Thursday, June 6, 2019

"Tides dictate the feel of the place ..... busy times, quiet times. The tide becomes the rhythm of the day." ~ quote found in Lindisfarne Castle

It was lovely to be able to relax this morning and not have to get luggage ready to be transported to the next spot. Although, it also means that from here until the 17th we will each have 2 pieces of luggage to maneuver as we travel. Tomorrow we are off to Durham for 2 nights.  Today we started out at the Lindisfarne Centre where the British Library has set up an interactive display on the Lindisfarne Gospels, one of the world's great books - a breathtaking artwork and a symbol of faith. It was handmade by Bishop Eadfrith around 715-720 here in the island monastery. We then strolled up to Lindisfarne Castle, taking in a garden which famed Gertrude Jekyll designed (Andrew may try and replicate this on Klondyke Street). We were hard pressed to find anywhere to eat as there has been an onslaught of cyclists land here. So, we purchased a take away sandwich (tuna and corn) and a couple of apples and are enjoying supper in our room. A rather quiet day after our 100 km hike, but I'm not complaining.
This slate is just outside our door. When this cottage was heavily renovated in the last 10 years, they retained these large floor slates, likely from the early 1800's. 
A replica of the Lindisfarne Gospels, the detail and intricate work on these pages is simply beautiful. 

This is the page beginning the gospel of John. The detailed opposite page is called the carpet page and each gospel had one.
I am pointing out the Celtic crosses so carefully stitched in this quilt. This has inspired me to try my hand at quilting when we return.
As we were leaving this morning, the meat delivery truck stopped at the front door of our B&B. Fresh cuts ready for purchase - no running to the grocery store here - quite the service!

This is a photo of Bamburgh Castle, directly across the harbour from Lindisfarne Castle. It was the royal seat of the Kingdom of Northumbria, where King Oswald lived when he gave the land of Lindisfarne to Aiden for his Christian work, in AD 635.
Heading toward Lindisfarne Castle to explore it. There was a constant stream of people coming and going. It certainly had a commanding view as a fort but it was later renovated into a holiday home. Now the National Trust has ownership.

This was taken this evening - another shot of the castle with the North Sea.
View from the top of the castle of the garden designed by Gertrude Jekyll.
This is the walkway into the castle. Originally it did not have the railing until the Prince of Wales visited in the early 1900's and at his suggestion it was installed. Perhaps he was afraid of heights!
The view from the garden of the back of the castle, where we enjoyed our lunch today.

A very unique and inexpensive way to identify plants; paint their names on beach stones.
Lindisfarne Castle, originally built as a fort by the English in 1542 to defend the harbour from the Scots.
Our stroll back to town - had to get at least a few km in today. Having a bit of withdrawal from the long distance hiking.

Finishing the day with a selfie - we have to refine our ability to take these. A bit of a change of scenery from evening strolls in Kentville.

3 comments:

  1. We re-read the story about the Gospels of Lindisfarne in "I Heard Good News Today" by Cornelia Lehn. It is an incredible story of the book being lost at sea, found again and also translated into a spoken language as it was originally written in Latin. Such an amazing piece of history! We were wondering what it was like inside the castle!

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    1. The castle was originally built as a fort and has a commanding view from atop a very high hill. There were a lot of steps inside the castle leading to many rooms - it had 9 bedrooms and only 1 bathroom! The kitchen was quite large and there was a music room - a lot of the furnishings have not made it back to the castle so there were a lot of empty rooms. The views from on top of the castle were excellent and you could see a long distance in every direction. It was also very chilly and windy in there.

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  2. We used to have a meat man cone to the house when I was a kid. Such beautiful country there

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