Causeway group's views on Holy Island causeway changes
by Brian Daniel, The Journal, December 10th 2011

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A GROUP set up to find ways of stopping cars getting stuck on the Holy Island causeway has ruled out any major changes to the road after opposition from local people.

Calls for barriers to be erected at the ends of the causeway have been dismissed by the working group set up by Northumberland County Council after a summer in which cars have been submerged after ignoring warning signs.

The group ruled that barriers would be “unreliable and impractical.”

Visitors to Holy Island regularly try to drive across the causeway when the tide is in, despite signs advising them of the safe crossing times.

Cars suffer serious damage once they hit the water, often having to be written off, and passengers have to be rescued.

There have been calls for barriers to be erected at either end of the causeway, and lowered when the tide is in.


Read More - http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-news/2011/12/10/causeway-group-s-views-on-changes-61634-29928726/#ixzz1g7gk6ZTi

Thousands spent on rescuing drivers from Holy Island causeway
by Brian Daniel, The Journal, January 2nd 2012

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EMERGENCY SERVICES last night described 2011 as the worst year in history for call outs to motorists stranded on a Northumberland causeway.

The Journal has reported on a number of incidents over the last 12 months where tourists have got stuck while trying to drive between Holy Island and the mainland, often several hours outside safe crossing times and despite those times being clearly displayed at either end of the crossing.

Vehicles usually fail when they hit sea water, causing them serious damage and often meaning they have to be written off.

The incidents are also a drain on the resources of the emergency services, with the RNLI saying it costs around £1,200 each time Seahouses lifeboats are called out and the helicopter at RAF Boulmer £12,429 per flying hour.

Ryan Douglas, coastguard station officer, said the Holy Island team had been called out to 24 causeway related incidents this year.

He said: “2011 has been our busiest year in history, we have had a lot of tourists getting stuck on the causeway. It really has been amazing, it has increased by 100% from last year.

From 2000 it increased every year and in 2010 there was around 10, but in February 2011 alone we had four or five causeway incidents – that really is unheard of.”


Read More (Two Pages) - http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-news/2012/01/02/thousands-spent-on-rescuing-drivers-from-holy-island-causeway-61634-30045019/#ixzz1iITjRO00

Technology trial at Holy Island causeway
The Journal, February 23rd 2012


TECHNOLOGY is to be trialled at a Northumberland causeway in a bid to finally put an end to motorists getting stranded in water.

The Journal has regularly reported in recent years on motorists trying to cross the causeway at Holy Island outside of displayed safe times and when it is under water, with the result often that their cars break down and they have to be rescued, draining the resources of emergency services.

Now, highways authority Northumberland County Council – which set up a working group to explore solutions – is preparing a series of measures in a bid to address the problem. They are an Easter trial of a variable message sign (VMS), introduction of more complex and interactive VMSs over the summer – some powered by wind or the sun, a redesign of tide timetables and an iphone/ smartphone app.

Mike Scott, head of sustainable transport, said: “On Holy Island during the Easter fortnight, we are progressing with a trial of a variable message sign to conspicuously advise visitors to look at the tide timetables."


Read More - http://www.journallive.co.uk/northumberland-sites/seahouses-northumberland/seahouses-and-belford-news/2012/02/23/technology-trial-at-holy-island-causeway-61634-30391917/#ixzz1ohueyHII

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Coastguards Lookout Tower on
Holy Island to be transformed
by Tony Henderson, The Journal, March 7th 2012

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A TOWER built for Coastguards on an island off the coast of Northumberland is soon to be turned into a room with a spectacular view. Work has started to transform the structure on Holy Island into a viewing platform for visitors and locals. The former Coastguards Lookout Tower, sited on an outcrop of volcanic rock known as the Heugh, was built in the 1940s but has not been used for many years.

Now the Holy Island of Lindisfarne Community Development Trust is working with Natural England to give it a new lease of life. The project includes making the interior weatherproof and bringing it up to modern safety standards, with the ladder between the ground floor and the first-floor gallery being replaced by a staircase.

