Lindisfarne Causeway

📌 Lindisfarne, Northumberland
★★★

A mile-wide channel of mud and sand separating the island of Lindisfarne from the Northumberland mainland. For approximately half the time (sometimes a little less, depending on the day), seawater submerges the road causeway linking the two, confining both visitors and residents to either side of the channel until the tide recedes again. After having checked online for safe crossing times, making the journey by vehicle is a short but memorable experience, first passing a refuge box perched on stilts near the deepest point (providing shelter to unwary travellers in an emergency), before contouring the marshy southern edge of The Snook: an expanse of sand dunes extending west from Lindisfarne’s main landmass. Pilgrims making the journey on foot could also consider the Pilgrim’s Way: a muddier, tougher “route” only marked by wooden posts, with a shorter safe time window; a number of local guides can be booked for this.