23/05/2026
There’s a word that’s whispered around the table at the Lastingham Ladies Christmas Lunch. It’s about what we have in common, and how lucky we feel and grateful we are to live in this very special place.
The first village residents we know by name wouldn’t have had an invite to the lunch despite their stature: St Cedd who founded the monastery here in 654, St Chad and St Ovin. Their wooden monastery is long gone, but the sense of history is palpable in Lastingham - in the unique church where Cedd is buried, in the holy wells dedicated to “our saints”, and the many centuries-old stone buildings such as Tranmire. The religious say it’s a thin place.
Of course monks had great taste when it came to setting up home, and all our history is set in the most beautiful of natural settings. A dip between the limestone of the Tabular Hills and the sandstone of the moorland. There are three roads into Lastingham (and out again if you really want to leave) but the village is not on a through road to anywhere else. Folks don’t stumble across us by chance - we’re a destination for those in the know. Taps nose with index finger twice!
It’s the resultant peace that surprised us most when we moved from suburban Nottingham 5 years ago. Most of the time, up at Tranmire, the only sound is birdsong. (Though there can be a rush of 2 or 3 cars going up the Grange Hotel just before 3pm for afternoon tea!) Over 60 species of birds were recorded between Apr and Nov last year in a survey run by the Sustainable Lastingham group. There’s no wonder - out of every window we see trees - a constant “green bath” as it’s now known.
Despite only the national speed limit applying through the village, sheep safely roam around. We join them in walking down the middle of the road most of the time. Particularly useful to avoid obstacles when coming back from the pub as the lack of streetlights can make for pitch black evenings. (Torches are for wimps, apparently!) If it’s a clear night we enjoy planet-spotting and stargazing. Usually there’s a Tawny Owl to be heard.
Our fellow villagers are pretty special folks too - able to value and work to preserve what we have AND coping without being anywhere near a big Tesco. And the word we share as we gather for our festive meals at the Blacksmith’s Arms? We say living in Lastingham is “paradise”.
Get in touch if you’d like to join us for a week or two!
With thanks to the lovely folks at Yorkshire Treasures who suggested we write ONE THING about why we love living and working here. The book is out next year 😉
