Many years ago, when I first joined Facebook and set up my profile (2007), I filled in one of those ‘where have you been in the world’ online maps.
Map by andrewfahmy on Reddit
At the time I was already living in the UK and had been for a few years, so had had the opportunity to travel to quite a few places.
While I was pinning places I’d been, I realised that not only had I visited quite a few countries, but I had also visited quite a few islands…awesome. And so an idea was born; I would visit 100 islands before I die. Okay!! So since I’m not now and wasn’t then, planning on dying in the near future, I set about compiling a list of islands I would still like to visit, and since the UK has 6,289 (LOL) I was spoiled for choice. However, since I also wanted to visit Europe, the scope for achieving my goal widened substantially. Did you know that Norway has 240,000 islands, islets, reefs, coral reefs and cays? Now that…would take me quite a few years!
Jump forward a few years (almost a decade) and during my brief stay on the Isle of Wight in January 2017 when I discovered the Domesday Book Village of Nettlestone amongst others, an idea was born! Supported by a previous list of the many many villages and towns I’ve visited in the UK since 2007 in my capacity as a Carer for the Elderly, and of course all my holidays, in the UK and abroad since 2001, I started thinking…
I realised that not only had I unknowingly (at the time) visited a great number of Domesday Book towns and villages, but I had, during my travels, visited a substantial number of castles, cathedrals, cities, most of the counties in England and Rep of Ireland, many palaces, a number of famous houses, a random selection of rivers, and to my surprise, a substantial number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites!!! This was exciting!!
Thus a new list was compiled and Project 101 was born….100 is so yesterday!! LOL
I immediately set about updating the list with these new categories and updating the details of those I had already visited or been to – this has become Project 101; to visit 101 in each of these categories before I die….whenever that may be.
I have a separate list of places still to visit. Clearly some categories won’t cater to my 101 target, like the counties of England for instance…only 48, so not much chance there then, but combine them with Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and the numbers add up ;).
I’m planning (hoping) to write about each of these places, but this will take quite a while as I have to go back in time to find the photos, do some research and write the articles…
However, with one trip (Italy 2017) I was able to visit 5 (or 6)* UNESCO World Heritage Sites, 5 cathedral cities and by extension their cathedrals, 5 walled cities, famous gardens listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site and a river.
I dreamed of Florence, and Pisa, Siena, San Gimignano and Lucca 😉 all listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites except Lucca which seems to possibly be…
I’ve done some research on *Lucca and in google searches it comes up, but when I go to the UNESCO site it’s not listed. Further research will be needed… Some places just make it easy; cathedral city/cathedral/UNESCO site(s)/famous house(s)/palace(s)/river……think London & Florence 😉 6 birds with one visit LOL.
Of course now that I have started this blessed list my mind is like……’hmmmm, should I add Roman cities to the Project’? Or maybe bridges, and what about churches…..and then I remember just HOW MANY churches I have indeed visited in the last 15 years alone….and my head says NO NO NO!!! So for now (?) here are the categories I’ve settled on…for now 😉 I’ve haven’t listed any of the places in chronological order; that would just be too time consuming. So in no particular order….. these are the places I’ve already been to; looks like I have some catching up to do to visit 101 in each category….now where’s that Motorhome?!! And if the Universe listens to my request, sponsorship would be awesome!!
The journey is well under way 😉
ISLANDS (17)
COUNTRIES (16)
U.K. COUNTIES
ENGLAND (33)
SCOTLAND (5)
WALES (6)
N. IRELAND (3)
Republic of IRELAND (14)
CATHEDRAL CITIES (37)
CATHEDRALS (37)
ABBEYS (13)
I visited so many abbeys, priories, friaries and monasteries in Ireland that I’ve quite lost track…so if I can I will one day try to revisit as many as possible 🙂
DOMESDAY BOOK towns & villages (151) – Domesday Book is a manuscript record of the “Great Survey” of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William the Conqueror. Admittedly when I complied this list it surprised me that I had already been to so many, and of course I’ve well exceeded 101!
CASTLES (49)
PALACES (20)
FAMOUS HOUSES (20)
UNESCO World Heritage Sites (35)
WALLED CITIES (45)
RIVERS I’VE MET ALONG THE WAY (66)
and I’ve decided to add a new category; Bridges – just because I can 😉 Makes sense really since I’ve met so many rivers, I must have crossed some of them!
BRIDGES I’VE CROSSED (65)
and then there’s
UNUSUAL PLACES I’VE BEEN/THINGS I’VE DONE – 40 – quite a lot LOL
And so my travels will continue. My goal is to buy a motor home and travel the length and breadth of the UK and visit her islands – 83 to go, as well as explore Europe, and on my journey visit as many of the above categories as I possibly can.
Dear Universe, in order to complete Project 101, I have a dream list…..
This page has the following sub pages.
