Lindisfarne Castle- Holy Island

I was there pre covid. The castle looked superb from the outside and had only recently reopened after a massive restoration when I visited. NT were still deciding the best way to display the castle and many of the rooms were still empty. There are quite a few different rooms to see and I probably spent well over an hour going round, taking pictures and talking the the room stewards.

Looking at the website tickets are released on a Thursday for the next 14 days. You can book a ticket up until 8am on the day you want to visit. I doubt the castle gets many tour groups (and they will have to prebook and go round as a group.) Keep an eye on the website and see how quickly tickets get booked up in advance.

Does this answer your questions?

Does the tide have an impact on timing of a visit?

Very much so Stan. Lindisfarne is reached by a tidal causeway and there are safe crossing times which motorists are very strongly advised to respect. The tide comes in very quickly and foolish motorists regularly get stranded.

"I doubt the castle gets many tour groups"

Actually, I've looked at 2 different tour companies that provide an itinerary that includes a Lindesfarne Castle visit. One is Road Scholar which has it on a small group itinerary which maxes out at 24 tour members. The other is a tour with Mark Seymour a former Rick Steves guide. His groups max out I think at about 12 people.

Thank you wasleys. I had been on the website and see that they only release so many tickets. We had planned to visit on the Friday of our trip but now found out they are not open at all on the Friday. So, we will need to get there during the opening of 10:00 13:00. That's why I wondered if others knew how long we should expect to look around. Is it a tour and you are escorted through, or do you get to explore on your own. Also being in Canada, with that short window as they open the tickets, I'll need to be out of bed very early that morning to make sure we get those tickets, since that's our only chance. You get what I mean?

You should check the tidal charts to see if it will be possible to reach the island during your proposed visit. If the tide is in, you're not getting there unless you take a boat.

It's been years since we went there, it sounds like things have changed a bit (ah, the growth of tourism...). When we were there, the place was deserted. We wandered around the island for maybe an hour, petting the sheep (and trying to avoid stepping in their poop), taking pictures, feeling goofy. While the setting was otherworldly and we loved checking out the site, the castle itself did not look particularly interesting (sounds like they have fixed that) and we didn't bother to go inside. Maybe we missed some good stuff in there but the place was very quiet and seemed devoid of any visible tourist activity.

If you only have three hours, the priory is far more interesting than the castle and also much more important historically. When we visited, we spent all of our time in the priory. The castle dates to the 1500s and was a "stately home" until recently.

"Lindisfarne – also known as Holy Island – is one of the most important centres of early English Christianity. Irish monks settled here in AD 635 and the monastery became the centre of a major saint’s cult celebrating its bishop, Cuthbert. The masterpiece now known as the Lindisfarne Gospels was created here in the early 8th century. The ruins now visible are those of a 12th-century priory, which claimed direct descent from the early monastery. "

When I was there, you wandered round by yourself at your own speed. There were plenty of room stewards to answer questions.

You need to allow 20-30 minutes to get from Beal to Lindisfarne and get parked up. It is then about 15 minutes walk to the castle.

I asked about the tide because it is a critical plot element in the most recent "Vera Stanhope" suspense novel by Anne Cleeves: "The Rising Tide". Worth a read if you want to add a third dimension to visiting Lindisfarne.

Thanks Wasley's. We will be taking the bus. Coming in from Edinburgh, I'm timing out for the Tides & the Border Buses to get to the Island. We might be up really early that day so we can see the castle during the 3 hours window. We are staying on the island so it's only a 3 hour window to see the castle. Then they are not open on our full day there. Our accommodations had emailed the castle before we booked and said they would be open on the Friday... but it says it's not so, we are left to scramble a bit but I'm not going to change all our plans around just get rolling early. That happens.

Thanks Stan for the book idea. I might check it out.
I went onto Trip Advisor and someone had said it really only takes about an hour to tour around the Castle so I think we will be good.

Check out what time the bus gets to Lindsifarne and allow an extra 30-45 minutes to get to the castle (to allow foir late running oir other contingencies) and book a time when the booking window opens on the NT website.

