Lindisfarne walks and the tidal causeway

Twice a day, the North Sea covers the road to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne and turns it back into an island. When the tide drops, a causeway reappears across the sands, and you can drive or walk out to a place that has drawn pilgrims for well over a thousand years.

It’s one of the most extraordinary walking destinations in Britain: a ruined priory, a castle perched on a rock, seals on the sandbanks and a tiny village with two pubs. But it’s also a place where a bit of careless planning can leave you stranded or worse. This guide covers how to do it properly.

Walking the Pilgrims’ Way

Long before the road was built, pilgrims crossed to Holy Island on foot across the open sands. That route, the Pilgrims’ Way, is still marked by a line of tall wooden poles, and it’s the final stage of St Cuthbert’s Way, a long-distance path from Melrose in the Scottish Borders.

Walking it is unforgettable, but it needs more care than the road:

The crossing is about three miles and takes most people around one and a half hours.

A circular walk around Holy Island

Best for: history, wildlife and big sea views

Roughly: 2.5–3 hours

Once you’re on the island, a walk around its coast takes in nearly everything worth seeing. Visitors park in the car park on the edge of the village, so the walk starts there.

Begin at Lindisfarne Priory, the ruined medieval priory on the site of the monastery founded by St Aidan in the 7th century. It’s where the Lindisfarne Gospels were made. Walk down to the little harbour, with its upturned boats turned into fishermen’s huts, then follow the shore to Lindisfarne Castle, a Tudor fort on a rocky outcrop that was turned into an Edwardian holiday home by the architect Edwin Lutyens. Below it is a small walled garden designed by Gertrude Jekyll, and nearby are the impressive 19th-century lime kilns.

From the castle, follow the coast north past the white pyramid of Emmanuel Head to the sandy bays of the north shore, then return across the island to the village. Keep an eye out for grey seals on the sandbanks; you’ll often hear them before you see them.

The castle and priory have their own opening times, which are shorter in winter, so check before you go if you want to look inside.

The pubs

Holy Island has two pubs, both in the village:

• The Crown & Anchor sits right next to the priory, with a garden looking out to the castle.
• The Ship Inn is a few minutes’ walk away, a traditional pub serving local ales and seafood.

Both serve food at lunchtime and in the evening, but each has, in recent years, closed for a month over the winter. If you’re visiting between December and January, check which one is open.

The tide affects your pub plans too. If the causeway closes mid-afternoon, a long lunch can cost you your way home. Plenty of visitors book a room and stay the night instead, which also means you get the island to yourself after the day visitors leave.

Getting there

Holy Island is just off the Northumberland coast, south of Berwick-upon-Tweed. The causeway starts near Beal, a short drive from the A1. The nearest railway station is Berwick-upon-Tweed. Public transport onto the island itself is limited and tide-dependent, so check it before relying on it.

Plan your Northumberland walk

Holy Island is a special case: no planning tool should guess tide times for you, so always use the official crossing times. For the rest of the Northumberland coast, including castles, beaches and fishing villages, Your Next Walk can plan four personalised walks around your time, ability and the landmarks you’d like to see, with a pub on the way.

Plan a Northumberland walk →