Lindisfarne Priory

In pursuit of St. Columba, we followed the eastern coastline southwards across the English border to reach Lindisfarne on Holy Island. Here we were able to drive across the causeway to reach the Priory. This beautiful twelfth century building has some amazing archways and pillars amongst its architecture, as well as the remains of the traditional chimney. It’s quite strange how some of the lower arches have been bricked up; though this is more likely restoration work to keep the structure standing rather than something sinister hidden deep within its vaults. There are also arrow markings on one of the pillars, as if constantly reminding worshipers to keep looking up. The gardens are well kept with hyacinth plants, and there’s even a lighthouse to climb and explore the nature of the North Sea. I half expected to see a rabble of rabbits hopping about, but sadly Channel 4 filmed that sequence elsewhere.