Day 5: Rest Day in Macclesfield

For our rest day, we are enjoying a warm welcome from the Parish of St John the Evangelist, who have offered us showers at the vicarage and at the home of a parishioner. They have even prepared a poster to welcome us using the masthead from this website.

Today, we had a lie in until at least 8.00. - i.e. no noise or bag rustling until then. Some folk, of course, chose to sleep longer, but those sleeping in the actual church could not lie-in too late, as at 9.30, we began our day with worship - another co-celebrated Catholic/Anglican eucharist.

Notice the towel hanging to dry over the altar rail.

In the afternoon, pilgrims dispersed across Macclesfield (and Leek). But some stayed at the hall and decided they could be useful by finishing off any left-over food they could find.

During the afternoon, Fran arrived and is pictured here demonstrating her love for her brother Mike.

The rest day also provided a chance for pilgrims to see what's been said about them and what pictures have appeared of them on this website.

In the evening we were entertained by the parish, a group of whom joined us for the evening. But first the vicar tried to find owners for a basket of clothes he'd found in his washing machine.

Then down to the serious business of eating, and there was a magnificent spread awaiting us.

Pilgrims Pat and Keith are long-standing friends with the vicar and his family and this was a good opportunity to have their photo taken all together.

Pilgrimage washing up in bowls in the car park (only a small kitchen in the church) must have been an unusual spectacle for those living in the houses opposite the church.

Once that chore was out of the way, we then enjoyed a great quiz evening also prepared for us by the parish. Here is quizmaster Crawford (who insisted that was his Christian name not his surname), giving us some light-hearted mental exercise after the physical exertion of the previous three days.

We were quite overwhelmed by the warmth and genorousity of the parish at St John's, and at the end of the evening, various gifts (and pilgrim crosses) were given as an expression of our thanks.

Tables and chairs were then quickly tidied away and bed spaces reclaimed as a late night was out of the question with a 6.30 rise on the morrow in preparation for what was promised to be the toughest day of this year's pilgrimage.