Here's the Holy Island of Lindisfarne as you've never seen it before, captured in stunning drone footage.
The five-minute video is the latest produced by Peace Drone, which specialises in cinematic drone videography and photography. Since February last year, the company has covered much of the North East coastline, from Scarborough to Berwick, and stopped off to film at numerous locations in-between.
Recently Peace Drone has kindly shared with ChronicleLive its striking video of St James' Park and another providing never-before-seen 360-degree footage of Newcastle and Gateshead from 120 metres up.
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The Holy Island film, released earlier this month, give us a spectacular bird's eye view of Lindisfarne, travelling in across the famous causeway, then around the tiny island which sits in the North Sea off the Northumberland coast and, for many, has an undeniable spiritual and mystical quality.
Today Lindisfarne plays host to regular incursions by tourists who must carefully time their arrival and exit across the causeway that is twice-a-day covered by fast-moving tides. But its story stretches back many centuries through the mists of time.
Just a few miles south of the Scottish border and not far from the spectacular early seat of kingly power that was Bamburgh Castle, Holy Island sits a mile off the Northumberland coast amid the ever-changeable waters of the North Sea. Measuring three miles east to west and a mile- and-a-half north to south, a thriving community of around 200 people lives on Holy Island today.
Lindisfarne is known as the cradle of Christianity in our region. An Irish monk, St Aidan, founded Lindisfarne Monastery in 635, becoming the island’s first abbot and bishop. With the help of the Northumbrian king - and later saint - Oswald, the pagan peoples of the North were eventually converted to Christianity.
The island became home to yet another saint - Cuthbert - who was buried there when he died. Eleven years later, the monks were said to be amazed to find his body totally intact when it was disinterred. And the reason for digging up Cuthbert? Vikings - who invaded in 793 and sacked the monastery of its considerable riches. The body of St Cuthbert, meanwhile, found a final resting place at what today is Durham Cathedral.
The island was also the birthplace of the famous Lindisfarne Gospels which were created in the early 8th century, and which today reside in the British Museum, but will return for an exhibition at Newcastle's Laing Gallery this autumn. A Norman priory succeeded the monastery - and the island continued as an active religious site until the 16th century dissolution of the monasteries. It remains a destination for pilgrims today.
Meanwhile, emerging from a sheer rock face at the tip of the island is Lindisfarne Castle. Built in 1550, it was restored much later - in the early 1900s - by the well-known British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens. Today, Holy Island remains an idyllic spot to get away from the hustle and bustle of 21st century life. People go there to walk, bird-watch, paint and take photographs, among other things, while also visiting the island’s harbour, inns and shops.
Peace Drone's latest drone videos include the broad sweeps of of Scarborough to Berwick and Tynemouth Pier to Blyth Pier, as well as focusing on locations such as Beadnell Bay, Berwick, Alnmouth, Amble and more. You can access their fantastic content on their website http://peacedrone.co.uk and on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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