{"id":265,"date":"2011-01-08T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2011-01-08T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/wordpress\/?p=165"},"modified":"2011-01-23T18:36:51","modified_gmt":"2011-01-23T18:36:51","slug":"import165","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/?p=265","title":{"rendered":"Holy Island, Northumberland"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&#39;I made out, approaching across the sands, a slow black dot (which) resolved itself into a Ford car. This indomitable thing, rust red, its mudguards tied with string, splashed and slithered towards me; and at the wheel was a handsome young girl with blue eyes and a soft Scots voice &hellip; So we splashed over the sands to Lindisfarne.&#39;<br \/>\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\">window.onload = setupZoom; function popwalk(walk) {var url = \"\/Walks\/amap.php?f=\"+walk;\nvar walkwindow=window.open(url,\"walkwin\",\"height=700,width=800,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes\"); if (window.focus) {walkwindow.focus()}}<\/script>First published in: The Times <a href=\"javascript:popwalk('HolyIsland.gpx');\" title=\"Click here to view a map for this walk in a new window\">Click here to view a map for this walk in a new window<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5042\/5285046183_8b17de4f43.jpg\" title=\"creel in a Holy Island lane\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5042\/5285046183_8b17de4f43_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5044\/5285643638_fba0d1cae8.jpg\" title=\"No Vacancies\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5044\/5285643638_fba0d1cae8_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5123\/5285046421_43a44e6fed.jpg\" title=\"Lindisfarne Priory &#039;sky arch&#039;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5123\/5285046421_43a44e6fed_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5242\/5285046497_fae4599d57.jpg\" title=\"Lindisfarne Castle\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5242\/5285046497_fae4599d57_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5127\/5285046609_3b83e6bd4a.jpg\" title=\"herring boat sheds 2\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5127\/5285046609_3b83e6bd4a_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5167\/5285651872_659dd70535.jpg\" title=\"Gertrude Jekyll&#039;s garden\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5167\/5285651872_659dd70535_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5086\/5285054409_e4858e5b77.jpg\" title=\"Lindisfarne towards evening\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5086\/5285054409_e4858e5b77_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<\/a>Facebook Link: <script src=\"http:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/all.js#xfbml=1\"><\/script><fb:like href=\"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/wordpress\/?p=265\" layout=\"button_count\" show_faces=\"true\" width=\"200\" colorscheme=\"dark\"><\/fb:like><br \/>\nAlas, the famous salt-rusted taxis of Holy Island that so entranced the ultra-romantic H.V. Morton in 1927 are long rotted to pieces. But romantics of all kinds and conditions can do as I did this blowy day on the Northumberland coast &ndash; hoist their footgear and follow the ancient pilgrim path barefoot over the wide tidal sands. Tall rough poles mark the straight way, and there are barnacle-encrusted wooden refuge towers for foolish virgins to clamber into if beset by a rising tide.<\/p>\n<p>The ribbed sands felt cold to the sole. Bladder wrack crunched underfoot. It was a good long hour&rsquo;s walk. The green sandhills and huddled village of the island seemed to draw no closer until the last moment. But this was a heavenly way to cross to Holy Island, or Lindisfarne, to give it an older and lovelier name.<\/p>\n<p>Holy Island village is still partly a fishing community, mostly for crab and lobster these days. Creels lean drying against house walls in the narrow lanes. People come to Lindisfarne for its peace, its small-scale beauty and for its remarkable monastic history. St Aidan of Iona established Lindisfarne&rsquo;s monastery in the 7th century. St Cuthbert became its hermit Bishop and saintly icon. The &lsquo;most beautiful book in the world&rsquo;, the illuminated Lindisfarne Gospels, was crafted here. The little island off the Northumbrian coast kept alive the flickering light of Christianity during the Dark Ages; and when Holy Island was reoccupied after the Norman Conquest (the monks having fled Danish raids in 875AD) a wonderful new monastery was built here.