Holy Island?

We’ve been away on holiday for the past week, so I’m back to the blog now. We spent a most enjoyable holiday in Northumberland and were glad to be able to attend the church in Wooler – where we were staying. One memorable afternoon was spent on Holy Island. The first picture is of Lindisfarne Castle. This loses some of its charm when one realises that the original 16^th century castle was partly built from the ruins of Lindisfarne Priory, seen in the second picture. The castle was then redesigned by Sir Edwyn Lutyens in the early twentieth century as a holiday home! In a way this was fitting. Holy Island is a misnomer; it is now Tourist Island – hundreds of people walking back and forth and round and about. It is doubtless more peaceful at high tide when no-one can get over the causeway, and perhaps in the winter time. Still it seems a fitting symbol of our times: holiness giving way to pleasure and leisure.