At the top of the tower, the dilapidated coastguard lookout room is to be turned into a glazed, 360-degree observatory. This will provide visitors with a panoramic view of Holy Island itself and sweeping views of the Farne Islands, the Cheviot Hills and the Berwickshire coast.

For the first time, it will also be possible for people to enjoy a bird’s eye view of the Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve.


Read More - http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-news/2012/03/07/coastguards-lookout-tower-on-holy-island-to-be-transformed-61634-30474736/#ixzz1oQLy9DD0

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Holy Island in £2.5m bid to safeguard history and culture
by Brian Daniel, The Journal, March 10th 2012


A SCHEME which could provide £2.5m to safeguard the history, culture and environment of Holy Island is being showcased to residents next week. The Peregrini Lindisfarne Partnership Scheme could potentially provide funding for projects on the island in those three areas.

A bid is currently prepared for Heritage Lottery Funding which, if successful, would secure £2.5m of grants for the community. Projects could begin to be funded in autumn of 2013. A three-day information event, a series of guided walks and talks take place at the island’s St Cuthbert’s Centre on Prior Lane from Monday to Wednesday, between 10am and 5pm.

The scheme is led by the Holy Island Partnership and is being managed by a board which includes representatives from the community, Government agencies and local interest groups.

These include Holy Island of Lindisfarne Community Development Trust, Natural England, English Heritage, Berwickshire and North Northumberland Coast European Marine Site, Cheswick Estate, Holy Island Parish Council, National Trust, Northumberland Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Northumberland County Council, North Northumberland Tourism Association, and religious groups on the island.


Read More - http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-news/2012/03/10/holy-island-in-2-5m-bid-to-safeguard-history-and-culture-61634-30500957/#ixzz1ohdg47MK

Holy Island safety signs trial to prevent stranded vehicles

A trial of safety message signs have been placed on the approach to the Holy Island causeway to prevent vehicles from becoming stranded.

The trial follows concerns raised during summer 2011 after an increase in the number of stranded vehicles.

The two signs will advise motorists of the dangers of the tides and also remind them to check tide timetables.

Northumberland County Councillor Isabel Hunter said she was "confident" they would have a "positive impact".

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-17577523

Further to ^^

Arrival of traffic sign near Holy Island sparks row
by Brian Daniel, The Journal, April 3rd 2012


A COUNCIL that refuses to let a Northumberland tourist attraction have roadside advertising has put a sign on the site's land - without its owner's permission. Northumberland County Council has refused to allow The Barn at Beal near Holy Island to have signs up, but has now put one on the farming attraction’s land without asking for consent.

Barn owner Rod Smith last night branded the move a “slap in the face” and accused the council of double standards. The authority, which put up a variable message sign close to the Holy Island causeway on Saturday, insisted it had told Natural England, which leases the land from Mr Smith, and said its sign did not need planning permission.

The sign is there for two weeks on a trial basis to warn drivers not to cross the causeway outside safe times.

The first Mr Smith knew of the sign being placed on his land was when he discovered it was there while walking later on Saturday. He contacted Natural England and says staff there told him they had not been approached about it being put there.

Mr Smith has accused the council of “double standards” and says he would not have allowed the sign to be put on his land if the authority had asked, given its stance on his efforts to advertise.


Read More - http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-news/2012/04/03/arrival-of-traffic-sign-near-holy-island-sparks-row-61634-30679926/#ixzz1qxypLyQ3

Holy Island fire cover pledge fails to douse worries
by Brian Daniel, The Journal, April 6th 2012


FIRE COVER for an island community will not be affected by Government plans to remove search-and-rescue helicopters from the region, a minister has claimed. Minister for Transport Mike Penning has vowed that current arrangements for Holy Island will not be affected by the proposed withdrawal of helicopters from RAF Boulmer.

