Bede was born on the lands of the monastery of Wearmouth-Jarrow, which he entered aged seven. He spent the rest of his life here, taking delight in learning, teaching and writing. As far as we know, he hardly travelled, but learned all he could of the world around him from reading and by communicating with monks in other monasteries. Travellers who arrived here would have brought news and may have travelled from the North Sea, up the River Tyne, then the River Don, to embark at the monastery.