Trip to Inner Farne

For the first time in my lifetime's worth of endless North-East wanderings I actually set foot on one of the Farne Islands the other day. Thanks to Billy Shiel's Boat Trips, my wife, my son, a friend and I set out for the little archipelago off the coast of North Northumberland on what was a quite beautiful spring day. My wife was looking for puffins, and I was looking for a bit of history. We got plenty of both!

I'll keep it brief - I mean, the pics speak for themselves - but will fill you in with a bit of detail. And as for the photos, well, it wasn't easy what with the rolling sea and what have you (as well as my rather old mobile phone). Anyway, I'll give you what I have. Remember to click on the images to enlarge.

We made for the Outer Farnes first, where we first fell upon the Old Brownsman Island Lighthouse & Keeper's Cottage:

Not allowed to land there, though, so we swept around to have a gander at Longstone Island and its lighthouse, made famous by the Darling family and that rescue:

After swiveling around the other islands for a good while, taking in the abundant birdlife and the seals (no Orcas, though!), we headed back towards the island of Inner Farne:

... Where we alighted:

We were thankfully spared from the infamous bird attacks (maybe it was the wrong time of year), but there were certainly plenty of the little creatures around. Firstly, though, we headed for a brief talk in the visitor centre (lots of information boards to take in), then headed across the way to St.Cuthbert's Chapel:

No, it's not the original chapel of Cuthbert/Aidan, with this incarnation dating to the 13th and/or 14th centuries.

And then there's Inner Farne Tower, aka Prior Castell's Tower. Originally built in the late 15th century as accommodation for monks, it has since served as a military barracks, a beacon, a lighthouse, and currently offers a home to National Trust rangers.

There's a circuit of the island laid out for visitors, so it was off across to the lighthouse next...

... Whilst peeping over the cliff edge to admire the birdlife (razorbill nearest to camera):

And, of course, lots and lots of puffins:

And Arctic terns, who like to nest on sand and gravel, apparently;

A nice view over to the mainland, and Bamburgh Castle:

And thence back full circle to the tower (complete with more puffins):

And that was about it. Three hours in total, and well worth the effort. It is a bit pricey, mind you - and you've got to hand over cash to the National Trust at the harbour, too, to get a landing pass for Inner Farne. Fortunately, we were able to pull a few strings and get a free trip thanks to my son's partner being related to the Billy Shiel family. Nice one.

Finally, I happened to look at my phone on the way back where I noted my exact position on Google Maps (gulp!):

What a cracking day. And I called in somewhere else that was rather interesting on the way back home, too. More on that next time...