Saturday 2nd January 2016

Holy Island- Lindisfarne

We had a leisurely breakfast then drove for an hour or so to the causeway for Holy Island. Neither of us had appreciated quite how far it was- nearly at the Scottish Borders. The roads were very quiet going north but plenty were returning maybe from New Year festivities in Scotland where, we've been told, it has more importance than Christmas. Cause way crossings could be made today after 10.15 until 6.30. The car radio warned of gales in the North East and it was raining hard again! sometimes puddles stretched across the road but we didn't see bad flooding only in flood plain fields. doing what they are supposed to do.

The coast looked brighter by a few shades but mostly everywhere was grey. We reached signs telling us that it was our responsibility to check the tide times before leaving the mainland. Down a country lane just off the A1 at Beal it leads straight on to the causeway. Headlights were coming towards us and it was 10.16 so we set off. The concrete road divided the water which further on looked like quick sand. Sometimes water washed right over the road and it seemed we were a vessel in the sea. At times it was so deep the wheels sent it to the top of the side windows. I wouldn't fancy the chances of a sports car.

The cloud was low which gave a misty quality to the day. We were surprised how long the drive took. At easily ten minutes it could have been several miles. We had planned to walk it if the weather had been as predicted but we were glad that we hadn't partly because of the amount of water we drove through when it was deemed "safe" and because firm dry land seemed far off for a long while.

The first car park had a couple of cars in it. One was trying to leave but it had been parked with its front wheels on mud. The wheels spun and dug deeper into the mire. bob offered to help push it out. It took 3 people and we made sure our front wheels were on something hard, warning other drivers as they arrived to do the same.

It cost £2.60 for 2 hours but £4.20 all day if you had the change which we didn't. On the way to the village there was a noise like hundreds of sparrows coming and going. I also heard it on the way back  but couldn't trace its source. We by-passed a fallen tree across the pavement and thought the village looked asleep. There were more houses than I expected - some with religious icons in the widows unsurprisingly. The visitors centre was closed. a café that double as a craft shop said it was open but it  was deserted. Perhaps all the cars we saw leaving were islanders off shopping on the mainland.

A gateway led to a path on the beach. Down here we found the refurbished building that was the lifeboat house.Built in 1884 it is now used for storage. I was surprised that the doors opened edgeways to the sea. Just under the wall on the beach is Jenny Bell's well, stone built with steps down. I thought this to be some sort of protection from wind for sheep until I found out otherwise.
From here we could see St Cuthbert's island that can be walked to but obviously not today(yet)

On the little island stands a tall cross-looking to be wooden. St. Cuthbert probably used this land as hermitage (AD630-687) Now in Durham Cathedral he was originally buried on Lindisfarne. Legend has it that the monks buried his body intending to use his bones as relics. after 11 years when they opened the coffin his body was still complete and undecayed, which they saw as a great sign of sainthood. Even after the Middle Ages it was opened again to the same effect but later an opening of the coffin in the 19th century revealed bones.

We clambered over rocks and went inside the old stone lookout tower built 70 years ago for the coastguard. It has been transformed to provide panoramic views of the island. It looked shut up. We were surprised when the door opened to reveal new wooden stairs, exhibition plaques and a light airy space. At the right time of year the rocks off here are a main haul out site for seals.

The ruins of the 12th century priory and the church are beautifully atmospheric with red sandstone making them unusual. English heritage charges £5.60 for adults but we had a good view from where we stood. One of the monks from here was responsible for the Lindisfarne Gospels, illuminated manuscript now in the British Library.

Once this was a good place for catching herring in the 19th century but today the boats are seen upside down and used as storage for fishing gear.

On its high rocky outcrop the castle dominates, despite its small size. we walked beneath it hoping there wouldn't be rock fall. The castle is based on a Tudor fort and it was refurbished in the Art and Crafts style. Owned by the National Trust it wasn't open today.

We walked on towards the sand dunes but when a path offered a way back to the village we decided we'd endured wind and rain enough for the day. If the sun had been shining a 5 mile round trip would have been more enticing.

