Magical moments exploring a wildlife haven like no other
DANIEL HALL braves the cold on the first boat out of Seahouses Harbour to the Farne Islands in almost two years
GLAD Tidings VIII chugs out of Seahouses Harbour with gulls hanging in the air and eider ducks bobbing in the water
It’s grey, windy, and absolutely Baltic. But who takes a trip to Northumberland for the weather, right?
I’m on the first boat out of Seahouses Harbour that will land members of the public on the Farne Islands in almost two years.
Though visitors have been able to see seabirds and seals through their binoculars since July 2022, landing has been restricted only to National Trust personnel and Defra, due to the impacts of bird flu which saw 10,000 birds fall victim to the disease.
The National Trust says that we have to learn to live with the disease, but I hope the horrible scenes of people clearing birds in Hazmat suits are consigned firmly to the past. And it’s a much prettier picture today, with puffins zipping ahead of the boat, and the outlines of Dunstanburgh, Bamburgh, and Lindisfarne Castles all easy to pick out on the shoreline.
Nevertheless, the sea is rough and it’s a choppy crossing. My hands are lumps of ice but somehow they hold a phone to snap pictures of slumbering seals, without it falling into the North Sea.
It’s so rough around the jetty of Inner Farne, the only island open to the public this year in a National Trust trial, that we sail a lap first, where we’re dwarfed by cliffs, and seabirds swirl around in the skies above us. Thankfully, the boat captains have been doing this for years and we’re deposited on the island without a hitch.
There are biosecurity measures on the islands now, and before I can explore, one of the rangers sprays the soles of my shoes with disinfectant. My first visit to the Farnes was for the 2022 puffin count, at the height of the breeding season, and it’s quieter this time – both in terms of birds and humans.
The boardwalk has had work done since I was last here, a ranger tells me, but that’s not what I’m focused on. I walk past St Cuthbert’s Chapel and the Pele Tower, relieved that the Arctic terns haven’t yet arrived and they can’t divebomb my head.
Puffins look down from the roof of
the lighthouse and the Pele Tower. Hundreds are milling about, squeaking and chatting to each other in the centre of the island, unsure if they should retreat into their burrows as new, unfamiliar creatures explore the island.
A lap of Inner Farne doesn’t take long, but I stop at the north end, where the land continues to dip until it meets sea. From there, scores of puffins are taking off and flying to the rocks below, floating past close enough to touch – though I don’t, because I most definitely shouldn’t.
I’ve only been on the island for a matter of minutes, but it’s an absolutely magical moment. It’s things like that which make the Farne Islands such a special and spectacular place, and there’s nowhere else like them in the North East. At least not somewhere that can be so freely accessed.
Another wonderful spot is the cliffs looking back to the mainland, where razorbills (possibly the coolest looking birds there are) and kittiwakes’ nests jostle for position on the side of sheer cliffs. And that’s just what I got to explore, there are many more spots where you can observe the wildlife – and in the case of the chapel and Pele Tower, get to know more of the island’s history.
Much of the rest of the day was taken up with interviews and photographs – as lovely as trips like this are, journalists are still at work. However, you can go to the Farne Islands and not be at work, so go and spend the day surrounded by nature – just like these people did, and they loved it.
For a wildlife experience like no other in the North East, I can’t recommend it highly enough. But if that’s not enough (understandable, really), take the recommendation of Sir David Attenborough, who declared the islands his favourite place in the UK to see nature at his best.
Boat trips will only land visitors on Inner Farne in 2024 as part of a National Trust trial. For more information, visit the National Trust website or book a cruise from Seahouses Harbour.