Travel

Less Traveled Northern England-Part 3 (of 3): Lindisfarne, Bamburgh, and Hadrian’s Wall

Sites visited in Northern England

Lindisfarne

Lindisfarne or Holy Island, is an ancient sacred Christian site, dating back to 635 AD. The Lindisfarne Gospels manuscript (early 700’s) was written here. I had first heard about this area from a friend in the UK, and I was glad I had the opportunity to visit.

Traveling to Lindisfarne

Lindisfarne Castle, on Holy Island.

The only way to visit this little town, abbey ruins, and castle easily, is at low tide, not unlike St. Michael’s Mount in southern England. It is connected to the mainland by a road, and it is an eerie feeling driving out on the wet paved road over the sandy seabed and seeing lots of tide pools, seaweed, and warning signs about the fast rising tides. If you don’t want to spend the night on the island of Lindisfarne, find out about the tides and plan your visit accordingly. Having no idea of the tide schedule, I lucked out and arrived with about 2 hours to spare before the tide came back in, and it was just enough time to visit the abbey ruins and castle. There is a large car park a short way from the little town center and a shuttle that provides transportation to/from the car park and castle, which is probably a 15-20 minute walk. I took the shuttle given the warnings from the driver about when I needed to leave.

Lindisfarne Castle interior.

The castle (16^th century) is very small, and more of a grand bungalow on a rock mound. With the cold weather and the warm fires inside, I was almost transported back 400 years.

The abbey is in ruins and has a great view of Lindisfarne Castle and Bamburgh Castle. The monks at the abbey had some protection from Viking (and Scottish) raids due to nearby Bamburgh Castle. The area here is windswept and subject to storms and cold weather almost any time of year—even in October.

Lindisfarne Abbey (Lindisfarne Castle in lower right).

It gave me a sense of what it would have been like to have lived here 1200 years ago as a monk—working in a silent, cold room copying manuscripts in these frontier parts of England in ancient times.

Bamburgh Castle.

Bamburgh Castle

From Lindisfarne, one can see Bamburgh Castle (12^th century) just south along the coast sitting on a volcanic outcropping. Once back on the mainland, it takes just a few minutes to drive to Bamburgh. It is a large castle, with a beautiful wood ceiling in the King’s Hall and various displays in the Keep. I think it’s one of the finest castles in England.

Hadrian’s Wall

Hadrian’s Wall.

From Bamburgh I headed south back towards Newcastle to spend the night. Newcastle is a great jump-off point to visit Hadrian’s Wall, built by the Roman Emperor Hadrian in 122 AD. It is 73 miles long and formed the northern border of the Roman Empire at one point. I visited two spots along the Wall, Chester’s Fort and Housesteads Fort.

Chester’s Fort.

These sites are Roman camps along the wall that housed the legions. Both camps are worth visiting and have good interpretive signs. Even in October, I saw a number of hikers along the trail that follows the Wall.

Housestead’s Fort latrine.

From Housesteads I drove through the Yorkshire Dales National Park towards Harrogate, which felt like traveling above the tree line in Colorado—a barren, windswept landscape-so different than most of England.

Less Traveled Northern England-Part 2: Durham and Alnwick

Sites visited in Northern England.

Durham Cathedral

Durham Cathedral.

The next morning I drove north to Durham, to visit its famous Cathedral (completed 1133). I had heard that Durham Cathedral was a great example of Norman architecture, built for both religious and defensive purposes. The design of this Cathedral is a cross between Romanesque architecture and Gothic. It has a typical Gothic-like three isle nave, with a cross rib vaulted ceiling, but the pillars are much heavier (with interesting decorations), and the side isle arches are rounded— more like other Romanesque-era churches. Be sure to check out the arch stone work in the Galilee Chapel. The Cathedral overlooks the River Wear and I recommend going for a short walk along the river to get a good view of the Cathedral, and enjoying the peaceful river setting.

Durham Castle.

Durham Castle is right next door, but since it is part of Durham University, and classes were in session, a tour was required and I did not take the time to wait for the tour.

Alnwick (“Ahn-ick”) Castle

Alnwick Caslte.

Although I have not read the Harry Potter books, I had heard that this castle was used for scenes from the first movie (during the Quidditch game). What a classic castle. It is the second largest inhabited castle in England (dates from 1309, the home of the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland) and has been well maintained. It sits on a large green estate on the edge of Alnwick town, overlooking the River Aln and valley. The landscape surrounding Alnwick Castle is some of the prettiest I’ve seen in England.

Alnwick Castle from River Aln.

Less Traveled Northern England-Part 1: York, Scarborough and Whitby

I have to admit that although I have visited England at least 13 times, I still feel the excitement of the anticipation of seeing another “undiscovered” castle or town when my plane lands at Heathrow airport. I hop off the plane and breeze through the immigration process and then take the shuttle to the rental car (“car hire”) lot on the airport perimeter for a day or two of sightseeing before a week of work. After navigating my first of many roundabouts for the day, I regain the feel of driving on the left side of the road and then I’m ready to go.

