Ranked 1 of 1 facilties in ranked in Northumberland
Wow factor
Accessibility
Photo potential
The Farne Islands
| Directions: |
The Farne Islands (Inner Farne and Staple Islands only) are accessible by boat from Seahouses in Northumberland, located off the A1 north of Alnwick. Seahouses is serviced by the Arriva 401 and 501 Alnwick to Belford bus service, with connections from Berwick-upon-Tweed and Newcastle. The nearest rail station is Chathill (about four miles away, not Sundays). |
| Accessibility: |
Boat trips operate every day, weather permitting |
| Costs: |
£18 adults; £11 children – including boat trip and landing fee. |
| Best time to visit: |
Mid-May to July for main breeding season. |
Venue information
A National Trust-managed property, the Farne Islands form one of Britain’s most important seabird sanctuaries, with tens of thousands of nesting puffins, guillemots and kittiwakes. The birds here are used to visitors and so can be approached at close hand, although visitors to Inner Farne in June should wear hard hats to protect against dive-bombing terns. There’s also a large seal colony. The main restriction for photographers is the relatively short length of time one can remain on the islands (around three hours per day), often missing the best light.
Venue verdict: Excellent location for photographing seabirds.
Ratings (out of five): 4
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That's just a snippet of what you'll get at the Farne Islands.
The Puffins don't seem to mind the humans walking around and they'll be flying straight past you! They also jsut stand there posing seemingly waiting for you to take the photos.
Watch out for the gulls/terns when they're nesting. Take a bit of cardboard and put it in a baseball cap or something as they like to divebomb you!
Take a packed lunch and suncream and it's a long day and you're quite exposed!
I have photos here if anyone is interested:
http://www.fenris.co.uk/gallery/natureFarne/m-menu01.htm
Fen.
(Written by: Fenris)
06 December 2007 00:22