The spectacular illuminated manuscript of the Lindisfarne Gospels was created at the monastery in the early 8th century. Lindisfarne Castle on Holy Island (Photo: Getty) Cuthbert, who joined the monastery and became prior, is regarded as the most important saint in Northern England. He asked an Irish monk named Aidan to be bishop of his kingdom. Lindisfarne, also known as Holy Island, was given by the 7 th century Northumbrian king, Oswald, to monks from the island of Iona off south-west Scotland. Soon the Atlantic grey seals will go to the islands to pup, but they can be seen all year round. A walk along the King Charles III England Coast Path is not just a walk on the beach, it’s a walk through nature.” “The sand dunes are a blaze of colour in spring and summer, a carpet of wildflowers, which attract rare butterflies and lots of other pollinators. “The offshore islands are of international importance for breeding seabirds and the mudflats and estuaries are like motorway service stations for birds as they migrate from the Arctic to Africa,” says AONB manager Iain Robson. Through summer the dune grassland is alive with skylarks and meadow pipits and arctic, common and little terns, ringed plovers and oystercatchers make nests along the shoreline.īirdwatchers flock to the reserve in the cold months to see overwintering wildfowl and waders signature species include rare light-bellied brent geese, which breed in Svalbard, pink-footed geese, and bar-tailed godwits.īirdwatchers will find plenty to see around Lindisfarne (Photo: Getty) Budle Bay, where vast mudflats are exposed at low tide, is a bird sanctuary and part of the Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve. Northumberland is blessed with extraordinary birdlife. Hills rise gently to the west and the seemingly ever-present Cheviot frames the scene.” Crashing waves provide a soothing soundtrack to the walk and when the tides allow, it is possible to follow parts on the route down on the sand. “The area is renowned for its stunning light, drawing artists from far and wide. “The great thing about the route is that there are no steep hills to climb,” says Ray Biggs, who leads walking tours along the coast. The going is relatively level and rarely strenuous, and there’s plenty to tease walkers away from the trail. North of Fenwick, it crosses the causeway to Holy Island, passing along clifftops on the approach to the seaside town of Berwick-upon-Tweed. The path starts on the northern reaches of the already popular Northumberland Coast Path, with an inland stretch through woodland and farmland, but with views of the sea and Farne Islands from a ridge. Compare this with the UK’s average population density, about 720 per square mile.īudle Bay, Northumberland (Photo: David C Tomlinson/Getty) Northumberland has a population of approximately 320,274 and an area of 1,936 square miles (5,013 km 2) – that’s around 165 people per square mile. Walking the route is an ideal way to see what is England’s least crowded country. Famous landmarks close to the newly opened section include Budle Bay, the tidal island of Lindisfarne, and Grade I-listed Bamburgh Castle. Most of the northern section of Northumberland’s coast is part of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), known for beautiful beaches backed by rolling dunes, internationally important inter-tidal mudflats, and geological diversity. The continuous path runs for 245 miles between Bridlington in the East Riding of Yorkshire and the border at Marshall Meadows Bay, just north of Berwick-upon-Tweed – and is the longest stretch of the slowly evolving path to open to the public to date. The opening today of the 38-mile (61km) stretch of the King Charles III England Coast Path between Bamburgh (named the UK’s best seaside resort by the consumer association, Which?) and the Scottish border means that the entire coast of Northumberland is now open to walkers.
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