Visiting the Farne Islands
The Farne Islands are 20 small islands in Northumberland home to a range of wildlife including puffins, seals and approximately 100,000 birds. Named as David Attenborough's favourite place to spot UK wildlife, discover reasons to explore the Farne Islands with our guide.
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Where are the Farne Islands?
The Farne Islands are located in the north sea midway between Northumberland villages Seahouses and Bamburgh.
Fun fact:
While nobody lives on the islands permanently, rangers from the National Trust live in the old pele tower on the Inner Farne Island throughout the year.
Visiting the Farne Islands
Farne Island tours
Take in the stunning Northumberland coast and local wildlife with a range of tours offered by the wooden kiosks on the Seahouses harbour. Perfect for all the family, the tours are an exciting experience to spot birds, seals and dolphins and even explore the islands. While most popular during the summer holidays, the tours run throughout the year and are weather permitting. While most boat trips are dog-friendly, dogs are now allowed onto the islands due to nesting birds.
Wildlife
Home to over 100,000 birds, the Farne Islands boast a range of wildlife to spot. Between April and August keep an eye out for fulmars, kittiwakes and guillemots while Elder ducks can be spotted nesting in May and June. Visitors can also spot grey seals and their pups throughout the year, with October being the peak month for spotting the arrival of new pups.
The Farne Islands are well known for puffins and the colourful birds can be spotted with their young from June with many leaving in August.
Longstone Island history
The Longstone Island is one of the more well-known of the Farne Islands due to the famous sea rescue by Grace Darling in 1838. Grace Horsley Darling was an English lighthouse keeper's daughter and her rescue of survivors from the shipwrecked Forfarshire in 1838 brought her national fame. Today, visitors can take a tour of the lighthouse and view Grace's bedroom where she first spotted the shipwreck.
While this article focused on reasons to visit the Farne Islands you can find a range of Northumberland trip ideas on our blog.


