Lindisfarne Priory — Mia B. Creative

The Holy Island of Lindisfarne was my absolute favorite place . My biggest regret was we only had a few hours there. It’s a tidal island so unless you are staying on the island (next time!), your time is limited by the tide schedule. My son was recently reading a Horrible Histories book Smashing Saxons (we have the complete Horrible Histories set, highly recommend for your history loving kiddos), and told me about St Cuthbert and Lindisfarne and I excitedly exclaimed, “I’ve been there!!”

Statue of St Cuthbert at Lindisfarne Priory

My mum exploring the island (that’s Eleanor Elizabeth Bunny peeking out of her bag- she travels the world with mom!).

The priory was built in the seventh century and was a frequent target of Viking raids in the 8th and 9th centuries and, many centuries later, Scottish raids. Notable historical figures associated with Lindisfarne are the 7th century Northumbrian King, Oswald, who brought St. Aidan from Ireland to form a monastery on the island. Also, St. Cuthbert is well known for his connection to the island and the priory. Lots of interesting stories revolve around these saints and David Adam’s book on the Saints of Lindisfarne is high on my ‘post nursing school’ reading list.

Bamburgh Castle in the distance, seen from the south side of Holy Island

From a pop culture perspective, if you’ve watched the television show The Last Kingdom, you’ve undoubtedly heard about St Cuthbert, Bamburgh and Northumbria. It was a gloriously clear and sunny day to visit Lindisfarne and I majorly geeked out getting to look across and see Bamburgh Castle in the distance. I cannot wait to visit again and spend a few weeks just in Northumberland, having more time at each of these sites and hiking St. Cuthbert’s Way and St. Oswald’s Way!!