St. Culbert and Pilgrimage 664 – 2012 AD: The Heritage of the Patron Saint of Northumbria

Abstract

When it is high tide, the Pilgrims’ path is flooded by the North Sea. The waves glisten under a cloudless sky, and the seagulls call to one another as the water rushes in. Lindisfarne on Holy Island is isolated from the English mainland twice each day, a tidal island termed “holy” because of its association with Cuthbert (634/635-687), a Northumbrian saint. The beauty and isolation of Lindisfarne have made it an ideal location for pilgrimage, from the time of Cuthbert to the present day. Lindisfarne is the end point of a pilgrimage journeyed for the past 1,300 years as countless people, from travelers to kings, have come to pay homage to the heritage of Cuthbert. This route, called St. Cuthbert’s Way, spans 62.5 miles from Melrose, Scotland to Lindsfarne, England (Figure 1). The history of this route reveals the significance of pilgrimage as a concept that has flourished for over a millennium.