To the Island of Tides: A Journey to Lindisfarne
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In To the Island of Tides, Alistair Moffat travels to – and through the history of – the fated island of Lindisfarne. Known by the Romans as Insula Medicata and famous for its monastery, it even survived Viking raids. Today the isle maintains its position as a space for retreat and spiritual renewal. Walking from his home in the Borders, through the historical landscape of Scotland and northern England, Moffat takes us on a pilgrimage in the footsteps of saints and scholars, before arriving for a secular retreat on the Holy Isle. To the Island of Tides is a walk through history, a meditation on the power of place, but also a more personal journey; and a reflection on where life leads us.
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It's a crossover between a travelogue, a memoir and a biography of St. Cuthbert. Not religious myself and in the same age group as the author, I liked his ruminations on how to best live the last decade(s) of your life and prepare for death. But the book gives also an interesting glimpse into the life of St. Cuthbert and into the history of the Kingdom of Northumbria and the Borders in the 7th century. It has the same engaging writing style of his other books and really shouldn't be missed.
I can strongly recommend the audiobook read by David Rintoul. I wished NAXOS or Audible would publish all Alistair Moffat's older books, or at least The Hidden Way, in audio format as well, preferably read by David Rintoul (or some of the other excellent narrators with Scotts accents, or narrators that know how to pronounce Gaelic words and phrases).
