Lindisfarne

Finally! A morning that we didn’t have to be on the road at the break of day. And the bed the night before was especially comfy. We stayed at the Holiday Inn.   Breakfast was leisurely and very good.

We had a different van now and it ran much more easily and, most important, it had a spare tire!
We set off for Lindisfarne and arrived in the mid afternoon. The day was the first one that wasn’t bright with sunshine. It was cool and misty with a lovely bluster. That was good for me because I was still susceptible to sunshine and I got to wear my cable knit pullover sweater.

Himself

From the parking lot, the site of the castle on the promontory seemed very far away. There was a large sign giving the times each day when it was safe to drive onto the island and off of it. The tide comes in so quickly that a car cannot outrace it. There’s actually a safe house up on stilts halfway along the road where people who get caught by the tide can call for help. Their cars are ruined. It’s a hard lesson to learn.
The parking lot was in the village. It’s a special little village where people live year round. 

We all got out of the van and made our way to different spots on the island. Kathleen, Ann and Latoya went to see the ruins of the abbey that had been sacked by the vikings, and made the climb to the castle. Darlene and Richard got something to eat and then went to St. Aiden’s church.

We walked the path that led to the castle but only went halfway. And it was perfect! We sat on a bench and watched others make the climb up the path. There were birds and wildflowers and sheep and I found one blown dandelion! After that we went back to the village and had tea and scones. I went into the bakery and bought a few yummy things and then we visited the post office where I bought a postcard to send to my son in Philadelphia. The postage cost about 3 pounds!

Our final destination that day was St. Aiden’s church, in Lindisfarne. We all gathered there and offered up our prayers for renewed faith.
The abbey that was sacked by the Vikings had been a place of great faith and a sending out place. Monks went there to prepare to go out to the nations and spread the Gospel. That was at the very end of the Dark Ages. 

​The castle was built in the 1550s and was refurbished in the 1920s by a wealthy family who kept it as holiday retreat. Now it's a museum that you can walk to.

I think it was the second most spiritually infused place we visited. Holy Spirit was so strong there and He was so glad to show us what He wanted us to see.
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We traveled on to the Pine Marten Hotel and Restaurant. It was a decidedly masculine hostelry. No frills in the rooms but the restaurant was very nice. I gave our waitress the stamped postcard I’d written to my son and she said she’d make sure the postman got it.
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I was finally able to get on the internet that night. I was able to take care of some important things including touching base with our daughter. I also tried to set Tom’s phone up to be useful to us on the rest of our trip, but alas! I couldn’t do it.