Holy Island is one of Northumberland’s most visited tourist sites. It is a tidal island, meaning it can only be reached by car at low tide as the causeway linking it to the mainland is underwater during high tide.

Safe crossing times are listed on the Northumberland County Council website.

Visitors can park at The Snook, located on the skinny western side of the island. This area is part of the 40 sq m Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve which, in the words of Natural England, is “an ever-changing landscape of sand dunes, mudflats and coastline constantly reshaped by sea, wind and time”.

Alternatively, you could park at the main Holy Island Car Park.

From The Snook, there is a short path through some sand dunes that emerge onto one of the widest beaches you will ever see at low tide.

The sand dunes have been plagued by an invasive plant originally from New Zealand called the pirri-pirri burr. It has sticky spines that hook on to clothing and can easily spread to other sites and harm native wildlife.

Another plague was a pile of rubbish dumped amid the dunes, spoiling the normally pristine beaches of Northumberland. How did it get to this difficult-to-access spot, and who would have dumped it? There was limestone cleaner, crab pots, and cans of strong and cheap white cider of the sort favoured by alcoholics.

The walk continues to a lovely sandy bay with cliffs that are home to numerous seabirds. The island is frequented by wintering waterfowl who feed on sea grasses and marine creatures.

In summer, the salt marshes burst into flower, with 10 species of orchid recorded on Holy Island.

On the headland is a white brick pyramid called Emmanuel Head, built around 1810 to aid navigation in these waters where shipwrecks were common.

From Emmanuel Head, the trail turns south along the rocky east coast of the island.

Farming, tourism and fishing are the main activities on the island today. There are a number of tourist attractions on Holy Island including Lindisfarne Castle, Lindisfarne Priory, the Heritage Centre, and St Aidan’s Winery.

Wooden posts mark the walking route over the sands and mud from Holy Island back to the mainland. This is the Pilgrim’s Route, and is a great experience for those interested in following in the footsteps of medieval saints and pilgrims.

You can walk back to your starting point alongside the causeway road. While there is no real footpath here and quite a few cars on the road, it is safe enough.

This article first appeared on Northumberland Traveller.