<\/p>\n<p>Lindisfarne is full of marvels. Wind and weather have sculpted swirling shapes in the red sandstone walls of the church, whose &lsquo;sky arch&rsquo; springs 50 feet in the air, seemingly unsupported. Down by the harbour old herring boats, sawn in half and upturned, make fishermen&rsquo;s huts. Lindisfarne Castle rides the basalt knoll of Beblowe Crag like a tall ship; Sir Edwin Lutyens redesigned it for drama, and Gertrude Jekyll laid out the walled garden ablaze with colour.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm\" align=\"JUSTIFY\">Inland, the humps of the Cheviot Hills began to fade under rain. The island&rsquo;s strollers vanished into the tea shops, and I was left alone to walk the north shore dunes, savouring wind and showers, the barking of pale-bellied brent geese newly arrived from Svalbard, and the eerie singing of seals on the sands.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Start &amp; finish<\/strong>: Holy Island causeway car park, Northumberland (OS ref NU079427)<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><strong>Getting there<\/strong>:  <\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm\" align=\"JUSTIFY\">Fly Easyjet (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.easyjet.com\/\">www.easyjet.com<\/a>) to Newcastle from London Stansted, Bristol, Belfast City. Train (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.thetrainline.com\/\">www.thetrainline.com<\/a>; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.railcard.co.uk\/\">www.railcard.co.uk<\/a>) to Berwick-upon-Tweed (10 miles). Bus service 477 (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.perrymansbuses.co.uk\/\">www.perrymansbuses.co.uk<\/a>) from Berwick. Road: Holy Island is signed off A1 between Belford and Haggerstone.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><strong>Website version<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><a name=\"_GoBack\" title=\"_GoBack\"><\/a><strong>Walk<\/strong>: (10 miles including sands crossing, 3&frac12; miles island circular; easy; OS Explorer 340): From car park follow causeway, then pilgrim route posts, to Chare Ends on Holy Island (NB see below!). Follow road to Priory ruins (12648 &ndash; signposted). Return to Market Square; between Crown &amp; Anchor and Manor House Hotel, follow path to shore. Left round harbour; on to castle (detour to Gertrude Jekyll&rsquo;s garden &ndash; 136419). Continue on coast path, past The Lough and National Nature Reserve notice. Follow path to left along line of dunes for &frac12; mile to meet fence at NNR notice (129433). For island circular, left through gate, ahead to village. For sands crossing, keep ahead for &frac12; mile; bear left (122433) with causeway on right, to rejoin posts at Chare End.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><strong>NB<\/strong>: Causeway is impassable 2&frac12; hours either side of high tide. Tide times posted both ends of causeway; or visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.lindisfarne.org.uk\/\">www.lindisfarne.org.uk<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"><strong>Lunch<\/strong>: Plenty of options in village<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm\" align=\"left\"><strong>Holy Island Accommodation<\/strong>: Manor House Hotel (01289-389207;             <a href=\"http:\/\/www.manorhouselindisfarne.com\/\">www.manorhouselindisfarne.com<\/a>); Crown &amp; Anchor (01289-389215; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.holyislandcrown.co.uk\/\">www.holyislandcrown.co.uk<\/a>); Ship Inn (01289-389311; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theshipinn-holyisland.co.uk\/\">www.theshipinn-holyisland.co.uk<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm\" align=\"left\"><strong>More info<\/strong>: Berwick-upon-Tweed TIC (01289-330733); <a href=\"http:\/\/www.lindisfarne.org.uk\/\">www.lindisfarne.org.uk<\/a>; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.visitnorthumberland.com\/\">www.visitnorthumberland.com<\/a>; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ramblers.co.uk\/\">www.ramblers.co.uk<\/a>; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.satmap.com\/\">www.satmap.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm\" align=\"JUSTIFY\"> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The green sandhills and huddled village of the island seemed to draw no closer until the last moment. But this was a heavenly way to cross to Holy Island, or Lindisfarne, to give it an older and lovelier name.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-265","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-walks","category-3-id","post-seq-1","post-parity-odd","meta-position-corners","fix"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=265"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=265"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=265"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=265"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}