Travel: Lindesfarne (Holy Island)

Along the northeast coast of England, in Northumbria, is an island called Holy Island.  It is accessible only during the low tides, when the water is not covering the causeway.  If you travel to Holy Island, you will need to see what the crossing times are and plan accordingly.

Upon entering the island, you will be treated to a few impressive sights.  The first and most prominent is Lindesfarne Castle, which stands on top of a tall hill.  It was originally built in 1550.  The castle overlooks just about everything on the island and can be seen for miles, even from the mainland in certain spots.  On a clear day, Bamburg Castle can be seen across the water.  Getting to Lindesfarne castle, you will need to park in one of the designated parking lots in town and walk a good ways, including a steep set of stone stairs up the slope to the castle's walls.  After paying for admission, you are free to walk through the castle's rooms, which are furnished with antique furniture and items to illustrate what each room was used for.  There are two major balconies that provide expansive views of the surrounding coast.

The island also has a priory a short walk away from the castle.  After paying admission, the priory offers a fairly impressive sprawl of ruins with tall stone arches, walls, and windows.  There is a funky wooden statue on one end of the priory.  The ruin dates as far back as 634 AD, originally founded by the Irish monk St. Aidan.  The place experienced its fair share of historical conflicts between Viking raids, Norman conquests, and the War of the Roses.  Close to the priory is a church and a number of graves that are also open to visitors.

The castle and priory are probably the two biggest things to see on Holy Island, but the place also has a village with a few shops and tea rooms.  On the way to the castle, you can pass by a harbor with a number of ships, including a bunch of ships that are overturned and converted into shacks of some kind.  Looking in the direction of Bamburg Castle, I was able to see a long stretch of land where a bunch of sea lions were resting, and their noises could be heard from the island as a eerie ghost-like wail.  On the way to the castle, I noticed an old man playing a bagpipe.  The island also has a nature reserve of some kind, although that is an area I did not explore.

I had the good fortune to see the island on a fairly sunny day, but it was quite windy and chilly.  If you are thinking about visiting Northumbria on a pleasant day, Lindesfarne can make for a decent day trip, especially if you are interested in hiking, sightseeing, or for unique photographic opportunities.