David Adam has been captivated by the beauty wonder & holiness of Lindisfarne since first glimpsing its fairytale castle from the train as a young boy. In this absorbing volume he shows the island's human face revealing how Lindisfarne & its people have responded to trial tribulation & triumph in the course of a long & vibrant history. This tiny place witnessed one of the last stands of the ' British' Celtic peoples against the invading Anglo-Saxons in the 6th century. It has been the home of saints & scholars most notably St. Aidan & St. Cuthbert & famously produced the medieval masterpiece known as the Lindisfarne Gospels". Less familiar to readers perhaps will be that the island experienced the first recorded Viking invasion in 793 & was involved in the 17th century Civil War & the 18th century Jacobite Rebellion. Today its ruined 11th century Priory & 16th century Castle
- later redesigned by the great English architect Edwin Lutyens
- draw pilgrims & visitors from all over the world. Wherever you walk on Lindisfarne the past impinges on the present... In relating afresh many of the island's legends & stories David Adam's lovely volume affords the reader a wonderful sense of all there is to discover just beneath the surface."