Our UK Road Trip Begins - Lindisfarne

We set off from Vindolanda after assuring everyone we would be back to say bye before we flew to the US, and Matt drove us northeast to the edge of the North Sea. (I was not about to attempt the "wrong side" of the road driving of which Matt has become an expert while he has been here.) We were headed to Holy Island to see the Lindisfarne priory and castle. Holy Island, or just Lindisfarne as the locals call it, is an island reached by a tidal causeway, so you must study the tide tables and be sure to cross only within the hours when it is safe, or you risk being swept away by very strong tidal currents. Just a few weeks ago a car was caught in the middle and its passengers had to be airlifted out via helicopter.The Lindisfarne Priory ruins

The Lindisfarne Priory on Holy Island was started by St. Aidan who came from Iona in the 11th century, but the current priory was begun by St. Cuthbert who decided to be a monk as a young man after having a vision of St. Aidan being lifted to heaven. St. Cuthbert went on to spread Christianity in Britain to Northumberland and southward. His bones now rest in Durham cathedral, which we visited later in our trip.The ruins of the priory are dramatic and the island is beautiful. We were very lucky to have sunny, breezy weather and no rain. For the first time I was warm and we had to stop on our walk to the castle to peel off extra socks and layers of clothing!St. Aidan says "thanks for stopping by my remote island priory! Y'all come back now!"

The Lindisfarne Castle is on high on a hill at the end of the island. To get there we walked around the coast and saw the many ships which are no longer in use and have been turned upside down and made into storage buildings. The castle is impressive and the inside is furnished and filled with an assortment of antiques and antiquities that reminded me of home. The castle was used as a holiday home for a wealthy family in the 1700s. The Lindisfarne CastleOur view looking down at Holy Island and the priory ruins from the top of the castle.