Sites visited in Northern England.

Renting a car is an economical way to see the UK. I usually use National or Alamo Car Rental. It is a convenient way of visiting many sights that are hard to get to by train. UK train travel has become quite expensive, due to deregulation of the train system, and as a consequence, the highways have unfortunately become more crowded.

Northeast England is a remote, less visited region of England, and yet it has some of the finest medieval and Roman sites in the UK. It’s about a three hour drive from Heathrow up the M1 Motorway to Leeds and then about 45 minutes east along the A64 to York. Beyond York north and east are the sites of Scarborough Castle, Whitby Abbey, Durham Castle and Cathedral, Hadrian’s Wall, Alnwick Castle (of Harry Potter fame), Lindisfarne Castle and Abbey, and Bamburgh Castle. There are a number of castles on the northeast coast due to the long history of Scandinavian raiders, even back to the time of the Romans.

York

The road signs on the outskirts of York (on the A64) warn drivers to park in one of the park-and-ride lots and not to try driving into the town. I have visited York twice, both times in October, and had no problem parking right in town at that time of year.

One of several city gates in York.

York City Gate and Minster.

The York Minster (13^th century) is one the largest churches in northern Europe. York Minster is a great example of medieval Gothic architecture and has beautiful stained glass from the 15^th century. Inside the cathedral, be sure to buy a ticket to check out the underground area of the Minster to see the early foundation work and also evidence of the original Roman city engineering with water drainage channels still in use.

View of York and the Minster.

Other things to do in York include walking the walls of the old city, visiting the city’s medieval gates, St. Mary’s Abbey ruins, the York Shambles (a narrow medieval street) and Clifford’s Tower, the only surviving part of York Castle, and the site of a Jewish massacre in 1190.

Scarborough

Scarborough Castle.

From York I drove out to Scarborough, which is about 1 hour by car. Scarborough Castle is a ruin, but it commands a pretty spot on a high bluff overlooking the coast and North Sea. There are also foundation ruins from a Roman lighthouse here. Of all the attractions on the Northeast coast of England, this is one that can be skipped without missing too much.

Whitby

Whitby Abbey.

From Scarborough, it is a short trip up the coast to Whitby, which must be an English weekend “getaway” town. I saw lots of locals strolling around the town on the weekend, and sailboats coming back into the harbor in the afternoon. My main interest was visiting the abbey ruins that sit on a bluff overlooking the town and sea. I love old abbey ruins, and the ruins of Whitby (12^th century) are considered some of the finest from the medieval period.

Whitby Town.

I spent the night in Darlington (south of Durham) after a full day which included driving to northern England from Heathrow airport, stopping in York (short visit since I had been there before), and visiting Scarborough and Whitby.

Dordogne, France Part 2: Beynac Castle (Château de Beynac)

I recall the tingling sensation I got when I saw Beynac Castle, as I looked up from the Dordogne River Valley high on the cliff above the river. To be in the Dordogne region, center of the Hundred Year’s war between France and England was for me surreal.

Beynac is in south-central France

A short drive from the river takes one up to Beynac Village, which seems frozen in time. There is a small parking lot 50 yards from the village. Beynac Castle (13^th century) is well preserved and commands a far-ranging view east and west along the Dordogne River.

View of Beynac Castle from Dordogne River Valley

In the distance to the south, the former English stronghold of Castlenaud (Château de Castlenaud) can be seen. We had the fortune of excellent weather in March 2009, giving us great views of the valley and also straight down to the Dordogne River from the Castle ramparts (don’t fall over!). The castle has been restored beautifully–the Great Hall contains some very large tapestries, and near the entrance is a restored workers kitchen, with many tools and cutlery of the day displayed.

Beynac Castle-East Side

The setting, size and beauty of Beynac Castle makes it one of my favorite in Europe. I’m surprised that most tour and guide books barely mention it, if at all.

The drive from Périgueux via Sarlat to Beynac is enchanting. As one drives south, small villages nestled against the cliffs, right off the sides of the road appear in greater frequency.

Cazelle Grottos

On our way to Sarlat, we stopped at a bit of a tourist trap, Les Grottes du Roc de Cazelle, where we took a walk through the woods and cliffs to take a trip through time, learning about the prehistoric people who lived in this region (who gave us the great artwork of Lascaux caves), farm life in medieval times in this region and more recently in the 1800’s. We learned how people used the caves and cliff overhangs as shelter. While some of the displays are tacky, the explanation of how villages were supported hanging off the cliffs (by holes being drilled into the cliffs for beams) was quite interesting.

Settler’s Residence in cliffs

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