From Iona to Lindisfarne, a tale of two abbeys...….(Northumberland) July 25
Last week we were on Iona, small island off Mull where St. Columba had founded a monastery in 563 AD. In 634 AD St.Aidan came from Iona and founded a monastery on Lindisfarne, also known as Holy Island, off the coast of Northumberland. Its most famous monk was St.Cuthbert, fed by otters and buried in Durham Cathedral.
Today, having an easy walk after the week away we are strolling round the island. Another good reason for taking it easy is that Europe is suffering from a heat wave with temperatures in the UK reaching 36 and a bit C, something we are not used to. High humidity too. Easy to reach from Newcastle, head north on the A1 until you spot a sign post for Holy Island. But be warned it is only accessible at certain times of the day when the tide is out. Consult tide tables or finish up on the refuge as your vehicle fills with salty water and you become a news item on Look North.
There is another way of walking to the island, across the Pilgrims Way. The route is marked with posts and also has a refuge tower or two but again it should not be used when the tide is in.
A person very close to me, with a friend, decided to cross this way without paying attention to the tide. Someway across the tide appeared, the water got deeper but they soldiered on with, as my mother would have said, "Water up to their knickers." Salutary experience.
The Pilgrims Way, covered in this picture
There is a large car park on the left just as you approach the village once across from the mainland.
Holy Island car park on a sunny day. Costs £5.50 for 24 hours which you might need if you don't watch the tides. Comes complete with an ice cream van and vegetable stall.
You can do this walk in a pair of walking shoes rather than boots. Having paid up we headed back along the road in the direction of the Causeway, not the best part of the walk because of the traffic. At the end of the dunes we left the road and took the track to The Snook, a tower and a house.
Snook Tower, a holiday let.
Once past the Snook we were on the beach and turned to walk east on the sand. Before long it was hinted that we stop for lunch, it had been a late start and there had not been the usual breakfast stop.
Someone is hinting it's time for lunch. We shared chocolate and peanut bars, hobnobs plus chocolate and a delicious chocolate cake from Mrs A which had miraculously survived the heat without melting.
Lunch over we walked on the beach a little further before climbing up into the dunes, stopping to admire the remains of a long house and walking on the top of the low cliffs round Snipe Point and Keel Head. There were a number of seals in the water, there are at least eleven collective nouns for them including harem, pod and herd, but my favourite is bob. Fairly descriptive as most of the mammals were in the sea bobbing up and down and listening to the babylike cries of their pups.
We walked over to Emmanuel Head and sat for a short while on the benches round the whitewashed pyramid, possibly a navigation aid.
Emmanuel Head pyramid.
From here we headed south along the good path past Brides Hole, Sheldrake Pool, Broad Stones and Scar Jockey to the castle.
Holy Island Castle, built in 1549/50 and used as a garrison until 1819. Later it was used by coastguards but in 1902 it was bought and modernised. It is owned by the National Trust.
Close to the castle are the Holy Island Lime Kilns.
Built in 1860 one of the best set of lime kilns in Northumberland. The island had limestone but coal had to be imported the fertiliser exported from a now gone pier close by. The kilns closed in 1896 and, like the castle are now in the hands of the National Trust.
Passing the ice cream van and fish and chip stall we were soon in the village. Today we did not visit the Priory ruins nor the remains of the chapel on a small island just off the island.
Lindisfarne Priory and castle.
On the way home we stopped at the Cook and Barker in Newton on the Moor. On offer were two ales, Black Sheep and New Balls. We had all heard the advice given by the Chief Medical Officer for England to drink a lot of liquid because of the heat but not alcohol. We ignored her advice. (But not the drivers, coffee or soda and lime for them good boys)
My pedometer said 20962 steps and 7.6 miles. Outdoor GPS said 7.2 miles
Contains OS data, copyright. Crown copyright and database right 2019.
Last week we were on Iona, small island off Mull where St. Columba had founded a monastery in 563 AD. In 634 AD St.Aidan came from Iona and founded a monastery on Lindisfarne, also known as Holy Island, off the coast of Northumberland. Its most famous monk was St.Cuthbert, fed by otters and buried in Durham Cathedral.
Today, having an easy walk after the week away we are strolling round the island. Another good reason for taking it easy is that Europe is suffering from a heat wave with temperatures in the UK reaching 36 and a bit C, something we are not used to. High humidity too. Easy to reach from Newcastle, head north on the A1 until you spot a sign post for Holy Island. But be warned it is only accessible at certain times of the day when the tide is out. Consult tide tables or finish up on the refuge as your vehicle fills with salty water and you become a news item on Look North.
There is another way of walking to the island, across the Pilgrims Way. The route is marked with posts and also has a refuge tower or two but again it should not be used when the tide is in.
A person very close to me, with a friend, decided to cross this way without paying attention to the tide. Someway across the tide appeared, the water got deeper but they soldiered on with, as my mother would have said, "Water up to their knickers." Salutary experience.
There is a large car park on the left just as you approach the village once across from the mainland.
You can do this walk in a pair of walking shoes rather than boots. Having paid up we headed back along the road in the direction of the Causeway, not the best part of the walk because of the traffic. At the end of the dunes we left the road and took the track to The Snook, a tower and a house.
Snook Tower, a holiday let.
Once past the Snook we were on the beach and turned to walk east on the sand. Before long it was hinted that we stop for lunch, it had been a late start and there had not been the usual breakfast stop.
Lunch over we walked on the beach a little further before climbing up into the dunes, stopping to admire the remains of a long house and walking on the top of the low cliffs round Snipe Point and Keel Head. There were a number of seals in the water, there are at least eleven collective nouns for them including harem, pod and herd, but my favourite is bob. Fairly descriptive as most of the mammals were in the sea bobbing up and down and listening to the babylike cries of their pups.
We walked over to Emmanuel Head and sat for a short while on the benches round the whitewashed pyramid, possibly a navigation aid.
From here we headed south along the good path past Brides Hole, Sheldrake Pool, Broad Stones and Scar Jockey to the castle.
Holy Island Castle, built in 1549/50 and used as a garrison until 1819. Later it was used by coastguards but in 1902 it was bought and modernised. It is owned by the National Trust.
Close to the castle are the Holy Island Lime Kilns.
Passing the ice cream van and fish and chip stall we were soon in the village. Today we did not visit the Priory ruins nor the remains of the chapel on a small island just off the island.
On the way home we stopped at the Cook and Barker in Newton on the Moor. On offer were two ales, Black Sheep and New Balls. We had all heard the advice given by the Chief Medical Officer for England to drink a lot of liquid because of the heat but not alcohol. We ignored her advice. (But not the drivers, coffee or soda and lime for them good boys)
My pedometer said 20962 steps and 7.6 miles. Outdoor GPS said 7.2 miles
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