England: Holy Island of Lindisfarne
This is the English version of Mont St Michel in France – a tidal island just offshore with a medieval castle on it. At high tide, the island and the road to it get completely covered by several feet of tidal sea water, so to get to the island you need to time your trip and make sure you don’t overstay. The settlement on the island dates back to the 6th century, and has a long history of Celtic, then Viking, and then Norman conquest. There is also a spectacular castle right above the water on a high rock that looks dramatic at low tide. While the castle was built around 1500, a much older structure is the ruins of the Lindisfarne Priory as the island became the base of Christian Evangelism here. The priory dates back to the 7th century and while it stands in ruins, it’s interesting that some of its stonework was used in the construction of the castle.
