Also known as Holy Island, this small island is just off the coast in the northeast of England, just above Bambugh in Northumberland. It is a tidal island, cut off from land when the tide is in but accessible by road when the tide is low. The name means the island of the travellers from Lindsey, which is a former Kingdom to the south of the River Humber.

A monastery was founded there around 635 AD by St Aidan from Iona, at the request of King Oswald of Northumbria and from here Celtic Christianity was spread across the north of England.

The monastery is famous for the creation of the Lindisfarne Gospels in the 700’s AD. The Vikings raid the island in 793 causing much damage and death and the Viking raids of 875 caused the monks to finally abandon the island with the bones of St Cuthbert. The monks came back to Lindisfarne in 1093 and stayed until the Dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII in 1536.

Today Lindisfarne is a centre for religious retreat and a centre of revival for the Celtic Church. The present population of the island is just over 160. Lindisfarne has the ruined monastery, now cared for by English Heritage and Lindisfarne Castle, a Tudor fort that was refurbished by Sir Edwin Lutyens.

The castle gardens were created by Getrude Jekyll in 1911. The castle and the grounds are owned by The National Trust. Large parts of the island are part of the Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve which is protected for almost 300 species of rare wintering bird species including Pale-bellied Brent Goose, Merlin, Dunlin, Widgeon, yellow-browed Warblers, Radde’s Warbler, Red-flanked Bluetailbar-tailed Godwit and many others. There is a large population of Grey Seals in the area and the nearby Farne Islands to the south of Lindisfarne. Lindisfarne is a popular tourist destination with accommodation available on the island itself.

Search for Accommodation

** THINK Lindisfarne THINK STAYINBRITAIN.CO.UK **

We cannot guarantee the visual images or textual description of the quality of the properties displayed on our Internet or printed pages and therefore cannot assume any responsibility for the accuracy or validity of claims or descriptions given by any property owner on this web site or in any other locations on the internet. We strongly suggest that information is sought directly from the owners. Any views or opinions stated within our web sites or other locations on the internet are soley those of the property owner and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of Reserve It Ltd. We always reserve the right to remove, without compensation, any establishment that fails to provide the quality of service claimed in their StayinBritain advertisment.