St Cuthbert's Island (Hobthrush)

St Cuthbert Island (also known as Hobthrush island) is located just off Holy Island. As the tide rises, it becomes completely separated from Holy Island (a tidal island off a tidal island, if you like).

The legend is that St Cuthbert used to escape here when he wanted to retreat away from the monks in the abbey. There are remains of a post-Norman Conquest medieval chapel on the island (so, not from Cuthbert’s time), which were partly excavated by Sir William Crossman in 1888.

Visiting the island

You can walk over to St Cuthbert Island only during low tide. Please do not use the council’s safe crossing times for Holy Island to do so, as the island is inaccessible for much longer than the causeway is open. To plan your visit, first check the time of low tide on this site. The safest time to walk over is at the point of low tide or in the hour before it (or if it is before low tide, and you see the water has receded enough). Remember that the tide rises quickly, so if you don’t check the safe time to cross, you may be caught out.