I would go to Much Wenlock and Wenlock Abbey because it is the site of Saint Milburga, who was an eighth-century abbess from south Shropshire. She created Wenlock Abbey and she was patron of south Shropshire and lepers. She also has a very special relationship with birds. There were pilgrimages to St Milburga in the aftermath of her death. She was a remarkable person.
Would you make any special stops?
I would start from Westminster in London where I have worked as an MP for the last 38 years. It has been the pivot of my political life and my mission to try to regain self-government for the British people. I have been very privileged to have been an MP for nearly four decades. From Westminster, I would walk to Oxford where I read history at Lincoln College. The reason for stopping off at Oxford is twofold: one, because it taught me the history of this country. Secondly, I had the greatest time there – we never stopped laughing for three years. At Oxford I met my wife, Biddy, in 1961. We married in 1965 at Wardour Castle. From Oxford, I would go to Chastleton, which is a beautiful house. When I was at Oxford I used to go there. Then I’d go to Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire, then Bewdley, and on to Bridgnorth, which is near where we live. Before my final destination, I would pay a visit to St Michael’s at Upton Cressett.
Who would be your travelling companions?
I would very much like to travel with my historian friends because then we could talk about all the interesting things that we have learned during our lives about the history of this country. As a result of that, we would be thinking about what it is that makes England the great country it became. In particular, I would like to be joined by Sir Colin Lucas, who was my flatmate at Oxford, and I would very much like to go with Andrew Roberts as well because he has this extraordinary knowledge of history and I think he’s one of the greatest historians of all time.
You can transplant your favourite pub, bar or restaurant onto the route. What is it?
The Old Swan at Minster Lovell. It’s a beautiful medieval restaurant. Biddy and I used to go there a lot when we were at Oxford and I used to play cricket there. The food is brilliant, it always has been. I usually eat steak and chocolate mousse.
Camp under the stars, or find a church hall to sleep in?
Camp under the stars, definitely, because I love looking at the moon and the stars at night. I don’t want any clouds, thank you very much!
Which books would you take with you?
I would like to take TS Eliot’s Four Quartets, Shakespeare’s sonnets and Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Finally, Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass and Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited – I love it, I read it every year. It is my favourite book. I love the lamp at the end – it is one of the most important moments in the entire book. Ryder becomes a Catholic. That’s what I think. I believe he does become a Catholic after all the trauma.
What Bible verse would you ponder as you walked?
The Sermon on the Mount because it encapsulates the whole of Christianity.
You stop in a church. What’s your go-to prayer?
It’s actually a poem and a prayer by Gerard Manley Hopkins, “The Windhover” and “As Kingfishers Catch Fire”. They are so exquisite. They epitomise in poetry the glory and grandeur of God. Also John Henry Newman’s “The Dream of Gerontius”. I think that poems and prayers go together.
It’s your turn to cook. What’s your speciality?
I can’t cook. I just can’t. I can do scrambled eggs and that is it.
What’s the singalong to keep everyone’s spirits up?
“Faith of our Fathers”. It reminds me of Stonyhurst and the martyrs, over 30 of them, at Stonyhurst. Stonyhurst were happy days for me. They taught me enormously well and I played cricket and rugby and squash and had great friends. It had a strong sense of discipline which I regarded as extremely important for the rest of my life.
You’re allowed one luxury in your bag. What is it?
A box of six soaps from Floris.
What would you most miss about ordinary life?
Music. Assuming that I don’t have a radio with me, I would miss music. I listen to classical music pretty well most of the day. Every conceivable composer: Mozart, Brahms, Vivaldi, Beethoven. I listen to music all the time. I love music and it’s incredibly important in terms of a quietness of spirit. Listening to music is an astonishing part of the privilege of being alive.
What would you miss the least?
The Today programme. I think they are so biased.
Sir Bill Cash is MP for Stone in Staffordshire which he has served for 38 years
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