Chapel Island

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LEAD-IN
What hiking trips have you taken part in?
What hiking trips would you recommend in Aragón?

VIDEO [0’00-5’34”]
Watch the beginning of the BBC documentary series Walks of Life, with an aim to show viewers
astoundingly beautiful places around the UK which should be discovered on hiking trips. In this clip, the
reporter walks up to Chapel Island, in the Lake District. Watch the video an answer the questions.

1. What economic areas is Sandgate important for?

2. What is the reporter’s experience with the Lake District?

3. What does William Wordsworth’s The Prelude deal with?

4. Why should visitors only attempt the crossing with the help of a guide?

5. Why should they take their socks and shoes off?

6. What was Jennifer, the guide, unprepared for when the reporter took off her socks?

7. Why would travellers rather go through Chapel Island?

8. Why would people walk barefoot towards Ulverston?

9. Apart from getting stranded on the island, what other danger did people face on their walk?

As I advanced, all that I saw or felt was gentleness and peace. Upon a small and rocky island near, a fragment
stood the low remains of a dilapidated structure, once a Roman chapel, where the vested priests said Matins
at the hour that suited those who crossed the sands with ebb of morning tide.

VOCABULARY
Work out the meaning of the words and expressions in bold, all of which have come up in the video.

The conditions for the walk aren’t precisely enticing.

With the ebb of the tide, the sea gradually drew back, revealing more of the beach.
It offers a landscape that ranges from forests to hills to shifting sand dunes.
The great outdoors is definitely not my natural habitat.
They played the match on a soggy field.
A headland is surrounded by water on three sides.
Machado was quite taken with Soria for a while.
After the strike, another plane was sent to Manchester to fly the stranded passengers to London.
SPEAKING Classic journeys
Read about three classic journeys. Which appeals to you the most and which the least? Why?
Why might people choose to take this kind of journey? What difficulties could they encounter?
Which well-known journeys would you like to go on?

Walk the Camino de Santiago

This legendary journey across Spain is 790 km and will take you
one month.
What makes it special: the fellow walkers you meet, the scenery
on the way and the chance to take time out from your everyday
life. Pass rocky hillsides, soaring mountains and panoramic views
on your way to the pilgrimage centre of Santiago de Compostela.
Spend the nights in hostels sharing tales of your journey with
other travellers, or in a parador, a hotel built in a historic building.
It's the epitome of walking holidays.

Take a road trip on Route 66

A 2,450-mile three-week car ride from Chicago to Los Angeles,
USA. The original road no longer exists in its entirety, but
highways link the remaining parts.
What makes it special: the wide open road, the quintessential
small town diners with their original jukeboxes intact, the
authentic cuisine featuring the eclectic mix of Deep South Cajun
and Mexican dishes, museums in towns en route celebrating the
indigenous culture, the amazing diversity of people and places, all
ending up with a couple of nights in Los Angeles to unwind at the
end of this road trip to end all road trips.

