the queries about it.