Fire and rescue bosses in Northumberland closed their station on Holy Island in 1990. Arrangements were put in place in the event of a blaze breaking out when the causeway was closed by the tide, in which case a fire crew would be flown to the island by a helicopter from RAF Boulmer and operate a vehicle kept there. Government plans for the base’s helicopters to be withdrawn in 2015 prompted Sir Alan to question Mr Penning on what would happen to those arrangements.

The two met earlier this month and now the Minister has written to the MP assuring him the arrangements will not be affected as search-and-rescue helicopters from other bases will be deployed to the island. He wrote: “I can confirm that, in any future scenario when Lindisfarne requires helicopter assistance, coverage will be available as it is today. “Coverage will be provided by whichever base is deemed the most appropriate at the time of tasking.”


Read More - http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-news/2012/04/06/holy-island-fire-cover-pledge-fails-to-douse-worries-61634-30704991/#ixzz1rFY7OCXq

Holy Island safety signs had 'positive effect'
BBC Newcastle, Tyne News Website, 13th April 2012

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A trial of safety message signs on the Holy Island causeway had a "positive effect" in preventing vehicles from becoming stranded. The two-week trial, which ends on Saturday, followed concerns raised during summer 2011 after an increase in the number of stranded vehicles.

The two electronic signs were placed on the approach to the causeway to advise motorists of the dangers of the tides. Some islanders said they did serve a purpose but they were an "eyesore".

One of the signs was placed in front of the lay-by where the tide tables are available to check. The second was moved to a range of locations throughout the trial to gauge where it had the most impact.

Mike Scott, from Northumberland County Council, said: "I think our initial view of the trial is that it has had some positive effect.


Read More - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-17700340

Holy Island visitors give thumbs up
to causeway warning system trial
by David Black, The Journal, April 16th 2012

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The warning sign at the Holy Island Causeway

VISITORS to Holy Island have given their backing to a pilot scheme aimed at reducing the number of people getting stranded and having to be rescued from the causeway.

New technology was trialled over the two-week Easter period in a bid to provide drivers with better warnings and prevent them from getting trapped by the incoming tide. It involved an electronic variable message sign (VMS) which warns motorists to check the tide tables and see when it is safe to cross, before driving onto the causeway.

Now county councillors have been told that face-to-face interviews carried out with visitors on the island have resulted in positive feedback on the trial – which is set to be followed by a more sophisticated version of the system this summer.

Of the 89 people interviewed, 87 said they had noticed the VMS sign and 81 felt it was an effective warning system for drivers. Eighteen felt the flashing sign had a positive impact on the local landscape, 22 said it had a negative impact and 49 didn’t have an opinion either way. Of the 89 visitors spoken to, 85 said they had checked the safe crossing times on the internet or elsewhere before going to the island, and only four had driven over the causeway without checking first.


Read More - http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-news/2012/04/16/holy-island-visitors-give-thumbs-up-to-causeway-warning-system-trial-61634-30765871/#ixzz1sBtTbehi

Causeway couple the first to be rescued this year
by Brian Daniel, The Journal, May 5th 2012

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A car stranded on the Holy Island causeway

EMERGENCY SERVICES were scrambled to save a stricken couple trapped on a causeway for the first time this year. Sell your car on Auto Trader Tourists in a blue Vauxhall Astra tried to cross the causeway at Holy Island while it was under water on Thursday afternoon. The couple, thought to be in their thirties or forties, tried to cross at around 1pm to get back to Haggerston Castle where they were staying.

They admitted failing to consult the safe crossing times which are displayed at either end of the causeway and said they had thought the water did not look deep. Despite criticising them for their actions, rescuers are taking encouragement from the fact the first incident on the causeway has come at a time when there had been 15 call-outs by this time year.

The couple’s attempt to cross came almost two hours outside the safe times – the cut-off point having been 11.10am. Water began coming in the car’s doors and the vehicle broke down. The occupants then phoned the emergency services.


