The Holy Island of Lindisfarne has a rhythm of its own, dictated by the tides. Accessible only when the tide drops back from the causeway, it has an ethereal quality where nature and history combine to provide refuge for the spirit.

The Holy Island of Lindisfarne has been a place of Christian pilgrimage for 1300 years since St Aidan founded the first monastery in 635AD. In 793AD Lindis-farne monastery suffered the first recorded Viking raid on English soil.
Visitors feel a sense of peace and tranquillity throughout the island but nowhere more so than in the atmospheric remains of the medieval Priory. Slow down from the hectic pace of modern day life and discover the spirituality and the fascinating history of this very special place.
Holy Island offers a beautiful unspoiled village with a selection of shops, cafes, pubs and hotels. The 16th century Lindisfarne Castle stands at the northern end of the island guarding the entrance to the harbour. Built in the 1530s as an artillery fort, during the reign of Henry VIII, it was bought in the 1880s by Edward Hudson and restored as a holiday residence. The renowned architect, Sir Edward Lutyens, converted the fort to a 'home'. Gertrude Jekyll created The Walled Garden in 1911 from the original vegetable garden. It is well worth a visit! The castle is now owned by the National Trust and maintained as Hudson's ‘holiday home’.
Visitors can view an electronic version of the Lindisfarne Gospels and an exhibition about life on the island at the Lindisfarne Heritage Centre. Opposite the Centre, The Gospel Garden can also be visited all year round. Many visitors are tempted to buy a bottle of Lindisfarne Mead, a delicious, honey-based fortified wine dating back some 1300 years to a time when mead was first produced by the monks of the Priory.
Lindisfarne is a National Nature Reserve whose mudflats, sand dunes and salt marshes are home to a variety of fasci-nating plants providing a marvellous habitat for migrating birds and wildlife.