Holy Island, Berwick walls and the Ford & Etal mill

The plan

1. 10:001
   

   Landmark · 10:00–12:00 (2h)

   Lindisfarne Priory

   Priory ruins, runic name stones and the animal trail; picnic on the island. Check crossing times first.

   Red-sandstone ruins of the medieval priory on Holy Island, the cradle of early English Christianity and home of the Lindisfarne Gospels story. Kids can make a runic name stone and follow an animal trail; the island is reached by a tidal causeway that floods twice a day, so the visit has to be planned around safe crossing times.

   PaidIndoors & out

   • Accessibility
   • Parking

   From the day-trip listing

   Opening times, prices & map

   Photo: Chris Combe from York, UK

2. 12:452
   

   Castle · 12:45–14:00 (1h15m)

   Berwick-upon-Tweed Castle and Ramparts

   Circuit of the town walls with river and sea views; hold small hands.

   A free circuit walk on top of Berwick's huge Elizabethan town walls, with views over the Tweed estuary, the bridges and the sea, plus fragments of the medieval castle by the station. Information boards tell the border-town story; some sections have steep unguarded drops so small children need holding.

   FreeOutdoors

   • Accessibility
   • Parking

   From the day-trip listing

   Opening times, prices & map
3. 14:303
   

   Landmark · 14:30–15:30 (1h)

   Heatherslaw Corn Mill

   Watch flour being ground at the working water mill (water wheel stops if the river is too high or low).

   A working water-powered corn mill on the River Till between Ford and Etal, where you can see, hear and smell flour being ground. It sits beside the station for the Heatherslaw Light Railway, so the two pair naturally.

   PaidIndoors

   • Accessibility
   • Good on a rainy day

   From the day-trip listing

   Opening times, prices & map

   Photo: ford-and-etal.co.uk

4. 15:404
   

   Castle · 15:40–16:30 (50m)

   Etal Castle

   Small free ruined castle in Etal village; riverside picnic spots nearby.

   A free-to-enter ruined border castle in the pretty village of Etal, at the end of the Heatherslaw Light Railway line. Small and easy to explore in under an hour, with riverside picnic spots nearby.

   FreeOutdoors

   • Toilets
   • Accessibility
   • Parking

   From the day-trip listing

   Opening times, prices & map

   Photo: Shermozle