Day Planner

What to do on site?
Which English Heritage properties are nearby?
Which other places of interest are nearby?

A perfect island escape! A place of pilgrimage for 1,300 years, cross the dramatic causeway and explore the atmospheric ruins of the Priory.

What to do on site?

Visit the exciting exhibition

Follow history from the Golden Age of Northumbria when 7th century Irish missionaries led by St Aidan and later the most famous monk-bishop Cuthbert founded the first monastery here. Learn about the Viking raiders in 793 who forced the monks to flee to the mainland to the disillusion of the Monasteries when the Priory was forced to close and eventually fall into ruin.

Explore the Priory Grounds

Walk around the remains of the church, built in beautiful pink sandstone, built between about 1125 and 1150 by monks from Durham in honour of St Cuthbert. Believed to be on the site of the Anglo-Saxon monastery founded in the 7th century and where Cuthbert was once buried.

As you enter through the magnificently carved West Doorway you can see Lindisfarne’s best known a most dramatic feature the ‘Rainbow Arch’. One of the ribs for the vault over the church crossing, it survived when the tower above collapsed in the 18th century.

Stroll around the Monastic buildings which formed the living quarters of the monks, the remote setting adds to the unique atmosphere of the Priory.

Browse the shop

Remember your day at the Priory by buying a souvenir from our shop. Purchase unusual gifts for that someone special, from gifts for Grandma and books for history buffs to unique jewellery for Mums and English jams for Dads you’re sure to find something to suit everyone’s tastes!

Which English Heritage properties are nearby?

Etal Castle

Distance: 15 miles

Discover a border castle set in a picturesque village on the banks of the River Till. Etal Castle was built in the mid-14th century as a defence against Scots raiders. An award-winning exhibition tells the story of Flodden, and the history of Anglo-Scottish border warfare.

Dunstanburgh Castle

Distance: 30 miles

The dramatic ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle, which was built in 1313 and the scene of much fighting during the Wars of the Roses, watches over a headland famous for its seabirds.

tourist information

The nearest Tourist Information Centre is located on the island, call 01289 389200.

For more information on things to see and do in the area please see www.visitnorthumberland.com.

English Heritage Properties nearby

Other nearby attractions