Inner Farne Lighthouse — Attraction in North Sunderland

I visited the Inner Farne Island for the sea birds that nest there during the breeding season, not to visit the lighthouse. In fact I am not even sure it is open to the public.

I went with Billy Shiel's boat trips to the Inner Farne Island. The trip lasts approximately 2 and a 1/2 hours. The first 1 and a 1/2 hours are spent cruising around the various islands looking at various sea birds and Grey Seals in the area. The last hour is spent with a landing on the Inner Farne Island itself.

The island is owned by National Trust. There is a landing fee to pay on top of the boat trip if you are not a member.

The island have an information centre and public toilets.

On the way up, you will be mobbed by Common Terns as their nests are on either side of the boardwalk. Be prepared to get pecked or pooped on as they try to drive you away!

The island is only small. A lap round the boardwalk only takes around 10 minutes. It will take much longer than that though as you spend time watching all the activities of the nesting seabirds. In fact, if you are serious about watching and photographing the birds, one hour flies by so fast it is hardly enough.

As far as photography goes, a long zoom of around 100-400 or 150-600mm is all you need since the birds are so close. Almost all the photos I posted here are taken with a 100-400mm zoom lens.

If you are serious about photography, this 1 hour landing trip is NOT the one to take. 1 hour is simply too short to photograph the various species of birds nesting on the island. This is why you only see Puffins on my post as I concentrated on getting the shots I want instead of shots of a variety of birds that may not look so good. Billy Shiel have 2 hour landing trips available that will give you more time to take photos of other birds. It was not available due to bird flu or some other circumstances during my visit.

All the typical species like Guillemots, Razorbills, Common Terns, Shags, Cormorants etc nest here in close proximity. The star of the show is of course the Puffin, everyone's favourite.

For a close encounter of seabirds, this...

Inner Farne is part of the Farne Islands National Nature reserve, which is in the care of and run by The National Trust... its a Wildlife Haven... For the Seabirds in the Breeding season and its a ee Special place... You can get here by Boat on Either a Billy Shiel or Golden Gate Boat Operators, both of whom run Trips to the Islands... But PLEASE NOTE...AS OF 3 RD JULY 2022, THE FARNE ISLANDS WILL BE CLOSED...this decision has been made in view of the Avian Bird Flu, the Decision is to PROTECT AND SUPPORT the Seabird colonies... as it will help REDUCE THE RISK OF SPREADING THE VIRUS.... you can still see the Islands, as both the Operators do Non Landing Trips which cruise around the Farne Islands, enabling you to relax and enjoy the Spectacle of the Dramatic scenery and Wildlife... I Highly recommend wearing Suitable OUTDOOR CLOTHING, as the weather can be Inclement...and the Islands are Exposed..... Proper Footwear is A MUST, as the Islands are Exposed to the Weather and the Steps Leading up from the Quay ,are Very Slippery, the are Covered in High Tide... and have seaweed on, The National Trust Wardens will advise you of this... particularly if its been Raining, and the Walkways that criss cross the island will also need Great care ,as they will be Slippery... PLEASE STICK TO THE WALKWAYS ...they are CLEARLY MARKED and they will give you Great Views of the Seabirds.... Puffins, Guillemots and razorbills, Kittiwakes... Shags... its a Fantastic Experience. please take care.... and...

This is a fantastic place to see puffins and other birds. If you are after seeing puffins, visit between April and July, as that's the time of the year the puffins can be found on the island. You have to take a boat tour from Seahouses, where several companies operate. We took the tour with Billy Shiel's Boat Trips. They were brilliant. The boat crew is very knowledgeable and will tell you a lot of information about birds and the area. Make sure to book the tour to Inner Farne with landing. This will give you 1 hour on the island to explore it, which we found sufficient time. Puffins and other birds were so close to us. It was a brilliant experience. The tour took approximately 3 hours in total with 1 hour spent on the island. Book your tour well in advance, as during the puffin season, it's usually sold out weeks in advance. Seeing puffins on the island is a great experience, one we...