Farne Islands Voyage Tips and guide

Contents

The Farne Islands are a wildlife reserve off the coast of Northumberland in northeast England, with no permanent residents. They're owned by the National Trust and visited by boat trips from Seahouses.

Inner Farne group:

• 55.617-1.6551 Inner Farne is the closest to the mainland. The landing pier is northeast, sheltered by the Wideopens.
• 55.617-1.6492 Wideopen East and West, plus Knox's Reef, are the islets just east. At low tide they form a single island and at the very lowest they join Inner Farne.
• 55.629-1.6753 Megstone is just 100 m long.

Outer Farne group are separated by the fierce currents of Staple Sound:

• 55.631-1.6244 Staple Island is a seabird habitat. The landing point is to the southwest.
• Brownsman Island is just north of Staple Island.
• 55.639-1.6295 North and South Wamses are just beyond Brownsman.
• 55.64-1.626 Big Harcar was where Forfarshire was shipwrecked.
• 55.644-1.6117 Longstone has the lighthouse where Grace Darling dwelt. The landing point is 100 m south of it.

A ridge of hard dolerite courses across northeast England: Hadrian's Wall was built along its crest, and the River Tyne flows in the valley to its south. To the east it disappears, but there's a series of outcrops. On the mainland these create defensive positions fortified into castles. Offshore they form small rugged islands, and the main archipelago are the Farne Islands. Lindisfarne to the north and Coquet to the south are formed in the same way. They're ideal for anyone who doesn't appreciate human company, which includes hermits and ground-nesting seabirds. In a symbiosis of 676 AD, the hermit St Cuthbert decreed protection for the eider ducks here (their feathers made ideal insulation for shivering monks), one of the world's first wildlife protection laws.

There has only ever been small-scale farming here, and the main human activity on the Farnes has been to fail to spot them and get shipwrecked. Several lighthouses were built to prevent this, and two remain active, both automated. Longstone is the famous one, home of Grace Darling and her father, who in 1838 rowed to the rescue of a wreck.

Visitor information is posted by the National Trust, who've owned the islands since 1925.

You may only land here from April to October, and with National Trust permission. That's usually done by boat trip with one of their accredited operators, sailing from Seahouses. Other craft may visit - the Farnes are within kayak range - but must first buy tickets from the NT kiosk at Seahouses pier. Motorists can use the car park by the pier (Satnav NE68 7RQ) but should allow extra time to park in case it's full.

Boat trips charge about £30 in 2025. There's an additional charge for landing, which in the May-July peak is adult £15, child £7.50, NT & NTS members free. Non-landing trips incur no extra charge and sail year-round, weather permitting.

Boat operators are Golden Gate, Serenity and Billy Shiels.

Boat trips putter around the various islands. Landings are usually at Inner Farne, which has boardwalks, or at Staple Island: wear stout footwear.

• St Cuthbert's Chapel is near the landing point on Inner Farne. An early Culdee hermit tradition brought St Aidan to Inner Farne in 651 AD, followed by St Cuthbert (634-687). Here Cuthbert lived in solitude until becoming Bishop of Lindisfarne, and returned to spend his last years here. There are remains of his hermit cell, and adjacent is the chapel built in the 14th century and modified in the 19th. Benedictine monks affiliated to Durham had an outpost here until the Dissolution.
• Farne Lighthouse is 200 m south of the chapel, use the boardwalk. It was built in 1811 and remains active - in 1910 it was one of the first lighthouses to be automated.
• Staple Island has the largest seabird colonies, but is closed in 2025 because of avian influenza. Lighthouses were twice built here only to be blown down.
• Brownsman has an old lighthouse and keeper's cottage.
• Longstone Lighthouse was completed in 1826 and is still active. Here in 1838 lived Grace Darling with her father William the keeper, when she spotted the Forfarshire wrecked on Big Harcar. They rowed out and were able to rescue nine of the 62 aboard. The museum in Seahouses tells her story.

• Bird watching is the main activity.
• Scuba diving: of the scores of shipwrecks here, four are routinely visited by dive boats. Birdwatching continues underwater, as guillemots plunge to 5 m depth in search of fish.
• Fake your disappearance: Megstone was a 1937 novel, made into the film A Touch of Larceny in 1959. A navy hero fakes his defection to the Soviet Union but actually camps out on Megstone (which the film relocates to Scotland). He watches the fake news unfold in the press, but more importantly he finds true lerrv.

Buy everything you need in Seahouses, there are no shops on the islands.

No food or drink available on the islands. Take a picnic with you, which the gulls will try to steal.

No camping on these islands.

Pay close attention to safety briefings on your boat trip. The rocks are hard and the water is cold.

Wear a hat, for sun protection and because the skuas may dive-bomb you. The NT decrees that this must be a soft hat not a helmet, to allow the skuas a sporting chance.

Avoid leaving valuables in your parked car on the mainland.

In 2025 the boats have wifi and you might get a mainland 4G signal from any carrier. But then again you might not, so finish any important calls before leaving Seahouses.

• Back to Seahouses you must go. Bamburgh Castle is a well-restored stronghold 3 miles north.
• Lindisfarne or Holy Island a few miles furth north is accessed by a tidal causeway.