Beach time

Lindisfarne Holy Island has been a pilgrimage destination for close to  1400 years. The pilgrimage is supposed to end with a long walk across sand flats at low tide guided by these 4m high poles, often through fog. It was a little foggy in the morning when we arrived. Lucky for us, there is also a mile long causeway road to drive over, but only at low tide as it floods with the high tide. Every year or so, a driver misses the tide and gets stuck in the rising water on the causeway. Yes! The morning was foggy and cool! Very thankful for slightly cooler weather.

In 635 monks came from Iona in the far north west of Scotland, to establish a monastry on the island of Lindisfarne just off the north coast of England. They left after Viking raids in 793. The current ruins are from the 1100s when the priory was established here.

That is a lot of scaffolding on the castle. It was built in the 1500s and is having a bit of work done. We walked around it but did not go inside.

We walked over to Scotland and back, across a steel suspension bridge built in 1820 so that T could set her foot on the earth of Scotland for the first time. 

Then it was back to England. We visited a honey farm that also had a large eclectic collection of old vehicles.

Then we went to an art gallery in the once grand and still busy town of Berwick-upon-tweed. I love these three bridges. The Old Bridge made from red sandstone in 1624 with 15 arches, the New Bridge made from concrete in 1928 with 4 arches and the railway bridge made from bricks by Robert Stephenson in 1850 with 28 arches - and all still being used today!

Can this really be the same day as the first grey photo? Bamburgh Castle is about 25 minutes drive south of Berwick. The core of the castle dates back to 1095 but most of what is seen today was built during the 1700s and 1800s. You may have seen it in movies including Macbeth.

We went for a long walk on the beach at 7pm! And it was not hot! A perfect end to our last day in England for awhile. This really is the same day as the first photos.