2 Best Sights in Lindisfarne (Holy Island), The Northeast

In the year 875, Vikings destroyed the Lindisfarne community; only a few monks escaped, carrying with them St. Cuthbert's bones, which were reburied in Durham Cathedral. The sandstone Norman ruins of Lindisfarne Priory, reestablished in the 11th century, remain an impressive and eerily beautiful sight. A museum here tells the story of Cuthbert and the monks living on Lindisfarne and displays a selection of Anglo-Saxon artifacts, from carvings to knitting fragments, as well as some very early Christian prayer beads.

Reached during low tide via a causeway from the mainland, this "castle" (not actually a castle) appears to grow out of the rocky pinnacle on which it was built 400 years ago, looking for all the world like a fairy-tale illustration. In 1903, architect Sir Edwin Lutyens converted the former Tudor fort into a private home that retains the original's ancient features. Across several fields from the castle is a walled garden designed by Gertrude Jekyll. Opening times are notoriously changeable—especially on Monday other than midsummer—and are always dependent on weather and tides, so it's best to call ahead.