St Cuthbert's Way - Holy Island Option
Walk St Cuthbert's Way, crossing the causeway to Holy Island, on a self-guided walking holiday. Accommodation, luggage transfer and custom holiday pack included
St Cuthbert's Way - Holy Island Option
https://www.contours.co.uk/st-cuthberts-way-holy-island-option
A self-guided walking holiday celebrating the many historic sites associated with St Cuthbert.
From £590 per person
St Cuthbert's Way follows the story of a 7th century saint who travelled through Scotland and northern England, spreading the Gospel and performing healing miracles. Beginning at Melrose, where the saint started his ministry, and ending at Holy Island where he ended his days, the trail passes through scenery of great variety and beauty.
The walk takes in heather-clad hills, tranquil riverbanks and old Roman roads, visiting attractive villages and border towns along the way. Particular sites of interest include the ruin of Dryburgh Abbey, Cessford Castle, St Cuthbert's Cave and the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, complete with its ruined abbey and spectacular castle.
We offer multiple holiday options along this trail. If you wish to experience the entire trail and stay on Holy Island, simply select the Holy Island option from the list below.
Dogs are welcome on select routes along this trail. Look for the pawprint icon when choosing your holiday.
From £610 per person
This 62-mile holiday option takes in the entire St Cuthbert’s Way, staying in accommodation on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne at the end of the walk. This is a great opportunity to spend more time exploring this historical island and provides a spectacular finale for your walking holiday.
Code | Tour | Duration | Price per person | |
---|---|---|---|---|
CUTH0 | From Melrose to Holy Island | 4 days walking | £610 | |
CUTH1 | From Melrose to Holy Island | 5 days walking | £735 | |
CUTH2 | From Melrose to Holy Island | 6 days walking | £850 | |
CUTH3 | From Melrose to Holy Island | 7 days walking | £970 |
Please note that the causeway on to Holy Island can only be crossed during low tide. Before booking, please check the Holy Island Safe Crossing Times by clicking here
Travel to Melrose where your first night's accommodation will be booked
Melrose to Harestanes(T). 15 miles (24km) / 1512 ft (461 m) ascent
Harestanes(T) to Kirk Yetholm. 17.5 miles (28km) / 2185 ft (666 m) ascent
Kirk Yetholm to Wooler. 13.5 miles (21.5km) / 2221 ft (677 m) ascent
Wooler to Holy Island. 18 miles (28.5km) / 1427 ft (435 m) ascent
Depart from Holy Island after breakfast
This itinerary lists our preferred overnight stops for this tour. Sometimes there may be a shortage of available accommodation in a preferred location, in which case we will transfer you from the trail to your accommodation and back again at no extra charge. Overnight stops marked with a (T) will always require transfers as standard.
Overnight stops marked with an (L) have very limited accommodation, and therefore more often than not will also require a transfer, particularly on bank holidays and weekends. We will use non-transfer accommodation wherever possible.
The daily mileages quoted are average trail miles only and do not include the distance from the trail to your accommodation. We do not expect you to have to travel more than a mile from the trail to your accommodation in most cases; should your accommodation be further than this, transfers will be provided as standard if practical. A very limited number of stops will require you to travel on foot up to two miles off the trail, however these instances will be clearly communicated to you if applicable.
Further transfers may also be required due to some accommodations having a two-night minimum booking policy, especially at weekends.
Below are the additional costs that may apply depending on your requirements. Dog-friendly tours are subject to a Daily Dog Charge, which will be listed below if applicable. Our standard prices per person are based upon two people sharing a room; if you are on your own, or are part of a group but require a room of your own, then the Solo Traveller or Single Supplements apply respectively:
You can add rest days at any of the overnight stops:
Exploring the attractive borders towns of Melrose, Bowden and Jedburgh.
Admiring far-reaching views over the border country from the slopes of the Eildon Hills.
Spending the night on the tranquil Holy Island, with its 16th century Lindisfarne Castle and Priory, home to the Lindisfarne Gospels.
You can add rest days at any of the overnight stops:
Useful information and travel links that will assist you in your plans to travel to the start of the holiday and back from the end of it are sent to you with your full tour pack. A summary is given below:
The most convenient major city and international airports are Edinburgh and Newcastle.
The nearest rail station to the start of the trail (Melrose) is at Tweedbank (about 3 miles away). The nearest rail station to the end of the trail (Lindisfarne) is at Berwick-upon-Tweed (about 13.5 miles away).
A bus service runs from Tweedbank to Melrose. From Beal (closest mainland location for Lindisfarne), buses run to Berwick-upon-Tweed. There is also a rather infrequent bus service to Berwick-upon-Tweed from Lindisfarne on some days - see the following for more details:
Trains run from London Kings Cross station (and occasionally Euston) to Tweedbank. From there a bus/taxi will be required to Melrose.
The easiest way to return to the start of the trail is to take a taxi from Lindisfarne to Melrose. Alternatively, you, could take a bus/taxi from Lindisfarne to Berwick-upon-Tweed rail station. From there trains run to Tweedbank, where a bus/taxi will be required to Melrose, but this would take much longer.
To find out more about the weather forecast for your chosen holiday's general location, please see the following websites:
“Weather, transport, accommodation all excellent.”Ms Crawford, Ireland
“We had a wonderful trip!! Loved every minute. I had been on three previous walking tours with Contours, but none of my three sisters had. This was new to them, but they had a great time and were very happy with the accommodations, the information provided, the transfers, and the luggage service.”Ms Green, USA
“Our entire family loved this trip. The beautiful story of St Cuthbert’s Way, the welcome we received most nights, and the pace of life while on this trip were all gifts. Thanks for your effort to offer that to your clients.”Mrs Paetkau, USA
“Really enjoyed the trail, scenery was beautiful.”Ms Fitzgerald, Canada
“We were lucky with the weather, and May was a great time to benefit from wild flowers in bloom and birdsong along the route. All the places we stayed were very welcoming of our dog and ourselves.”Mrs Woods, UK
“We loved the holiday. The walking is stunning and everything worked smoothly, so thank you.”Ms Adam, UK
“Thank you for first class organisation and information sent to us in preparing for the walk which made it a fabulous holiday, stress free.”Miss Douglas, UK
“All the accommodation was excellent - the standard seems to improve year by year - and we had an excellent walk.”Mr Howell, UK
“St. Cuthbert's Way was, though incredibly challenging, a magnificent path to follow, especially the last day, walking across the sand and mud to Holy Isle. MOST of the accommodations were good, and we were absolutely DELIGHTED by the cab drivers. I never would have thought that cab drivers would be a highlight of the experience, but they were. The luggage transfers were flawless, which was so helpful. The Allerton House and the Lindisfarne on Holy Isle were superb lodgings. Like any such experience, there were ups and downs, but overall it was a great experience.”Ms Kleeman, USA