Thursday we decided to go to Lindisfarne. Having checked tide times the day before at Seahouses we knew we had to be there by 11:30am to get across the causeway, and would be stuck on the island until about 5pm. Our hosts at Alnmouth had warned us that they loose ~30 cars a year with people thinking they can drive across when they can't, so we didn't want to be late!
We arrived just in time and made it safely across the mile or so of causeway to Holy Island. Our first port of call was the abby, since that's my favourite bit. We saw the ruins, which were lovely as always, and the newer church which stands next to it. Our plan then was to have a leisurely lunch followed by a look around the castle, at which point it would be time to go home. Luckily, as we were looking for somewhere for lunch we spotted a sign at the National Trust shop which told us that the castle was only open until 2pm! Lunch was put on hold (much to our stomach's distress) and we swiftly walked the ~1mile to the castle. It's a funny little castle, built on a big rock and largely made from stone taken from the old abby. We also saw the walled garden, and both at the castle and at the harbour between it and the main village, we saw the "upside down boat sheds" (or possibly shed boats) which the area is known for.
We finally made it back to the village mid-afternoon, hoping to find somehwere still open for lunch. We found a lovely cafe right by the abby, called the "bean goose cafe". They mostly sell tea & cakes, but had a homemade soup & roll available so we had that, which was delicious, and then indulged in their tasty chocoloate brownies. The rest of the afternoon was spent enjoying their garden & feeding the many birds which came to eat our crums, reading & so on. When we judged that the birds were fat enough we took a saunter around the village & visited Lindisfarne Winery, where we were forced to buy lots of lovely alcohol! :)
We then returned to the priory with the intention of finding a sheltered spot where we could again enjoy the sunshine without the wind getting to us, but sadly that idea was foiled by a huge cloud!
Eventually we decided to head back to the car & see if the causeway was water-free yet, even though it was a little early. Luckily it was, although we did have to pass one car which had clearly tried to leave the island after we had arrived that morning, and got stuck! We made it safely back to the mainland & headed south back to Alnmouth. Another gorgeous dinner at Beaches and another walk along the beach left us ready for bed! |
Locations Visited: Lindisfarne Castle, Alnmouth
Add Comment
Comment Policy:
Only signed in members can comment on journal entries. Please sign in now or register if you would like to leave a comment. Comments are sent to the owner of this journal for approval before being made live on the site.