Holy Island (Lindisfarne), Northumberland


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From Alnwick to Berwick: England's border country. The picture shows Bamburgh Castle

Holy Island

Wildlife

The Island is a National Nature Reserve and a wetland of international significance. The tidal mudflats, saltmarshes and dunes provide an environment that is home to many interesting plants, insects and birds. Rarer plants include the purple northern marsh orchid and early marsh orchid.

Six internationally important species of wildfowl and wading birds overwinter at Lindisfarne: pale-bellied brent geese (this is their only regular wintering place in Britain), greylag geese, wigeon, grey plovers, bar-tailed godwits and redshanks.

Further details

Lindisfarne Priory
Tel: 01289 389200
Open: standard English Heritage times.

Lindisfarne Castle
Tel: 01289 389244
Open: from mid-March to the end of October. Either 10.30 - 15.00 or 12.00 - 16.30 depending on the safe crossing times to Holy Island. Closed on Mondays. More info on the National Trust website.

Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve
English Nature, Beal Station, Beal, Berwick upon Tweed TD15 2SP.
Tel: 01289 381470

Safe crossing times
Northumberland County Council's Holy Island Tide Tables can be found here.

Above: Lindisfarne castle overlooks the harbour area

Huts made from boats, next to the castle

The Priory

Stone steps on a building in the village

The village hall

Despite its name, this is an island you can reach by road. But only for some of the time...

Twice a day, the sea sweeps in across the 3-mile-long causeway, cutting off access and catching the occasional motorist in its path. Normally, their only option is a 5-hour stop-over in one of the 'refuges' along the route, although occasionally people have been rescued by helicopter!

The wise traveller checks the timetable of safe crossing times, which can be found at the beginning of the causeway and at local Tourist Information Centres.

Holy Island was originally called Lindisfarne. St Aidan founded a Priory here in 635 AD and by the 11th Century the Island had become the focal point for Christianity in the north of England. It was then that the name was changed (although both are still in common use). The Priory is now ruined and a Visitor Centre explains how the monks used to live.

Lindisfarne Castle (below) was built in 1550 to protect the Island from attacks by the Scots. It was converted into a home by the architect Edwin Lutyens in 1903.

Other attractions include a mead factory and the picturesque village itself.

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