Day Trip to Holy Island Northumberland
Lindisfarne Priory at Holy Island, England
Holy Island
Mark Knopfler Country, Northumberland
Some of our readers may know, I am a huge Mark Knopfler fan. The second track on Knopfler's album, “Tracker”, is titled “Basil”. The chorus goes like this; I'm a jack and a lad - And I'm up for the world - And I've kissed a Gateshead girl.
A simple Google search would have expanded on the meaning of these lyrics but it was much more fun to drive through Mark's hometown, Newcastle, and see Gateshead is a neighboring town. As we drove through Northumberland, Newcastle, and Durham there were several signs and landmarks I recognized from Knopfler’s songs.
Our route took us right by Alnwick Castle in Northumberland. We walked around the castle and took in the atmosphere but decided not to pay for admission. The school holiday meant hundreds of children were visiting, many of them with face paint and in Harry Potter-inspired robes and gadgetry.
Holy Island, Lindisfarne Castle
Our destination for the day was Holy Island. We had to time our visit with the tides and opted for a late afternoon visit to take in the sunset. Droves of people were leaving just as we arrived. School holidays meant hundreds of visitors to the island on this gorgeous fall day.
Unfortunately, the sun dipped under the clouds just as we arrived but as we have encountered many times when we go against the flow, it was still rewarding and well worth the effort. Our first stop was the Lindisfarne Priory followed by a walk to the small castle.
Lindisfarne Priory at Holy Island
By the time we returned, dusk was upon us and the village was almost deserted. We had a few anxious moments as we worried about the logistics of dining. There were only two spots open. The first was fully booked for the evening which made for an easy choice.
Dinner was tasty and we crossed the Lindisfarne Causeway back to the mainland in the dark with plenty of time before the tide came in. Our B&B for the evening was a cozy old English farmhouse. Breakfast was stellar and a perfect start to our day before heading off for Edinburgh.
Travel Photography from Holy Island, England
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The photos in this article are made using a Fujifilm X-Pro2. Lenses: XF 14mm f/2.8 R - XF 23mm f/1.4 R - XF 35mm f/1.4 R - XF 90mm f/2 R LM WR (links to my camera and lens reviews). For some of the photos I used Fujifilm film simulations.
