A mecca for pilgrims
LINDISFARNE is considered the birthplace of Christianity in England.
Its most famous inhabitant was St Cuthbert, made bishop in 685, whose shrine became a pilgrimage mecca.
The priory was a centre of Christian learning. The world famous Lindisfarne Gospels appeared in the eighth century.
As well as highly illustrated religious texts, the monks made mead, or honey wine – a modern version of which is still produced on the island. The monks fled in 875 AD after it was sacked by the Vikings but returned to re-establish the priory, now run by English Heritage.
The ruins and the castle run by the National Trust are tourist magnets.
A local folk band took the name Lindisfarne and had hits in the 1970s. They included Fog on the Tyne which they re-recorded in 1990 with Geordie football hero Paul Gascoigne.