I take photogrpahs so always take longer going round somewhere

As already pointed out, The ruined abbey is also worth visiting along with the museum. Have a look in the church too!

I hope the Island has got itself sorted out now post Covid.

I was there in July 2021 after the UK had abandoned all the social distancing, and basically all restrictions, masking etc.

Literally on every lamppost there were signs about Covid safety, you could only get into the very back of the Church (resulting in the opposite of the intention- uncomfortable and totally avoidable crowding), and rope barriers everywhere in the priory area trying to corrall people- again leading to avoidable lines and generally getting far too close to people- the opposite of all the signs and that were up and their intentions.
Far too much attempted control, and far too little common sense.
I abandoned doing the priory and the whole village, and just escaped to the harbour and then the sand dunes and the bird life of the north part of the island, and the ashes scattering which was the main purpose of the day anyway.
At the end of the day I could just creep up the back lane from the north end straight into the parking lot and escape.

It was such a shame. I was paranoid at the time anyway about Covid, and it put a real dampener on the day. A day when my emotions were high because of the ashes scattering.

The irony was that later in the day I went down to Seahouses, and saw the boats to the Farne Islands were packed! No precautions being taken there except for "one in, one out" restrooms in the town.

There were some places still paranoid about covid in 2021. We are all a lot more relaxed now as we are learning to live with covid. By the time Shelley visits I can't see it being an issue.

If concerned check with your accommodation as to whether there are still any restrrictions etc.

Stan, I got the Anne Cleeves The Rising Tide and thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks for the suggestion. :)

@Shelley - Had you read the other Vera novels? I see the one Stan recommended about the tides is #10. Wondering if you miss too much if you read out of order? Says the person who is driven nuts by reading out of sequence but is hesitant to spend $11.99 on the Kindle version and unable to get the e-book from my local library, lolol.....

Pam & Shelley, I've read them all (and her even better Shetland series). I'll say that plot-wise, reading out of order is OK as the stories stand alone, but you miss the character development of her co-workers. I'll also note that "Vera" the TV series (may have been on PBS Masterpiece) is on either Netflix or Prime. I watched the first season (which follows one of the books) - the second was pay per view. The lead was cast perfectly.

I did it as a read alone and it was just fine. I'm not usually interested in mysteries but this one was really good. I enjoyed knowing some of the names that she referred to since I've been doing so much research.

I had a disappointment to day that will cost us way more for our visit. The Border's Buses do not go to the Island at all on the day we had booked to go over. All my Bnb's are booked and we will just have to bit the bullet and pay for a taxi. Sad though, because the Bus is much cheaper. But that's just the way it is. I'll have to cut corners since Border Buses let us down. :(

Thank you both! Just added myself to the waitlist for the ebook.

Shelley, that is a disappointment but so happy you found out NOW instead of when you are there.

Shelley,
Woody's Taxis of Berwick were (not sure if still are) operating the Lindisfarne Castle Shuttle bus. As part of that they were operating a bus onto the island each day before and after the tide.
It may be worth contacting them to see if that is still happening. In any event maybe they will run a taxi.
https://klegroupberwick.co.uk/berwickbuses/the-holy-island-of-lindisfarne-bus-services/

I would also contact Travelsure Buses for up to date information as last year they were running a scheduled bus service onto the island (it looks as if they may have taken over the Castle shuttle from Woodys)
https://www.travelsure.co.uk/services
Coming from Edinburgh that would be train to Alnmouth.

There is a second disappointment for you. Go North East have not yet announced the start of the normal summer timetable on the AD122 Hadrian's Wall bus- thus for the time being it remains on 2 hourly frequency, rather than being lifted to hourly.
This has never happened before- so I feel let down in having, it seems, over promised.
Whether the lift happens in time for Summer remains to be seen but it won't be there for April.
Sorry.

