The ‘Needs to Know’
Distance: 3.96 miles (6.4km)
Time to walk: Roughly 1.5 hours although this is a strolling walk with lots to stop at & explore
Difficulty: A mixture of hard & grass surfaces
Dog Friendly?: No stiles, but dogs must be kept on leads at all times
Parking: Please use the public pay & display car park on the left in Chare Ends, which is one of the first places you come to after crossing the causeway
Postcode: TD15 2SE.
what3words: tadpoles.pony.prongs
Public toilets: Green Lane Car Park
Map of the route:
Lindisfarne, also known as Holy Island is, quite simply, a magical & mysterious place & known as one of the main sites where Christianity was introduced into the UK
Twice a day it becomes an island, cut off by the tides & is reachable by car across the causeway, or on foot following the poles in the sand when the tide is out
Situated off the northeast coast of Northumberland, it has a recorded history from the 6th century AD & it was an important centre of Celtic Christianity under Saints Aidan, Cuthbert, Eadfrith, & Eadberht of Lindisfarne. 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 CE & restored in 1860), Lindisfarne Castle, several lighthouses & other navigational markers, & a complex network of lime kilns
In the present day, Holy Island is the name of the civil parish & native inhabitants are known as Islanders. Locally the island is rarely referred to by its Anglo-Saxon name of Lindisfarne.” Lindisfarne is invariably used when referring to the pre-conquest monastic settlement, the priory ruins & the castle. The combined phrase “the Holy Island of Lindisfarne” has begun to be used more frequently in recent times, particularly when promoting the island as a destination for tourists & pilgrims alike
The name Lindisfarne has an uncertain origin. The ‘farne’ part of the name may be Old English fearena, genitive plural of fara, meaning traveller. The first part, ‘Lindis’, may refer to people from the Kingdom of Lindsey in modern Lincolnshire, referring to either regular visitors or settlers
Another possibility is that Lindisfarne is Brittonic in origin, containing the element ‘Lind’ meaning stream or pool (Welsh llyn), with the nominal morpheme & an unknown element identical to that in the nearby Farne Islands. There is also a supposition that the nearby Farne Islands are fern-like in shape & the name may have come from there
Warning signs urge visitors walking to the island to keep to the marked path, to check tide times & weather carefully, & to seek local advice if in doubt. For drivers, tide tables are prominently displayed at both ends of the causeway & also where the Holy Island road leaves the A1 at Beal. The causeway is generally open from about three hours after high tide until two hours before the next high tide
Despite these warnings, about one vehicle each month is stranded on the causeway, requiring rescue by HM Coastguard & / or the Seahouses RNLI lifeboat. Local people have opposed a causeway barrier, primarily on convenience grounds
When you drive over the causeway you feel you’re entering a magical place so park up in the large Chare Ends pay & display car park &…
Let’s Walk!
1. From the car park turn left & walk to the crossroads & turn left into Green Lane. Here you’ll find another smaller car car park which is predominantly for disabled badge holders. You will however find some public toilets here…
At the junction turn right into Sandham Lane
2. Follow the lane & bear left along Marygate towards Lindisfarne Castle. This is truly a mysterious place…
If you fancy an early refreshment stop then the Causeway Cafe with its famous crab sandwiches will see you right
3. Simply follow the road along the shoreline towards the castle…
…passing through the gate
4. The castle is located in what was once the very volatile border area between England & Scotland &, in 1542, Henry VIII ordered Thomas Manners, 1st Earl of Rutland to fortify the site against possible Scottish invasion
Taking advantage of the island’s strategic location, in 1549, a small fort was built on a high rock known as Beblowe, the highest point of the island overlooking the harbour. Elizabeth I had work carried out on the fort, strengthening it & providing gun platforms for the new developments in artillery technology
When James I came to power in England, he combined the Scottish & English thrones, & the need for the castle declined. At this time the castle was still garrisoned from Berwick & protected the small Lindisfarne Harbour
In later years the castle was used as a coastguard look-out & became something of a tourist attraction
In 1901, it became the property of Edward Hudson, a publishing magnate & the owner of Country Life magazine. He had it refurbished in the Arts & Crafts style by Sir Edwin Lutyens. It’s said that Hudson & the architect came across the building while touring Northumberland & climbed over the wall to explore inside
Lutyens has many links with Northamptonshire including designing the War Memorial on the triangle in Abington Square
5. Follow the path round to the left…
The castle was closed for major renovation & restoration works from November 2016 to April 2018
The entrance to the castle is quite dramatic & involves a steep climb around the rocky base. Lutyens’s original slope was unprotected by either rails or fences in an attempt to emphasise the exposed nature of the site. When the future George V & Queen Mary visited in 1908, it is said they were alarmed by the slope & the cobbled surface
For some reason the people peering over the edge reminded me of a scene from Monty Python & the Holy Grail
6. Before the bridge walk up the steps on the left…
When walking it’s always good to look back, especially in this case as you get a different perspective of the castle
7. Bear left & follow the grassy path keeping the sea on your right. Lily was “Right….when exactly do I get off the lead!!!”
