Lindisfarne and Alnwick

Ross was determined he was going to drive across the causeway to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne no matter what and so immediately after breakfast we set off.  Tide times were conducive to a morning visit and provided we got off the island by midday we’d be okay.  First stop were the ruins of Lindisfarne Priory – the original home of the beautifully illuminated manuscripts of the Lindisfarne Gospels (now in the British Museum) and of St Cuthbert whose heritage is thoroughly Northumbrian.

Lindisfarne Priory

Looking towards Lindisfarne Castle

From there it was a short walk to Lindisfarne Castle passing some pretty spectacular scenery along the way. 

Lindisfarne Castle

Looking across to Bamburgh Castle on the mainland

The Silly in the Tilley
(Ross coined that term himself so it's RG copyright;)

Originally an Elizabethan fort, Lindisfarne Castle was purchased and transformed in the 1900s by editor of Country Life magazine, Edward Hudson.  He roped in a couple of his famous friends, architect Edwin Lutyens and horticulturalist Gertrude Jekyll to create a holiday home which, after all that effort, he only visited in July-August every year. 

We were blessed with fabulous weather today so it is understandable why visitors would want to come here in summer.  No doubt the landscape would be pretty grim in winter.  At the castle we joined a free walking tour of the grounds run by the National Trust and visited remains of lime kilns (a booming industry on the island at one time) and heard how one of those particularly grim autumn days spawned a local legend.

On a stormy morning in September 1838 Grace Darling became a national hero when she rowed out in stormy seas with her father to rescue survivors from the wreck of SS Forfarshire which had foundered off the Farne Islands.  So famous did she become for her bravery that she had to fend off unsolicited boat tours to the island to catch a glimpse of her and people writing to request locks of her hair.  She died a few years later aged only 27.  She is now postergirl for the Royal National Lifesaving Institute and has a museum dedicated to her in Bamburgh as well as having a place on the national curriculum taught in schools.

In Jekyll's garden

Looking back to Lindisfarne Castle

The morning wore on so we had to get back to the car and drive off the island before the tide came in.  Heading back to Alnwick we devoted the afternoon to two of the town’s greatest attractions – its castle and gardens.  Being the last week of school holidays every child in Britain must have been there today.  We had to join queues for tickets, queues for sandwiches, and join the slow procession around information displays.

It was worth the effort though.  As family home of the Percy family, Dukes of Northumberland for the last 700 years, Alnwick Castle was all about obscene wealth. Similar to Chatsworth House which we visited last year (albeit on a lesser scale), the state rooms nonetheless oozed opulence with their intricately carved ceilings, gilt everywhere, a 14,000 book library, priceless artworks by Canaletto and Van Dyck and exquisite pieces of furniture.  One marquetry table alone took four craftsmen 11 years to build (and two of the unfortunate artisans died before its completion).  The castle's other slight claim to fame was its use as Hogwarts in the Harry Potter movies... which could explain why so many kids were running around with broomsticks.

The front driveway of Alnwick Castle

Alnwick Castle

The current Duchess of Northumberland (wife of the 12^th Duke) has reputedly poured millions of pounds into developing the neighbouring Alnwick Garden which we also went to see.  Its centerpiece is a cascading fountain which every child in Britain decided to flock to and splash around in even though all the signs discouraged this.  Oh well – it meant there were lots of happy squealing wet little people running around.  

The fountain

Slightly quieter was the ornamental garden with its impressive 2D trees (it must be an Alnwick speciality!) and dovecote.  A short stroll through the cherry blossom orchard took us back outside and so we called it a day and returned to our lodging, town for dinner, and rest before tomorrow's journey.

Alnwick Garden

Northumberland has a great deal to offer and we’ve only just scratched the surface.  Ever onwards however – tomorrow we reach Scotland!