- Project 101 – Countries
- Project 101 – Islands
- Project 101 – UK Counties
- Project 101 – Domesday Book mentions
- Project 101 – UNESCO World Heritage Sites
- Project 101 – Cathedral cities
- Project 101 – Cathedrals
- Project 101 – Abbeys
- Project 101 – Castles
- Project 101 – Palaces
- Project 101 – Famous Houses
- Project 101 – Walled Cities
- Project 101 – Rivers
- Project 101 – Bridges
- Project 101 – Unusual places and things
Not Just a Granny 
[…] located on the River Dee, has long been on my travel dream list as well as another location for Project101. A walled Roman city, Chester has a fascinating history, some of the most amazing Tudor […]
[…] Project 101 […]
[…] I LOVE visiting castles and towns with an ancient history and my walk along The Pilgrim’s Way gave me so many wonderful opportunities to explore ancient churches, Domesday Book villages and of course castles. A huge boost to Project 101. […]
[…] Project 101 […]
[…] Project 101 […]
[…] To say I was delighted would be an understatement. Updating my Project 101 page brought the tally to the grand total of 150!! Hoorah. https://notjustagranny.co.uk/project-101/project-101-domesday-book-towns-villages/ […]
[…] Project 101 […]
Die with memories, not dreams. I love it!
Absolutely. I’m trying to live some of my dreams atm…they do come with a hefty price tag though 😉
Hi Cindy / NotJustaGranny.
nearly 1 year after you did the Pilgrims’ Way on foot I did it on a bike. It was my 5th cycling pilgrimage (6th if you count the day cycling between Santiago de Compostela and Fisterra as a separate one). Since 2015 when it all started for me, I’ve done just under 5,000 Km of pilgrimages and, given the pandemic, the 1st one in British land was the Pilgrims’ Way… tough on a bike because all the kissing gates and stiles (not to mention the Box Hill steps).
I am currently writting and editing the videos of my journey and came across your video and then your blog. Love your Project 101 and, for whats worth, will be rooting on your behalf, just another silent voice in the hope the universe will take notice. I have my own project 101 and it looks somewhat similar to yours.
As I did my pilgrimage during the lock-down and everything was closed, may I be permitted to use some of your pictures (churches, stamps, etc) in my own blog? Credits will be given were due.
Hope the universe listens to both our prayers. God Bless!
Paulo
http://EyeCyled.com
Hello Paulo. How lovely to hear from you. Wow, on a bike!! My sympathies for the Box Hill steps 🤪🤪 they were a horror and still give me nightmares 😁 I encountered similar steps yesterday while walking the South West Coast Path between Brixham and Paignton. I was just grateful that unlike the Pilgrim’s Way, I didn’t have a backpack…that would have escalated it from horrible to horrendous. Ugh. Steps. But yes, stiles and kissing gates…I can’t even imagine how you managed those with a bike.
I’m well impressed by the distance you’ve covered on pilgrimage…that’s extraordinary. There’s so many amazing pilgrimage routes in the UK and I have 2 planned for August/September.
Thanks ever so much for taking the time to look at my Project 101. I’d love to learn more about yours. I love having a project to work on, and it adds an extra element to my travels….I’ve just added another 3 Domesday book villages to my list..still to update the blog.
Yes, you can use my photos by all means. I have hundreds, so if you have a particular storyline that needs an image not on my site, give me a description and I’ll check if I have something to match. Credit would be appreciated thank you.
Yes, I hope the Universe removes the earplugs she’s evidently wearing in the near future 😄😄😄
Take care and thanks for your comment.
Hi again. I just had a click through to your website but theres nothing on there? The only post is from 2015? Did I get through to the wrong link?
Hi… yeah, I think I broke my blog today by installing the latest version of WordPress (5.7). I had some old plugins that didn’t like that at all. Having said that the blog is up and running, albeit with some weird code in the middle of some text where some plugins used to be. Will try to fix this in the coming days.
Btw, now that I know the universe is female things are starting to make sense… 🙂
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 that’s funny. Yes, the universe can be quite contrary 😁😁
As for wordpress, I’ve learned over the years to not do ANYTHING that might upset the apple cart…it drives me insane when the developers decide to ‘improve’ their settings. Invariably it takes me days to figure out how to workout the ‘how to’ again. Ugh. Sometimes I think they’re too ‘clever’ by far, and forget its mostly people who are non-it that blog. Good luck getting yours set up again. Let me know when its operating again so I can hop over and have a read.
Hello, just letting you know that I believe my website issues have been fixed. Thankfully I did a full site backup BEFORE I started messing around and my hosting provider’s help desk team was able to restore it to the state it was before the changes (still seeing some weird error messages in old posts, but not sure if are related to the recent changes). Is there any way we can have a private chat? I have a few ideas I would like to bounce with people who have done the pilgrims way as well e.g. I’m thinking of writing a cycling guide as I don’t think one exists. My email address is Paulo@EyeCycled.com. If you are OK with it, please send me an email with the preferred method of contact.
Thanks!
Hey!! Glad you got your site sorted. I was thinking of you yesterday and wondering how you were getting on with that. I’ll email you from a yahoo.com account.
[…] Project 101 […]