Yachting

PHOTO: ALAMY

PILOTAGE

MAY 2016 http://www.yachtingmonthly.com 53

Things to see and do

H

oly Island is a

special place,

whether you

get there by boat or

causeway. Just a mile

and half wide and

three miles long, it

is a small, low-lying

island of sand dunes

and fi elds.

Home to a Christian

community since St

Aidan founded the

monastery in 635AD,

there are still several

retreat houses on

the island. 1,400

years of spiritual

tradition and the

quiet remoteness

have imbued the

island with a tangible

sense of peace that

many still come to enjoy.

Exploring the island’s

headlands, bays, sand fl ats and

grassy dunes is enough to fi ll

a day, let alone attempting the

pilgrim’s causeway across the

mud if the tides are right.

Historical interest

The ruined Norman priory,

the 16th century castle on its

volcanic plug and the 19th

century lime kilns provide

plenty of historical interest.

The old coastguard station

on The Heugh, in the lee of

which most yachts will anchor,

and the drying anchorage of

The Ouse, with its fi shermen’s

sheds made of inverted cobles,

provide superb views across

towards Bamburgh Castle and

the Cheviot Hills.

The seal colonies on Old Law

Sands can often be seen and

heard, and over 300 species

of bird have been recorded on

the island. All of which can be

rounded off, while you wait for

the tide, with a good pint and a

meal at one of the restaurants

and pubs on the island.

Anchor off and take a trip ashore

to discover all that Lindisfarne

has to offer, says Theo Stocker

Theo’s yacht Grace

anchored off the Laws

Set the bower anchor as normal, then pay out as much cable as you

can and motor astern. Drop your kedge anchor over the stern and

heave in the bower anchor chain until you are equidistant between

the two anchors. Walk the kedge warp forward and set it from the

bow. You will then swing to whichever anchor is uptide.

Set the bower anchor as normal, then pay out as much cable as you Set the bower anchor as normal, then pay out as much cable as you

Bahamian moor to reduce risk of drag

PHOTO: THEO STOCKER

Old upturned cobles used as fi shermen’s

sheds can be seen along the shoreline

PHOTO: ALAMY

bulwarks against the Scots’.

The only Scottish attack on the

castle built on Beblowe Crag

was in 1715. Two Highlanders

retreating towards Flodden

plied the garrison with drink

and ran up the Jacobite fl ag

before advancing rapidly to the

rear when troops from Berwick

appeared on the causeway. By

1890 the castle was a ruin.

In 1902 Edwin Lutyens

restored it as a country house.

He used upturned old fi shing

boats, cut in half, as workmen’s

sheds. They can still be seen on

the beach and are supposedly

the inspiration behind the new

Scottish Parliament building.

The 19th century brought an

economic boom. There was a

large herring fl eet. A railway

carried limestone to the pier

from where it was shipped

to Dundee. Coal was mined.

Wrecks were plentiful and

profi table. The population

peaked at over 900. Today it

is around 200.

With sensible pre-planning

and careful timing the

entrance is straightforward.

Pick up the Law Beacons.

Follow them over the bar

until the beacon on the Heugh

comes in line with the church

tower. The front marks of both

transits have a sector light but

try to avoid a night entry for

your fi rst visit. Tides run up

to fi ve knots in the channel.

Do not approach in strong

onshore weather or before

identifying the Law Beacons.

Visitors can dry out amongst

the local boats in The Ouse,

otherwise anchor under the

Heugh in 3-6m, where you’ll

fi nd good shelter, although it

can get uncomfortable when a

strong westerly blows against

a spring ebb tide. Trip your

anchor. Dinghies land at a

short, drying concrete pier. W

LEFT: If your
boat can take
the ground you
could anchor
and dry out in
The Ouse, but
there is a good
reason why it is
PHOTO: ALASTAIR BUCHAN called The Ouse