H is for Holy Island - a dream come true

In 2011 we finally visited a place I had dreamed of visiting for many years, and that was Holy Island off the Northumberland coast which is in the north east of England. I don't know when it entered my consciousness, I just know that for a very long time I've wanted to go there - perhaps I saw it on a TV show when I was young and it just stuck there in my mind.

The island is accessed by a tidal causeway, so twice a day there is a dry road to use to get across.  Obviously part of visiting is knowing the tide times as many tourists have been caught out in the past, thinking they can make it across and then their car is swamped by the sea.  You can see by the pictures below that you would never know there was a road there and then suddenly there is.

One of the must see sights on Holy Island is Lindisfarne Priory which was founded in 635 AD by St Aiden.  It's a beautiful ruin that includes some more modern sculptures within it's walls.  When I wander around old ruins I like to place my hand flat against the stones and imagine the lives that the walls have seen - so much history contained within.

Sorry, but I had to sneak in at least one shot of a graveyard - it's compulsory.

As you wander around the island there are some beautiful gardens to see, all with the religious theme incorporated.  We loved this one below, and if we'd had more time I think we could have sat there for hours, but the tide waits for no man (or woman) so we had to keep moving if we wanted to see as much as possible.

 The spot we most wanted to visit was Lindisfarne Castle which was built in the 1500's - it sits atop a volcanic mound which makes it look very impressive and can be seen from a long way away.

My beloved coming up the stairs

A lovely old door

I think there may have been tears in my eyes at this point as I couldn't believe we were there - a bit like when I saw Dubrovnik for the first time (that's a blog post for another day).

We loved how these upturned boats had been turned into storage sheds for the fishermen - very ingenious.

Me and my beloved - the man who makes all my days of fun worthwhile.

I hope you've enjoyed this visit to Holy Island - it's somewhere we want to go back to and stay for a few days so that we can enjoy it at our leisure.

Until next time, stay safe, keep smiling, and do something nice for yourself this week.

Pamela & Ken
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P.S:  Final shot is of Ken - when we got back to our holiday cottage he was a bit cold so ended up cuddling up under my pink dressing gown.