Farnetastic!

Easter Saturday with clear skies and only a little breeze meant an opportunity to get back up to Northumberland and continue our tour up the coast's islands. First up came a boat trip to the Farne Islands, arranged through Billy Shiels' Farne Island tours. We had our biggest crowd yet for this one, eight of us in total, so we had effectively chartered the good vessel 'Glad Tidings' for the morning. (I believe all of the Shiels' boats are named Glad Tidings, but ours was the best one.)

Glad Tidings

Leaving from Seahouses at ten sharp, we first set out to Staple Island, via a close-up view of the seals basking on West Wide-open Island (no landing, National Trust nature reserve - we shall have to come back at night time!). At Staple Island we disembarked up the slippery steps onto the rocks, surrounded by thousands upon thousands of squawking screaming birds. This is why most people visit the Farne Islands, as they are a nationally important breeding ground for shags and puffins and guillemots and all sorts of birds - and they didn't particularly like the prospect of eight humans trampling all over their home island. So we didn't stop long, especially after we had the additional disappointment of being told we couldn't cross the tidal section to Brownsman Island (again National Trust, blame them!) but had to stay within a little roped off bit of Staple Island (though we did consider a quick dash and back, but not for long).

Team Bagging!

 Next we did a swerving tour through the messy archipelago of the outer Farne Islands - past rocky masses with names like Harcar and Wamses - well out of bounds for anyone but the wardens (if even they go there) - it was seriously disheartening to be so close but so far from so many possible islands for the list - but then to watch the seals and the birds so tame looking and unafraid of humans, it seems that to spoil this habitat even for a moment for the sake of a list wouldn't really be worth it.

Seals

The second island where we were able to make landfall was on the Longstone, though I was slightly anguished for a while as to whether it actually counts as an island. Certainly its large enough, and its definitely cut off from the mainland, but I really wanted to see some grass, mud or vegetation, as it certainly looked like it was just one great big rock interspersed with some sandy gullies where the sea washed in. Having satisfied myself with a few clumps of sand-covered plants that would satiate the sheep criteria, we had a poke round Grace Darlings lighthouse and the helipad behind. Since the lighthouse is unmanned and fully automated, there wasn't much to see, but the story is worth a read.

Staple Island

 Finally we headed back towards the inner group, and landed at Inner Farne, with a much more organised and developed infrastructure, including a landing fee (National Trust, but I don't have a grudge, honest!) and toilets, as well as a little hut with an exhibition about all the birds and that. After the isolation of the outer islands (we were the only party landing that day) Inner Farne was positively bustling, with birdwatchers and photographers and general visitors milling about and watching the puffins. So we did that for a bit, though not being of a particularly ornithological bent we weren't quite as interested as most of the other people there, and before long we headed back to the Glad Tidings to cast off for Seahouses again.

Staple Island Bagged!

 After a bite to eat and a stop for the cashpoint it was a bit of a dash up the coast to Lindisfarne, separated from the mainland by a long causeway which is covered when the tide comes in. We arrived at two, and with the last safe crossing back at twenty past four, we had a couple of hours to explore the village and historic places. We didn't really get around to doing much - the castle was a long walk away and we were distracted on the way to the priory by the sunny aspect of the next-door pub beer garden, and it was there we stopped for the longest. This meant that we didn't really learn a lot about the island and its long standing religious connections, but we did have a lovely sit-down after the activity of the morning, and we did buy some delicious but somewhat sickly mead, made on the islands very own meadery.

Looking across to Brownsman

After a brief detour to look for a little tidal island I had spotted on the landward shore (the tide was too far in by this time and it wasn't possible to get there) we got back to the car with just enough time to cross the causeway again, though we weren't sure some of the walkers would do the full five miles in the time they had. It was time for a nap in the car on the hour long drive back to home base for the weekend in Newcastle, and an early night! First proper days bagging of the year, a lovely day out, and another four for the list.

Squawking Birdies

NB. Unfortunately, my camera packed in half way around the Farne trip, so the only photos here are the ones I did manage to take before it gave up the ghost - I did get a few more on my phone later on, and I'll try to upload these when I get the chance to transfer them.