TRAVERSE Issue 44 - October 2024 | Page 176

TRAVERSE 176
watched , and birdlife painted the cliffs an interesting shade of white . Odd looking puffins flapped furiously in an attempt to get airborne . Their odd appearance suggested they were descendants of penguins that had retained the ability to fly .
Lighthouses with celebrated history stood sentinel amongst the rocks , scattered dwellings lived a lonely existence on some of the larger rocks , and in the distance a solitary castle sat atop a rocky outcrop . This represented Lindisfarne , a name I ’ d heard before , a place where I ’ d been told of Danish invasions , slaughtered monks , and the making of modern Britain . If nothing else , the castle was impressive and yet the history prior more so .
Lindisfarne , a tidal island in the north of England , is said , with some debate , that it is where the first Danish or Norse raiders set foot on English soil . They pillaged and plundered , collecting as much wealth as possible , before eventually settling , creating their own part of British history . Today we often call them the Vikings .
Back then , twelve hundred years ago , they were after conquest and
TRAVERSE 176