Crossing the causeway to Holy Island

We drove out of Alnwick and stopped in a lay-by for a picnic lunch. The sun was shining, and we had a great view of the castle.

After our stop, we continued on to Holy Island. The island is only accessible by causeway, which is completely covered by the North Sea for large parts of every day. We checked the website and found that it was passable between 14.15 and 23.10 today, so we were there at just about 2pm.

A sea fret had descended, so we could hardly see anything! Despite this, some foolish people decided to venture across early. We had just read that a German tourist had floated away a couple of days ago, so we decided to wait! At the appointed time, we drove carefully across. It was still very foggy, but as we reached the island, the fret lifted, and the sun came out, giving us our first view of Lindisfarne Castle.

Holy Island has a recorded history from the 6th century AD. It was an important centre of Celtic Christianity. The island was originally home to a monastery, which was destroyed during the Viking invasions but re-established as a priory following the Norman Conquest of England. Other notable sites built on the island are St Mary the Virgin parish church (originally built in 635 AD and restored in 1860), Lindisfarne Castle, several lighthouses and other navigational markers, and a complex network of lime kilns. Today, the island is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and a hotspot for historical tourism and bird watching.

We parked in the island's main car park and walked into the village. There were loads of film vehicles - apparently, Danny Boyle is directing a zombie movie on the island! I guess it's the ideal place when the place is cut off and all the tourists have gone home!Read more