Read More (Two Pages) - http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-news/2012/05/05/causeway-couple-the-first-to-be-rescued-this-year-61634-30905396/#ixzz1tyqvUOVl

I think the barrier opposition is just due to laughing at people getting themselves caught by the tide being a local tradition, heh.

Family safe after car trapped on Holy Island causeway
by Nicola Weatherall, The Journal, May 21st 2012


RESCUE teams had to be called out for the second time in a month after a family became trapped in their car on Holy Island causeway. The family tried to get across on Saturday afternoon, more than an hour after the safe crossing times. With the rising tide, the car soon became stuck and the distressed family had to call 999.

Three other cars tried to follow, but on seeing the first car struggle, they were able to reverse out of the water and head back to Holy Island. The Humber Coastguard contacted the Holy Island Coastguard, which sent a rescue team. The family were then able to make their way back to dry land escorted by the coastguard.

Signs alerting motorists to the safe crossing times are displayed at both ends of the causeway. Ryan Douglas, station manager for Holy Island coastguard, said: “We got the call at 2.14pm. The family of four – mum, dad and two children – were trapped in their two-month-old Audi estate and the water had reached door level. There were four families travelling together, but fortunately the other three cars were able to make their way back to the island. People who try to cross after the safe crossing times are risking their lives. In this case, it was a straightforward rescue, but the car is probably a write-off.”

Over the weekend, members of the public criticised the driver on the HI Coastguard’s Facebook page for trying to cross without apparently taking heed of the signs.


Read More - http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-news/2012/05/21/family-safe-after-car-trapped-on-holy-island-causeway-61634-31011031/#ixzz1vUKQFxt2

Holy Island causeway alert signs to be made permanent
The Journal, July 12 2012

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The warning sign at the Holy Island Causeway

TECHNOLOGY aimed at stopping motorists getting caught out on a Northumberland causeway is to be installed on a permanent basis. Northumberland County Council yesterday announced that two variable message signs are to take up permanent residence at the crossing at Holy Island. Emergency services have been called to the causeway countless times over the years when drivers have tried to cross outside safe times and got stuck in the rising tide.

The signs will give information on safe crossing times and advise motorists to check displayed tide tables in a bid to reduce numbers getting caught out.

A trial of the variable signs was carried out over two weeks at Easter with feedback showing that the vast majority of visitors noticed them and felt they were effective in providing information. The signs will be installed this summer. One will be situated on the approach to the causeway adjacent to a layby where the tide tables are displayed, with the second being placed near the car park on the island to catch the attention of people parking there and within the village.

The signs will be solar-powered but will have battery back-up.


Read More - http://www.journallive.co.uk/northumberland-sites/berwick-northumberland/berwick-news/2012/07/12/holy-island-causeway-alert-signs-to-be-made-permanent-61634-31381580/#ixzz21U56kD7X

Prince Charles pays first visit to Holy Island
by David Black, The Journal, July 25th 2012

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PRINCE CHARLES walked in the footsteps of his mother, more than half a century ago, as he enjoyed the historic and timeless charms of Holy Island yesterday. The prince retraced the same route walked by the Queen, across the island’s village green and through its priory grounds, when she visited the coastal community in 1958.

Yesterday’s visit – the prince’s first ever trip to Lindisfarne – was clearly one he had been planning and looking forward to for some time. He told National Trust staff at Lindisfarne Castle that it was “nice to finally get here”. The visit re-awakened golden memories for a clutch of islanders who were introduced to the prince 54 years after being among those who welcomed the Queen to their close-knit fishing community.

They included Margaret Devine, who presented the Queen with a bowl made from Holy Island clay in 1958, when she was head girl at the island school. Yesterday Margaret, who lives in Newcastle, but still has a holiday home on the island where she was brought up by her parents James and Evelyn Drysdale, said she was as nervous as she had been all those years ago.

“I was chosen to present the Queen with a bowl and all the children at the school were given replicas with their names on them,” she said. “I was introduced to Prince Charles today and told him about it. He said well done and asked me more about it. I was staying on the island this week anyway, but would have made a special trip up for the visit."


