June Holiday, 20 June

Today is Sunday.  We were always planning to go to Lindisfarne today, but the tides were such that the causeway was not available until this afternoon.  So we thought we would go to church, if we could find one in the area, and a bit of googling led us to Ford parish church, about six miles from where we had spent the night. 

Of course, the first order of the day was breakfast in the café, and very good it was too! 

Only the Swan Whisperer ordered a latte instead of a flat white and said it was too milky, even for him.  

We found the church in good time and there was plenty of parking, which was great.  Service was, as it almost  always is in Anglican churches, a Communion, very odd to have it without the Cup, but in these Covid days.... And it's not as if this is totally unknown - Catholics always seem to do it that way. 

Anyway, after church we still had a couple of hours to fill so we drove down the Northumbrian coast road as far as Seahouses, passing Bamburgh Castle

en route.  We parked up there and had lunch, and then drove back to Lindisfarne. 

It really is a pretty little town; because of its peculiar situation, there aren't the commuter houses you get round most other villages.  Most people who live there are involved in tourism or farming.  

We went to the Heritage Centre and saw some good films about the local wildlife, and a documentary about the Viking raids.   There were some lovely pictures of the Lindisfarne  Gospels, too, but sadly the interactive displays were closed due to you-know-what. 

We then walked down to the Priory, but I think you had to have booked, or there were too many people, or something.  But if you went into the churchyard it was free, and you could see most of what there was to be seen, so we did that.  And there were splendid views over Lindisfarne Castle and so on. 

And, although I didn't take a photo, the statue of St Aidan which had featured prominently in a recent sermon at Brixton Hill!

We then drove on to the camp site, but it really isn't very nice.  The first pitch they gave us was so sloping that, even on the ramps, I couldn't have cooked. So we asked if we could possibly have another one, which was okay, but the electricity here doesn't work.  We have found a socket that does work  - and anyway, we don't really need it, having done quite happily without the last two nights, but still, we are paying for it.  But the worst is that the site is very near the East Coast main line, and trains go roaring past every few minutes.  Oh well, it's the first site I haven't liked.  And we have champagne, so.....