Take the Trans-Siberian Railway

A six-night rail journey from Moscow through Siberia, Mongolia
and on to Beijing.
What makes it special: the vast open spaces of Eastern Siberia,
the stories of your fellow travellers and the opulent dining
(depending on which company you travel with). Wonder at Lake
Baikal, a contender for one of the most beautiful and tranquil
lakes in the world. Learn about the turbulent history of Kazan, the
Tartar capital, and enjoy the hustle and bustle of Beijing. If you
love train journeys, it's the trip of a lifetime.
My Lake District walk will begin in the market town of Ulverston, but I'm starting on the other side of Moreton in Sandgate,
an important area for sheep farming and shell fishing. I'll be taking the most direct route across the bay. Walking over the mud
flats is only possible at low tide and is the only way to reach a special religious site that lies right in the middle of the estuary,
so it's not a place for a casual visit.
Now I've lived most of my life in London and have never been to The Lakes before. And thus far, the conditions aren't exactly
enticing. I've heard lots of stories about how beautiful the Lake District is but, because of the weather, I can't really tell you
right now. I'm hoping it'll clear up.
My walk today is on the land that inspired the incredible art of William Wordsworth, one of the UK's greatest poets, who
wrote about this very stretch of sand and a tiny island that is somewhere in the distance. Wordsworth was born in nearby
Cockermouth in 1770 and lived in the Lake District for most of his 80 years. I used to be an English teacher and whilst I've
always known that his love for this area was a major inspiration, I've never had a chance to experience it for myself. In perhaps
his greatest work, The Prelude, he explores how his feelings for this landscape grew throughout his life and he describes a
journey across the bay I'm about to take.
As I advanced, all that I saw or felt was gentleness and peace. Upon a small and rocky island near, a fragment stood the low
remains of a dilapidated structure, once a Roman chapel, where the vested priests said Matins at the hour that suited those
who crossed the sands with ebb of morning tide.
I can imagine people reading the description and wanting to make the same journey and see the same sands and the same
views. He makes it sound so beautiful.
I can't wait to see it for myself, so to help me find the way safely, local historian Jennifer is joining me. Her family have fished
these waters for years. Take the wrong path and you could quickly be overwhelmed by the incoming tide, so it's recommended
you only attempt the crossing with a guide.
Hiya, Jennifer!
Hello!
How do you do! Nice to meet you!
How do you do!
Thank you. Are you ready to take me on this walk?
Yes, yes, we're going to walk across to the island in the distance over there.
Is okay this weather?
Yes, yes. We just have to be careful where we're going in the softer places but there shouldn't be a problem. Mehreen, I advise
you to take your shoes and socks off because it's rather wet and some of the water’s deep.
Are you sure about this, Jennifer?
Yes. I'm afraid so.
Jennifer may be familiar with treacherous tides and shifting sands but nothing had prepared her for the sight of my nail varnish.
It may not be that colour when you get to the other side.
I'm ready.
Right, let's go.
I don't think my feet were designed for this. It's freezing! The great outdoors is definitely not my natural habitat.
I'll be walking down there?
Yes.
Okay.
I don't have to deal with this in Finchley.
Now it shouldn't be too soggy, so we'll just walk across here. It's not easy, is it? All right.
Oh, that's nice. Oh, it’s soft, okay, I've got it.
Chapel Island is just 360 meters long and 50 meters wide and for travellers who want to avoid the long walk round the
headland, it is perfectly positioned to provide a refuge from the rising tide.
So we are walking in the footsteps of William Wordsworth.
Absolutely! Wordsworth did it because he liked to come and see various places, which was out of his usual routine in the Lake
District. And he wrote many lines about this crossing to Chapel Island. He was so taken with the scene of the people walking
barefoot on the sands towards Ulverston, perhaps to go to the weekly market there at Ulverston to sell their wares.
It was the main road for people when the tide was out but the main road for shipping when the tide was in.
So did people get stranded?
Yes, and drowned, many often, yes.
The only place to go would be Chapel Island.
That's why it was of such great significance?
Yes, I would think that many people, thousands possibly, over the course of the centuries, owe their lives to Chapel Island.
Oh, I can see it. That's, that's the island.
That's Chapel Island, yes, sticking out of a very nicely forest not much but a lifesaver.
I think we'd better keep moving then.
Yes, let's go.
Although it's less than two miles, the terrain of soft mud and marshland, makes it feel a lot further.
Well, it’s been a long walk, hasn’t it?
In the 12th century Augustine monks from a nearby priory constructed a small chapel here for travellers to say prayers of
thanks for their safe passage across the bay. But the years haven't been kind to this once holy spot.
What is this?
In the 1820s, the gentleman who owned the bigger house at the new Conishead Priory, he decided he would like a folly or
sham castle and, of course, that fell down but this is the remains of the sham chapel, though somewhere, in the base of this
is the 12th century tiny chapel which the monks built.
It's incredible to think that but a few years ago this place saved so many people and we're standing here now and there's not
much left of it but… it's just an incredible thing what it meant, what it must have meant to them.
I think probably with it being called Chapel Island as well, it would inspire people to think in religious terms, wouldn't it,
especially if they'd just been saved from the sea. Right! I think we'd better move because the tide is starting to come in any
time now. We don't want to spend the night here on the island, do we?
No, I loved it here, though I don’t think it’s a good idea.
Let's go.
These days the shores are protected by the Ulverston Inland Rescue. Its 15 volunteers are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week, to respond to anyone who gets stranded out here. And though it's not normally a service they offer, they've agreed to
give me a lift to the other side. Now this is more like what I'm used to.

KEY:
1. sheep farming and shell fishing
2. never been to The Lakes before
3. he explores how his feelings for this area and he describes the journey the reporter is about to take.
4. if you take the wrong path the incoming tide might surprise you
5. it's rather wet and some of the water’s deep.
6. the sight of my nail varnish
7. it’s a short cut to avoid the long walk (round the headland), + provides a refuge from the rising tide.
8. to go to the weekly market (at Ulverston) (to sell their wares).
9. drowning

The conditions for the walk aren’t precisely enticing. = appealing, extremely attractive
With the ebb of the tide, the sea gradually drew back, revealing more of the beach. = water is at a lower level, low tide, the tide
is out; opposite = flood, high tide, the tide is in; ebb and flow of the political scene = a frequently changing situation
It offers a landscape that ranges from forests to hills to shifting sand dunes. (=changing the shape very frequently)
(=metaphorical: shifting sands of fashion, politics)
The great outdoors is definitely not my natural habitat. (=all outdoor space, especially wild places used for recreational
activities such as hiking or camping; nature)
They played the match on a soggy field. (=wet and soft, especially in an unpleasant way; cornflakes, cereal, sandwich, ground)
A headland is surrounded by water on three sides. (=a narrow piece of land that sticks out into the ocean, a promontory)
Machado was quite taken with Soria for a while. (=like very much)
After the strike, another plane was sent to Manchester to fly the stranded passengers to London. (=unable to leave somewhere
because of a problem such as not having any transport or money)
As they don’t know what to do with their money, they’ve built a Gothic folly in their garden. (=A folly is a small tower or other
unusual building that is built as a decoration in a large garden or park, especially in Britain in former times. + a stupid, foolish
action, idea, etc.)
This is just a sham Gothic facade. (not real but claimed to be real, eg. a sham marriage, jewellery = fake)

‘estuary: the part of a large river where it becomes wide and flows into the ocean
Thus far: until now, so far
Stretch of sand: area, continuous length of land or water
Bay: an area of the coast where the land curves inward; cove /ou/ = small bay
Dilapidated structure: very poor condition
Vested priest: clothed in ecclesiastical clothes (robe, stole)
If water overwhelms a place, it covers it suddenly and completely.
Treacherous tides: extremely dangerous, especially because it changes quickly in bad weather conditions + no loyalty
Varnish: liquid to protect furniture, nails
Refuge = shelter
Wares: small products for selling, especially in a market or on the street. = goods
Stick out: stand out, is noticeable, easy to notice
Marshland: ground near a lake, a river, or the sea that often floods and is always wet. (marisma, pantanal)
Priory: a building where monks or nuns live, work, and pray
Chapel: small church + A chapel is a part of a church which has its own altar and which is used for private prayer.
Be on call: to be available in case you are needed at work, especially as a doctor, maintenance work