Lindisfarne, England
Having embarked from Edinburgh in the small hours, we had the morning to explore the small islands set in the Firth of Forth. The Isle of May is a National Nature Reserve, and is every bit as beautiful as its name. This was the best time of the year to encounter vast numbers of nesting seabirds – kittiwake, shag, razorbills, guillmot and, of course, the puffin. A short stroll from the shore led through drifts of pink and white sea campion and thrift. In the center of the island lies a medieval monastery, originally founded by St Ethernan in the 7th-century AD, with remains of a quite remarkable burial cairn. This community was later decimated by the ubiquitous Viking incursions, but a priory was re-established there by King David I of Scotland, soon becoming a major pilgrimage center, part of which survives for us to appreciate today. Further downstream in the Firth stands the Bass Rock, a volcanic plug, and under perfect conditions we were able to circumnavigate the rock and take in from all sides the important gannet colony which has its home on the rock.
We then departed from Scottish waters, and sailed towards the island of Lindisfarne, off the NE coast of England. This island holds great significance for English history, as here it was that in 634 St Aiden was invited by the Anglo-Saxon king Oswald to come from Iona to set up a mission to the kingdom of Northumbria. Here also one of the great masterpieces of Insular art, the Lindisfarne Gospels, was created. This monastic community was the earliest to suffer from Viking raiders, in 793, and eventually the monastery was evacuated, finally settling in Durham. However, the site of Lindisfarne, or Holy Isle, continued to be revered, and a new Benedictine Abbey was constructed here in the years following 1090 AD. Now the ruins of the abbey form the most evocative sight, set amidst green pastures overlooking the water. From its high crossing arch to the humble bakehouses and kitchens, its aged soft red sandstone weathered with beauty and grace, the lovely Abbey of Lindisfarne imbued us all with a sense of tranquility.
Having embarked from Edinburgh in the small hours, we had the morning to explore the small islands set in the Firth of Forth. The Isle of May is a National Nature Reserve, and is every bit as beautiful as its name. This was the best time of the year to encounter vast numbers of nesting seabirds – kittiwake, shag, razorbills, guillmot and, of course, the puffin. A short stroll from the shore led through drifts of pink and white sea campion and thrift. In the center of the island lies a medieval monastery, originally founded by St Ethernan in the 7th-century AD, with remains of a quite remarkable burial cairn. This community was later decimated by the ubiquitous Viking incursions, but a priory was re-established there by King David I of Scotland, soon becoming a major pilgrimage center, part of which survives for us to appreciate today. Further downstream in the Firth stands the Bass Rock, a volcanic plug, and under perfect conditions we were able to circumnavigate the rock and take in from all sides the important gannet colony which has its home on the rock.
We then departed from Scottish waters, and sailed towards the island of Lindisfarne, off the NE coast of England. This island holds great significance for English history, as here it was that in 634 St Aiden was invited by the Anglo-Saxon king Oswald to come from Iona to set up a mission to the kingdom of Northumbria. Here also one of the great masterpieces of Insular art, the Lindisfarne Gospels, was created. This monastic community was the earliest to suffer from Viking raiders, in 793, and eventually the monastery was evacuated, finally settling in Durham. However, the site of Lindisfarne, or Holy Isle, continued to be revered, and a new Benedictine Abbey was constructed here in the years following 1090 AD. Now the ruins of the abbey form the most evocative sight, set amidst green pastures overlooking the water. From its high crossing arch to the humble bakehouses and kitchens, its aged soft red sandstone weathered with beauty and grace, the lovely Abbey of Lindisfarne imbued us all with a sense of tranquility.
