Lindisfarne Castle ()
In 793 CE, the Vikings invaded Lindisfarne, the Holy Island in what is now England. This was the center of Christianity in the area during this era. This historical attack has recently been re-enacted on the screen on popular shows such as “Vikings” and “The Last Kingdom.” You can visit this historical island today.
The Holy Island features several restaurants, pubs, cafes, the famous Priory and a castle. However, you can only visit during certain hours of the day because the road to and from the island gets too flooded with water to safely cross over. Thankfully, the day I visited the road was open from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. We left around 3 p.m. just to be safe.
There is a car park located at the front of the island for visitors which is where it is requested you park. Keep in mind that the island has citizens who live on it year-round, so be courteous when parking and walking around.
After we parked, we walked to the outdoor Pilgrim’s Café where I had a delicious sticky toffee cake with my coffee. We then made our way to the Priory and Priory Museum. Unfortunately, the museum was closed because it is only open on limited days during the winter months. However, we still got to see the outside and walk around the cathedral.
Coffees and cakes ()
We then walked out to the castle area which provided a breathtaking view and pleasant stroll. Again, unfortunately, we didn’t get to see the inside of the castle due to the limited operating hours, but the view on the walk and from the castle was worth it.
There were several restaurants and pubs that were open and any one of them would be a great stop, especially since they had central heating, and it was 30-something degrees outside. There was also a mead and gift shop that was open that provided mead tastings- all flavors of which I can recommend.
The Holy Island in winter provides some great views, just be sure to look up the safe times to cross on the Northumberland County Council website. For the full experience, go during the warmer seasons when the castle and Priory will have less restricted opening hours.
