From the 1820s to the 1960s, Holy Island was a launching point for hundreds of dramatic lifeboat rescues. The island's last remaining lifeboat station is now a well-constructed small museum telling the story of the boats and their crews that risked their lives to save others. The most captivating story is of the Grace Darling, which saved 94 lives over 20 years (1865 to 1884) – named after a local heroine, the daughter of a Farne Islands lighthouse keeper, famed for her bravery at sea.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
13.57 MILES
Paxton House, 6 miles west of Berwick-upon-Tweed, is beside the River Tweed and surrounded by parkland and gardens. It was built in 1758 by Patrick Home…
17.92 MILES
Set in parklands designed by Lancelot 'Capability' Brown, the imposing ancestral home of the Duke of Northumberland has changed little since the 14th…
10.6 MILES
You can walk almost the entire length of Berwick's hefty Elizabethan walls, begun in 1558 to reinforce an earlier set built during the reign of Edward II…
5.57 MILES
Northumberland's most dramatic castle was built around a powerful 11th-century Norman keep by Henry II. The castle played a key role in the border wars of…
17.83 MILES
Standing proud and four-square across the harbour, this elegant 18th-century John Adam mansion was built on the profits of smuggling: Eyemouth was an…
26.08 MILES
Grandiose Floors Castle is Scotland's largest inhabited mansion, home to the Duke of Roxburghe, and overlooks the Tweed about a mile west of Kelso. Built…
29.7 MILES
Finished in 1778, this is considered to be Scotland's finest Robert Adam–designed mansion. It is huge and famous for its classic elegance, ornate…
St Abbs & Eyemouth Voluntary Marine Reserve
20.26 MILES
The clear, clean waters around St Abbs form part of St Abbs & Eyemouth Voluntary Marine Reserve, one of the best cold-water diving sites in Europe. The…
Nearby Northumberland Coast attractions
0.08 MILES
The skeletal, red and grey ruins of the priory are an eerie sight and give a glimpse into the isolated life of the Lindisfarne monks. The later 13th…
2. Lindisfarne Heritage Centre
0.16 MILES
Flick through 20 pages of the luminescent Lindisfarne Gospels on touch screens at this heritage centre. It also has some fascinating exhibits on the…
0.83 MILES
Built atop a rocky bluff in 1550, this tiny, storybook castle was extended and converted by Sir Edwin Lutyens from 1902 to 1910 for Mr Edward Hudson, the…
5.4 MILES
Born in Bamburgh, Grace Darling was the lighthouse keeper's daughter on Outer Farne who rowed out to the grounded, flailing SS Forfarshire in 1838 and…
5.57 MILES
Northumberland's most dramatic castle was built around a powerful 11th-century Norman keep by Henry II. The castle played a key role in the border wars of…
6.84 MILES
During breeding season (roughly May to July), you can see feeding chicks of 20 seabird species (including puffin, kittiwake, Arctic tern, eider duck,…
10.45 MILES
Designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor, Britain's oldest purpose-built barracks (1717) now house an assortment of museums and art galleries, covering a history of…
10.46 MILES
The original jail cells in the upper floor of the town hall (1750–61) have been preserved as a chilling museum devoted to crime and punishment. Tours take…