Farne Islands

Quite a nice day again this morning. We cycled the 3 miles into Seahouses to catch one of the boats out to the Farne Islands, a rocky archipelago of islands, just a few miles offshore, owned by the National Trust, and maintained as a nature reserve. We decided upon the Serenity II, Fifteen pounds for a two an a half hour cruise, with a one hour landing on Inner Farne.

Firstly we sailed out to Longstone Island whose single attraction is the lighthouse where Grace Darling used to live, and from where her daring rescue was launched . The catamaran’s double hull meant the captain could get really close to the rocks.

Although it was coming towards the end of the breeding season, there were still plenty of Kittiwakes, Shags, Puffins, Turnstones and Terns.

He then took us to see the colony of seals that inhabit the islands. Every year there are around 1600 seal pups born in this colony. Then he took us to Inner Farne where we landed for an hour. On Inner Farne is the restored 14th century chapel built in honour of St Cuthbert who spent most of his life and died here.

We then headed back to Seahouses where we tried some of the seafood from the stalls around the harbour, before cycling back to Beadnell Bay, where we stopped off for some chips for Tea.