We had a leisurely start to our day as we waited for the causeway to open, allowing us passage onto Lindesfarne, known as ‘The Holy Island’. This island is often referred to as the cradle of Christianity since its monastery was founded by St. Aidan in the 7th century (635 AD to be exact). Saint Cuthbert is Northumberland’s patron saint, served as a monk and later Abbot and eventually Bishop at Lindesfarne. The Venerable Bede recorded a large number of miracles around St. Cuthbert and the monastery, which has drawn pilgrims to this site for over 1,300 years. View some pictures to see why it is such a draw (password england).
We attended church services at the local parish which sits right next to the ruins. The population of Lindesfarne itself is about 100 total; the 3 different services each day tend to bring in a majority of tourists and pilgrims. The ruins contain so much history and many unspoken stories of the different struggles and battles that went on to maintain the tradition of Christianity during different times. Depending heavily upon the passage through local waters and tides as well as being pretty far north in England, this island was at one time a major hub for any travelers coming through – including those hostile invaders looking to conquer and invade the territory.
There are 3 ways to get back to the mainland (all at low tide of course). Drive across, walk across on the causeway or walk across on what was described to us as the sand, following along the poles that are placed out in the North Sea to mark the route from the island to the shores of the mainland. Being adventurous travelers, a few of us decided to set across on the true pilgrims’ path and walk along the sea floor that was just a couple of hours away from being covered by the North Sea.
It was an amazing, albeit very muddy trek. I will spare you my waxing poetically about the experience, but if you are interested and want a 30-minute or so dissertation on what the entire process was like, ask me for the details. Suffice it to say that it was very meaningful and I not sure that my Nike’s will ever be rid of the stink of the North Sea!
We made a quick stop at Bamburgh castle where we viewed a 6th century castle in the fog and squished our way through the halls (muddy shoes/pants and all) to view artifacts and history of the first castle to be destroyed by canon-fire; they had been impenetrable up until that point! The castle itself has served as an archaeological haven for artifacts and information dating all the way back to before the Roman conquest…it is sometimes overwhelming to think of just how much has happened in this region over the centuries.
The day ended with a much needed change of shoes and socks and a nice bowl of soup as a starter for dinner. Tomorrow promises an earlier start as we actually leave the English border and head for a brief stint in Scotland…just to say that we have been there!
We attended church services at the local parish which sits right next to the ruins. The population of Lindesfarne itself is about 100 total; the 3 different services each day tend to bring in a majority of tourists and pilgrims. The ruins contain so much history and many unspoken stories of the different struggles and battles that went on to maintain the tradition of Christianity during different times. Depending heavily upon the passage through local waters and tides as well as being pretty far north in England, this island was at one time a major hub for any travelers coming through – including those hostile invaders looking to conquer and invade the territory.
There are 3 ways to get back to the mainland (all at low tide of course). Drive across, walk across on the causeway or walk across on what was described to us as the sand, following along the poles that are placed out in the North Sea to mark the route from the island to the shores of the mainland. Being adventurous travelers, a few of us decided to set across on the true pilgrims’ path and walk along the sea floor that was just a couple of hours away from being covered by the North Sea.
It was an amazing, albeit very muddy trek. I will spare you my waxing poetically about the experience, but if you are interested and want a 30-minute or so dissertation on what the entire process was like, ask me for the details. Suffice it to say that it was very meaningful and I not sure that my Nike’s will ever be rid of the stink of the North Sea!
We made a quick stop at Bamburgh castle where we viewed a 6th century castle in the fog and squished our way through the halls (muddy shoes/pants and all) to view artifacts and history of the first castle to be destroyed by canon-fire; they had been impenetrable up until that point! The castle itself has served as an archaeological haven for artifacts and information dating all the way back to before the Roman conquest…it is sometimes overwhelming to think of just how much has happened in this region over the centuries.
The day ended with a much needed change of shoes and socks and a nice bowl of soup as a starter for dinner. Tomorrow promises an earlier start as we actually leave the English border and head for a brief stint in Scotland…just to say that we have been there!
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