Exploring Lindisfarne Island and the Northumberland Coast

The Northumberland Coast is a thing of beauty. Stretching for over 30 miles, this spectacular part of the world gives you the chance to delve into a wide range of things – from nature reserves to seaside villages, sandy coves to penny arcades, wind surfing to fish & chips.

Let’s take a look at a section of this giant adventure from Lindisfarne to Beadnell. We think you’ll be amazed.

Holy Island of Lindisfarne

The home of the Lindisfarne Gospels, Lindisfarne Priory, Lindisfarne Castle, a National Nature Reserve and Pirri-pirri-bur. Holy Island is a place not to be missed.

Holy Island itself lies just over a mile off the mainland in the North Sea. To get there, you need to drive across the causeway or be a little more intrepid and follow the markers across the sands – but this comes with a warning. The island is cut off twice a day by fast incoming tides. Make sure you know when the tides are – this is vital – and be safe. Once on the island, there’s plenty to do.

Lindisfarne Priory

The Lindisfarne Gospels were written here in the Priory that was founded in AD635 by St Aidan. St Cuthbert was bishop here. Visitors can see the ruins of this once magnificent place – to be honest, it still is – which Henry VIII ordered to be closed. The buildings remained. This is probably because they were useful to the Crown’s defence strategy in the north.

Lindisfarne Castle

The castle was built to defend the harbour from the marauding attacks of the Scots and Norsemen. It’s a National Trust property and for the stunning views alone it’s worth a visit. However, you can also throw history and architecture into the mix to make it a worthwhile trip.

Lindisfarne Nature Reserve

Waders and wildfowl in particular are drawn to the Reserve because of the feeding grounds on offer to them in its dunes, marshes and mud flats. In the Autumn, species such as grey plovers, wigeon and pale-bellied geese can be seen amongst others. And if you keep your eyes open, you’ll also be able to spot seals who swim and sunbathe round these parts.

Bamburgh

Make sure you have the delightful seaside village of Bamburgh on your ‘to do’ list. Whilst there’s absolutely no doubt you’ll find the whole aspect to be dominated by Bamburgh Castle – more of this place shortly – you can also visit the Grace Darling Museum, the Grace Darling Monument, follow the Bamburgh Clue Trail, and easily get to the beaches for a spot of rock pooling.

Bamburgh Castle

Which county in England has the most castles? That’s right! Northumberland. One worth remembering for the pub quiz. Bamburgh Castle is one of them, standing proudly on its dolerite outcrop. As you’d expect, history abounds in this most of splendid of places and a visit really is an essential part of any trip to this part of the Northumberland coastline.

Seahouses

In some ways, after the tranquil sandy beaches, Seahouses can seem almost frenetic when you get there. It’s a small yet busy port which grew up in the late 19th century. To get to know more about the place, there are three Heritage Walks you can follow. And fish & chips… the reputation is top notch.

Farne Islands

Trivia quiz time again – how many Farne Islands are there? Between 15 and 28. That’s right. It depends on the tide. You can land on three of them although this needs to be arranged with boat operators beforehand. Apparently a hat is an essential to take with you if you visit during breeding season. Must be some sort of fashion parade goes on then.

And all this cannot be achieved in one day so make a stay of it!

The Lindisfarne Inn and the Bamburgh Castle Inn both make a great base for exploring this section of the Northumberland Coastline.

Both Hotels are part of the Inn Collection Group and both offer accommodation, food and drink. The Lindisfarne Inn is the nearest mainland pub to Holy Island. It is located handily just off the A1, south of Berwick-upon-Tweed and the Scottish Border. It has great facilities for walkers and cyclists and offers wheelchair accessible rooms. The dining area and bar are also wheelchair accessible.

The Bamburgh Castle Inn which overlooks the harbour in the fishing village of Seahouses welcomes families, hikers, cyclists and is dog friendly too. This pub also has wheelchair accessible rooms, with roll- in wetrooms. The dining area and bar are also wheelchair accessible.

If you love walking then you can book onto one of their BRAND NEW Walk-Inn breaks.

You can join them for a two-night bed and breakfast break, with dinner on the first night, and enjoy a welcoming pint on arrival. They’ll supply a delicious packed lunch to take with you on your explorations, along with a waterproofed O/S walking pack containing a range of classic walks of various lengths and abilities. Prices start from just £238 per couple – that’s only £119 per person!