Read More (Two Pages) - http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-news/2012/07/25/prince-charles-pays-first-visit-to-holy-island-gallery-61634-31467017/#ixzz21eTd8Qbr

Holy Island causeway 'walkers' spark rescue operation
by Brian Daniel, The Journal, August 17th 2012


A RESCUE operation was launched after walkers with a child tried to cross a Northumberland causeway while it was chest deep in water. A coastguard official on Holy Island spotted three adults with a youngster walking across the island’s causeway when it was up to 4ft deep and close to high tide. It was not known last night how old the child is or where the walkers were from.

At 2.26pm, the official contacted Humber Coastguard which asked Seahouses RNLI to launch its inshore lifeboat. The last safe time for crossing had been 1pm and the next was 6.10pm. Tide times are clearly displayed at either end of the causeway. The lifeboat was launched but soon after the crew learned the walkers had begun heading back towards the island.

Once it was confirmed they were safe, the lifeboat returned to station. The walkers were spoken to by the island’s coastguard officers, and were said to have “bruised knees” and to be “not sorry”.


Read More - http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-news/2012/08/17/holy-island-causeway-walkers-spark-rescue-operation-61634-31642466/#ixzz23sbKPgpb

Warning issued after couple stranded
on Holy Island Causeway
by Brian Daniel, The Journal, September 15th 2012

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A vehicle stranded on Holy Island Causeway

MORE tourists have sparked a rescue operation by trying to drive across a Northumberland causeway when it was under water. A couple in their forties, who were on holiday at Seahouses, tried to cross the causeway at Holy Island more than an hour and a half outside of the safe times on Thursday. The duo tried to cross from the island end at around 1.20pm despite the last safe time – displayed at either end of the causeway – being 11.55am.

They reached its bridge, where they abandoned the journey. An ice cream seller on the mainland saw the stranded car and rang the police, which sent a patrol car to assess the situation. Station officer at Holy Island Ryan Douglas said the couple did not realise it was a tidal island and had not checked the tide times. He said they had opted to “drive into the North Sea”, estimating they had travelled through water two to three feet deep!

The incident was the eleventh time this year the Holy Island team has been called to causeway episodes. This does actually compare favourably to last year, when by mid September they had been to around 20. Northumberland County Council has recently taken delivery of variable message signs which it is to erect at either end of the causeway “within the next couple of weeks”, to urge drivers to check the tide times.


Read More - http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-news/2012/09/15/warning-issued-after-couple-stranded-on-holy-island-causeway-61634-31837874/#ixzz26Wsf5HtA

Holy Island causeway warning signs are
now installed on a permanent basis.
by David Black, The Journal, October 25th 2012


TECHNOLOGY aimed at reducing the dangers and costs involved in rescuing motorists stranded on the Holy Island causeway has now been installed on a permanent basis. Variable message signs have been erected at both ends of the ancient crossing after being successfully trialled for two weeks at Easter.
They will flash warnings and information to drivers about to use the causeway to get onto or off the island – including reminders to check the tide tables for safe crossing times.

Over the years, countless motorists and their passengers have had to abandon vehicles and be rescued after getting trapped by the incoming tide on the roadway. Rescuers have been called out 11 times already this year to causeway incidents, and in the same period last year there were 20 episodes.

The performance of the new solar-powered Variable Agile Display signs will be closely monitored by Northumberland County Council to see if they have a positive impact on driver behaviour. The mainland sign is located 150 metres in advance of the island’s tide tables, and is vehicle activated. It is currently displaying a welcome message followed by a request to check the safe crossing times. The Holy Island sign has been put up in the Chare Ends car park and will display the safe crossing times for that particular day.


Read More - http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-news/2012/10/25/holy-island-causeway-warning-signs-installed-on-permanent-basis-61634-32099162/#ixzz2AIWcuPDX