LINDISFARNE
THIS IS AN extraordinary day out with much to see and experience. However, the tides decide exactly how long you can remain on the island, so the first thing you must do is check the time of the tides. Driving across the causeway to the island you begin to realise just how special this place is, for suddenly in front of you is the castle, at first seemingly rising on a great rock from the sea, while way in the distance you can spot the rainbow arch of the priory. I always notice how the voices inside the car get quieter as we get nearer.
THE PICNIC
Goats’ Cheese with Basil and Sweet Chilli Sauce
Marinated Beef with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
In good weather Lindisfarne is one of the most beautiful places on earth, but even when it clouds over it is still awe-inspiring. I suggest arriving as early as possible, not just to have sufficient time on the island, but also to ensure a good place in the car park (however, if you decide to curtail your stay your parking ticket can be used in a number of neighbouring towns, such as Berwick and Wooler). A quick visit to the Lindisfarne Centre is certainly useful because that’s where you discover what is new, which exhibitions are open and what changes, if any, there have been since your last visit.
It is astonishing to realise that this tiny tidal island is so important in the history of this country, and is probably the holiest of Anglo-Saxon sites. And when you look out onto the vastness and bleakness of the North Sea, you wonder what brought that Irish monk St. Aidan here 14 centuries ago. But then when you turn and look at the Northumbrian coast, you see little but beauty and begin to understand the slightly mystical and spiritual qualities of the place. Its name, Lindisfarne, means ‘Land’s Corner’, underlining the fact that you really are in a very special corner of England.
The priory ruins and its museum are an absolute must, in fact the latter is one of the best I’ve been to. Standing among the ruins, listening to wind and the birdsong is a truly uplifting, and calming, experience – and you wonder how the monks must have felt in such an exposed location as wave after wave of Viking marauders arrived. The castle is a much more comforting experience with its 16th-century exterior and its fine 20th-century Lutyens-designed interiors. We are very keen on the walled garden, which was designed and planted by the incomparable Gertrude Jekyll and always hope we will be there on a day when there is a plant sale!
But best of all we like to find some sheltered spot which allows us spectacular views of the castle and the sea, and with some luck a good sighting of grey seals, playing in the waves or sleeping on the rocks.
The Picnic Site
Find a sheltered spot on the coast with a stone wall acting as a natural windbreaker at your back, or among the ruins of the priory in a quiet, secluded spot.
CHEAT’S PICNIC
• Heatherslaw Bakery, Cornhill on Tweed – for breads, cakes and biscuits.
• Chain Bridge Honey Farm, Berwick upon Tweed – for local honeys.
• Doddington Dairy – delicious cheeses and ice cream.
• The Cheese Shop, Morpeth – for local cheeses from Blagdon and Doddington.
• The Proof of the Pudding, Alnwick – sticky toffee, chocolate and ginger puddings and sauces.
• And, of course, mead from Lindisfarne.
ALSO IN THE AREA
• Bamburgh Castle – magnificent and imposing, it dominates the coast and the site has been occupied since prehistoric times. Often considered the finest castle in England.
• The Farne Islands – great for seal spotting and bird watching, particularly puffins, kittiwakes and terns.
• Dunstanburgh Castle – huge ruined castle with impressive views across the sea and along the coast.
• Alnwick – (pronounced ‘annick’)a charming market town with cobbled streets and square, and Alnwick Castle with its Canalettos and other old masters.
• Warkworth Castle and Hermitage – home of Shakespeare’s Harry Hotspur and one of the largest and most impressive fortresses in the north. The Hermitage can only be accessed by boat across the river Coquet.
• Norham Castle – one of the strongest of the border castles and frequently attacked by the Scots, especially Robert Bruce.