Shelley,
You can certainly get to Beal on the A1 on the regular service bus. It may seem cheeky, but have you thought of asking your B and B hosts on the island, if they could meet you off the bus on the A1, even if you paid them a bit for your time and petrol/gas?
The worst they can do is to say no.

Yes, isn31c I did ask if they could meet us and they said, with work commitments wouldn't work. But thank you for the idea of the other buses. I can check on those for sure! I didn't know about that idea.
What are you saying about the AD122? We are not going until the Fall- Sept. 2023. That's going to make it very hard to see all we want to see on Hadrian's wall, if we have to wait so long. The Buses really are a challenge.

I still have to look at Yorkshire Dales...Dales buses and see how that looks. Oh my! I seem like I get one thing figured out and then I get these "hiccups". sigh

Shelley,

The Borders Buses summer schedule for Lindisfarne is now out- and they are still not daily as they have been before in the summer. There is a known demand there which simply isn't being met.
Perryman's were so much better than Borders buses, especially on the once hourly Edinburgh to Berwick bus- which Borders buses have wrecked. They were a local company who cared. Borders are the local arm of West Coast Motors of Lochgilphead (near Oban) and were never known for running a high frequency timetable on their home turf. They seem to have way over expanded.

I thought I'd posted the AD122 timetable here- you know what thought did, it must have been on another thread- here we are- https://passenger-line-assets.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/gonortheast/GNE/AD12-timetable-20221203-b1664e83.pdf

And for the western end of this central part of the wall around Birdoswald to Greenhead see the 185-
https://passenger-line-assets.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/gonortheast/GNE/681-timetable-20221203-f1a7907f.pdf

It's not very obvious (or indeed at all obvious) from the timetable but you can reach the eastern end of that section (near Chesters), at Humshaugh, on the 680-
https://passenger-line-assets.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/gonortheast/GNE/680-timetable-20221203-50554ecc.pdf
I suppose a clue is in the name of the hotel at the nearby village of Wall. It's only about an hour to walk back into Hexham from Humshaugh on very quiet roads.

It is increasingly likely that the above is what you will have in the fall, so plan around this now and be pleasantly surprised if you get enhanced timetables.

Everything you need to know about buses in the Yorkshire Dales is on the Dales Bus website- https://www.dalesbus.org/
You'll see that summer services are announced, on the travel info page they are just awaiting printing of the summer timetable book but all the timetables are elsewhere on the site. For the rural nature of the area the network is pretty good.

There is also the preserved railway- the Wensleydale Railway

There are much better castles along the east coast - visit the priory and view the castle exterior if time is limited

There are much better castles along the east coast

There are, but getting to some of them by public transport may not be that easy...

Also Lindisfarn is unique - a tidal island with a very long history. That is probably the reason people want to go there....

Also, if Shelley wants to go to Lindisfarne, that is where she wants to go to- not Bamburgh or Alnwick or anywhere else.
That is where her overnight stay is, on the island. So not getting there is not an option.
It seems to be much harder than it either should be, or ever has been, without a car, and my sympathies are with her.
I'll bet it will be very special to be there overnight, after all the visitors have gone.
The point of this thread is to achieve that, not to send her to somewhere else.
There is a reason why some of my Mum's ashes are scattered on the island.

Thank you for the support. There is History for me for why i want to see it and to stay on the Island. 10 years ago on our 1st trip to Britain as we rode by on the train I saw it and went..."What is that?!!" I knew when we planned our trip back I had to see it. See it and then I thought can I stay on the Island. Yes! Then found out about the Birding to be done. I love the smell of the water.

I was disappointed about the no buses but it looks like the Taxi is the way to go. The other service is not offered as suggested.
Castles... We will see lots I'm sure. I do feel heard on this one. Thank you! :)

Stick to your guns Shelley. You have very clear objectives as to what you want to achieve from this visit. Don't be sidetracked by well meaning buffoons... That first sight of Lindisfarne is one never to be forgotten. I'm sure it will live up to expectations.

Absolutely wasleys Thank you for your support! I am excited to get to stay on the Island and will work out any "hiccups" we encounter. ;-)