A short history of Lindisfarne -- Part One: to the island -- Map -- The island of the evening -- The hill of faith -- In the sacred land -- Soul-friends -- In the arms of angels -- The quiet waters by -- wandering -- Part two: Lindisfarne -- Map: the holy island of Lindisfarne -- On the island of tides -- The winds of memory -- Duneland -- When God walked in the garden -- Crossing the causeway -- The rock -- Epilogue: Godless

In To the Island of Tides, Alistair Moffat travels to - and through the history of - the fated island of Lindisfarne. Walking from his home in the Borders, through the historical landscape of Scotland and northern England, he takes us on a pilgrimage in the footsteps of saints and scholars, before arriving for a secular retreat on the Holy Isle.

Lindisfarne, famous for its monastaries, home to Saints Aidan and Cuthbert, the place where the celebrated Lindisfarne gospels were writitten, has long been a place of sanctuary.