We passed through farmland and finally past the village car park- almost empty. Passing by the house with the fallen tree where it was in neat piles, chopped up we spoke to the owner. She said it fell because it was rotten. They didn't live on the island and the lady said she wouldn't want to. Maybe many of the houses are holiday lets like this one and might explain the lack of activity around.

Our clothes were wet through so after leaving on the causeway that seemed just as waterlogged as when we arrived despite the tide still going out, we drove to the Barn Restaurant at Beal, just off the Causeway. Here we changed and had soup and a roll to warm us up. From here you could see a TV with a watery view of the causeway as headlights came towards the mainland. The food was tasty but they waived the price of my soup when I found a slither of crockery in my last mouthful. They were very apologetic and I would still recommend them.

January 1^st 2016

St.Mary’s Island, Tyne and Wear

 

We left at 8 am with very little traffic on the roads. The island, St Mary’s and lighthouse would be open from 10.30 till 3.30 to coincide with the tides. It is situated a little off the coast just past Whitley Bay. We followed the road down to the 2^nd car park which normally requires a ticket. Despite it being a bank holiday some cars displayed tickets but the machine appeared to be out of paper when we got to it and displaying out of order. It would have been 80p an hour.

Despite the cold wind it was fairly busy with people taking air on the beach or walking to the lighthouse. The car thermometer hadn’t registered much above freezing all the way here and it was the coldest day so far this winter. The short concrete causeway suddenly disappears when the tide comes in, signs warn.

The 1898 white lighthouse is an impressive monument but a redundant one except as a tourist attraction. The keeper’s cottages have been turned into a visitors centre by the local council and around the island is nature reserve- wetland, grassland and rock-pools. It is all rather low key.

We were fascinated, on the walk over, by a group of middle-aged men in snorkelling gear, playing like seals in the shallow water just beyond the rocks. Maybe a New Year cold dip! They were still there when we came out of the museum though.

We watched a squadron of cormorants fly past in formation like ducks. The island has a bird hide but this is more for observing seals who use the rocks below as a haul out area. This is where they rest, moult or breed and it is vital to their well- being. Everywhere you go on this island there are signs telling the public how to behave around them as seals easily stress and become ill. One sign said if you were bitten by a seal no matter how small a wound it should get attention quickly as it could become infected. Volunteers regularly seal watch. There aren’t any colonies during winter. There was a gap on the wall of the hide where once there were binoculars. A sad indictment of the times!

 

 

Inside the lighthouse ( it cost us £1.50 each as pensioners) we were shocked by the state of disrepair. Plaster had fallen from under the steps and the platform just before the final push to the light. A picture I had seen looked so different. The spiral staircase of 137 steps has a handrail against the wall while there are railings with glass or plastic at the “drop”. I have a fear of heights so I thought Bob would go up and take photographs. As it turned out, I went up, determined one of us should do it and Bob gave in to the quite understandable misgivings. Logic was saying that plenty of people had gone up before us- some quite small children. It was the areas of peeling plaster that made you think twice but once I got started the stairs weren’t steep and there were flat areas where you could pause to let someone pass. It was best not to look down too much.

 

I manged some watery pictures through the windows and had the weather been better there would have been glorious views. At the almost top there were very enclosed narrow stairs to get to the light and you were advised to walk backwards down them to get out. I seemed to be alone at this point so I drew the line at that but still pleased with myself walked quickly back down hugging the wall all the way.

There is a small museum with a model boat, shell collection and various things for kids to do to teach them about the environment. A little gift shop sold drinks and snacks and because of the visitor numbers they opened up the upstairs function room to accommodate people.

The geology is interesting here and you can see the coal seams in the strata under the car park from the island. There are plenty of information boards though it was too windy to stand reading them for long.

We found a really friendly pub called the Melton Constable ( seemingly a train not a policeman) with a folk music session though we had to sit away from it in order to eat. It was warm but we didn’t stay overly long. We found our Premier Inn stop over and went for an invigorating walk around the lake that is part of the country park here. We had earnt a free bottle of wine with our points accrued and we shared a huge piece of fish and a steak which were both delicious.