Look along the coastline to see lots & lots of pebble cairns
8. Pass through the gate in the wall & take time to study the fabulous sculpture…
This is one of several willow sculptures created with volunteers for the Peregrini Lindisfarne Landscape Partnership. The sculptures include a group of Brent Geese, an Arctic Tern, a creche of Eider Ducks & Ducklings, a group of Swallows, a Short Eared Owl, a Fritillary Butterfly, & a Helleborine Orchid.
9. The path splits but just keep straight ahead…
Shortly you’ll come across a bird watching station (hide)
10. Pop inside & spend a few peaceful moments watching the world go around…
Carry on along the path, maybe passing through some local livestock who were all very friendly
11. At the end go though the gate & turn left…
This walk is like a big square so it’s easy to follow beside the wall
And…if you, like us did this walk in May, look out for the numerous wild orchids which are unique to this area
12. Pass through the gate…
…& continue to bear left following the path
13. This is a really easy route to follow &, as the track bears left, you get some amazing views back to the mainland. Can you see the poles marking out the walking route?
Eventually the path arrives at a gate
14. Pass through it, turn right along the road for a few yards & then left up to continue along the coastal path again…
Now to your right you can clearly see the marked footpath. The tip is always walk it with a receding tide not an incoming one
15. Follow the headland round & into the village once more…
At the end of the meadow turn right & pass the church advertising Mead!
16. Bear left along Prior Lane…
…& then right down towards the Priory Shop & Museum
17. Turn round & look at the plaques on the wall behind you listing the lifeboat records…
On the right now is the Church of St Mary
The church is the oldest building on the island & includes sections from the Saxon period, most notably the Saxon arch
It’s home to a magnificent elm sculpture carved by Fenwick Lawson, entitled The Journey. It depicts hooded monks carrying St Cuthbert’s coffin when they left the island in 875. Two 20th century windows celebrate Aidan & Cuthbert
18. Next door are the remains of the Priory. The two buildings are separated by the ‘Petting Stone’ which is the base of an Anglo Saxon cross. It’s tradition for Holy Island brides to step over it on their wedding day. The custom is supposed to bring happiness & fertility in marriage
Image @ Islandshire Archives REF. HOL 024/5
19. Lindisfarne Priory was founded by St Aidan in 635 AD & the ruins you see today are the remains of the priory re-established in Norman times as a Benedictine monastery which came to ruin in 1536 under Henry VIII. It’s now managed by English Heritage
The original Lindisfarne Gospels, written here, are housed in the British Library. The Gospels are an illuminated manuscript, containing the four gospels. They were created around 700 AD in the scriptorium at monastery on the island. They are a stunning example of Anglo-Saxon art, believed to have been inscribed by one talented artist, possibly a monk named Eadfrith
A more modern statue of St Aidan overlooks the ruins
20. Walk back out of the Priory grounds & follow the road back to the car park
So that’s our circuit of this beautiful, mysterious place. It definitely has a “pull” & it’s somewhere we will revisit
Now…to get back to the mainland before the tide turns it into an island again…
Go Walk!