The Farne Islands
The Farne Islands are one of the gems of the North East and one of the most important wildlife sites of the British Isles. Approximately 30 islands and rocky outcrops, with evocative names such as Knivestones, Bluecaps and The Pinnacles, have resisted the sea for millennia, formed from the same volcanic whinstone rock which defines the Northumbrian coastline.
The Farnes are home to internationally important numbers of seabirds and grey seals. During the breeding season, their numbers total approximately 150,000 birds with 2,602 Atlantic grey seal pups counted last year.
Fulmars, kittiwakes, shags, razorbills and guillemots all fill the skies above the islands. The water is equally busy: birds dive down to look for food, using their short wings to ‘swim’. Eider ducks, Arctic, Roseate and Sandwich terns and a few birdwatcher-pleasing rarities that blow in with the storms are mixed in to make the Farnes a true wildlife spectacle.
Arguably the most important birds are the puffins. There are approximately 40,000 breeding pairs. Each pair mates for life, reuniting in the spring at the Farnes to raise their single puffling in burrows during the summer. The puffins then overwinter in the North Atlantic.
When the weather is fine, a steady stream of boats leaves the large fishing village of Seahouses, located approximately three miles south-east of Bamburgh, taking visitors out to the Farnes. Perhaps the most well known of these are the ‘Glad Tidings’ boats, owned by William Shiel under the name of Billy Shiel’s Boat Trips.
This family business has been operating out of Seahouses for more than 60 years. “My dad, Billy, spent his whole life taking visitors over to the Islands,” says William. “He started with his father in a small coble carrying 12, but he soon realised that it could become a full-time job. He was passionate about the islands, and wildlife in general, and loved nothing more than sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm. Tourism was just a very small part of the village in those days, but dad most definitely put Seahouses and the Farnes on the map, and tourism is the main source of income in the village now.”
The islands are between 2-3 miles from Seahouses harbour. Landing is allowed on some of them, although the time of year will determine which birds are present and most active.
Time and tide determine the boats’ course, and skippers will tour among and around the islands, describing the birds and also the history of the early Christians who made the Farnes a sanctuary. The chapel of St Cuthbert, built in the 14th century, is well worth a visit and offers a small visitor centre.
“The wildlife is thriving on the Farnes. There were more than 2,500 grey seal pups born last year; a record number,” says William. “My highlight has been spotting a humpback whale out at the islands, back in 2009.”
Deep below, a rocky landscape is strewn with spars, anchors, deck plates and old boilers from the hundreds of ships that have been wrecked against the rocks. While the Farne Islands and their wealth of wildlife today help support the local economy, they were once the site of a tragedy.
Longstone Lighthouse on Outer Farne, commonly known as Longstone Island, was made famous by the heroics of Grace Darling in 1838. Now automated, the 85ft (26m) scarlet and white tower can be seen from the coast between Bamburgh and Alnmouth, a distance of approximately 18 miles. Visitors can visit the lighthouse by boat for a tour, which includes Grace’s tiny bedroom from where she spotted the survivors of the wrecked SS Forfarshire.