Holy Island Sands Northumberland, UK, looking west from Chare Ends, Holy Island, on an incomming tide showing poles marking the ancient pilgrim route
View taken at Chare Ends on Holy Island near high tide showing poles marking the ancient pilgrim route from Beal Sands on the mainland. Over half the route is submerged. Aprox km ( miles) from shore to shore the walk can take a couple of hours, and fast incomming tides can mean the unwary get cut off as the route runs up to 750 metres from the nearest shore. The road, built in 1954 mainly follows the course of the dunes but is also flooded at high tide. The route is now the final stage of the modern St Cuthbert's Way long distance footpath which runs between two sites associated with Cuthbert; Melrose, Borders, to Holy Island, Northumberland. Holy Island is a major pilgrimage site: St Aidan founded a monastery on the island in AD635, St Cuthbert was its most famous prior (685-7). Monks abandoned the island in 875 after a series of Danish raids beginning in 793. Monks from Durham returned to build the Benedictine priory 1093-1104. It was Dissolved by Henry VIII in 1537; stone from the priory was used to build Lindisfarne Castle. View taken at Chare Ends on Holy Island near high tide showing poles marking the ancient pilgrim route from Beal Sands on the mainland. Over half the route is submerged. Aprox km ( miles) from shore to shore the walk can take a couple of hours, and fast incomming tides can mean the unwary get cut off as the route runs up to 750 metres from the nearest shore. The road, built in 1954 mainly follows the course of the dunes but is also flooded at high tide. The route is now the final stage of the modern St Cuthbert's Way long distance footpath which runs between two sites associated with St Cuthbert; Melrose, Borders, Scotland, to Holy Island, Northumberland, England.
Size: 4961px × 3740px
Location: Holy island, Northumberland, England, UK
Photo credit: © Jean Williamson / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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