‍After another breakfast feast, we set off at 08:45 for Lindisfarne, via the Cheviot Hills. Timings were somewhat dictated by tide times for the Lindisfarne Causeway, which today allowed for safe crossing between 12:05 and 20:00.

‍There was plenty of very scenic views through the hills; nothing spectacular, just vistas of farmland and hills to all sides. Tom, the guide, was with us again, commenting (at great length!) on the battle of Flodden Fields and other incursions by the Scots into Northumbria.

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‍We made two stops at the twinned villages of Etal and Ford, both of which were tiny, almost hamlets. Very peaceful places for strolling and enjoying tea and scones. In Etal, there was ruined 14th-century fortress, involved in the 1513 Battle of Flodden. In Ford, there was a remarkable old schoolroom, built in the 1860s, featuring stunning, hand-painted biblical murals by Louisa, Marchioness of Waterford over a period of 21 years.

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‍Lindisfarne (Holy Island) proved something of a disappointment. We’d expected a peaceful journey into history and found a tourist infested, overly commercial small town where English Heritage and The National Trust had carved up between them the few remaining “historical” parts as revenue generating opportunities.

‍Tom issued a veiled warning about the castle (English Heritage), which was a 20 minute, each way, walk and contained lots of steep, no hand-railed stairways. Listen to the guide. Most heeded the warning.

‍There was a small church where Tom had said there was a wooden sculpture of St Cuthbert being carried by monks to Durham for burial. We’d seen an identical metal sculpture in Durham, not knowing exactly what it was. Tom explained the Durham sculpture had been commissioned to mark the end point of Cuthbert’s burial route, the pair marking the start and the end of “The Journey”.

‍It was pleasant enough to stroll around Lindisfarne and take in the scenery, and to enjoy a pub-garden for a light lunch at tourist-trap prices. I suppose when your town has only 104 houses and limited access to the mainland, you make a living the best you can!

‍We drove back following the narrow coastal route with a photo-stop near the spectacular Bamburgh Castle, arriving at our hotel around 17:00.

‍We’d had another very enjoyable day, despite Lindisfarne being much less than we’d imagined.

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