Lindisfarne - The Holy Island

In the morning, we drove up the coast to Lindesfarne, the “Holy Island”. A causeway connects the island to the mainland of Northumberland so we had to check the tides, since the road is flooded twice a day.

In 635 AD, a group of monks from the priory on Iona in the West of Scotland came to the North of England to convert the area to Christianity. The monks came, led by an Irishman called Aidan (later Saint Aidan), and founded the first monastery on Lindisfarne.

The location for the monastery was selected carefully - being within the sight of Bamburgh Castle across the bay –offering protection from the Kings, and also offering isolation, being cut off from the mainland at high tides.

Northumberland’s patron saint was a monk named Cuthbert. He eventually became the Abbott at Linisfarne. When he died, his body was kept as a holy relic on the site (his body supposedly never decayed). From 793 AD until 875 AD, the monastery was in the center of a series of Viking raids on England. The monks left the island (with St Cuthbert’s body). They eventually settled in Durham in 995 AD. In 1536, King Henry built his castle on the island (using the stones from the priory).

We started our exploration at the castle. Since it was misting, we took the bus to the “Castle stop” and walked to the entrance. The steep climb to the castle was less dramatic than the steep entrance prices charged. Having seen our share of castles, we all decided that an outside view was just fine.

So, we were off to the Priory. Once again, the price to enter was fairly grand- unlike the Priory which is in ruins. We walked around the site and found our way to the Winery where they make the famed “Lindesfarne Mead”. Fortunately they were offering samples- since one small swallow is just about all you need of this very sweet concoction. We left the island before the tide came in and made our way down the coast.

What’s a Sunday without fish and chips- especially when served with mushy peas. We searched for a “Carvery” for Sunday dinner- but found our “fush and chups” at the Joiners Arms.