Thanks to a horrible outbreak of bird flu, the Farne Islands just off the coast of Northumberland have been cut off to visitors for the past two years.
Each spring, around 200,000 seabirds, including adorable puffins, Arctic terns, kittiwakes and razorbills, return to the islands for breeding and leave again at the end of summer. They’re also a hotspot for grey seal pupping, with over 2,000 pups born there every autumn. Basically, the Farne Islands are a haven for any nature-loving tourist.
Normally, you’re able to book boat trips to land on two of the 28 islands – Inner Farne and Staple Island. But in 2022, rangers found a whopping 6,000 dead birds that had fallen victim to bird flu and the National Trust paused trips to both.
In some good news, though, that number plummeted down to 3,647 in 2023, giving rangers hope that the colony had developed some immunity. So, while rangers are keeping a close eye on the colony, the National Trust has announced that visitors will be able to land on the islands again from March 25.
Laura Knowles, the trust’s visitor operations and experience manager, said: ‘We can’t wait to welcome visitors and to share the wonderful wildlife of the island up close once again. Sail around tours will also continue to be available for those visitors that want to experience the magic of the islands from the water.’
You can book a boat trip ahead of time over on the National Trust website. If you fancy a bit of UK-based island hopping, take a look at our list of England’s most beautiful ones to visit. And to witness more of Mother Nature in all her glory, take a trip to one of our top UK spots to see cute, rare and wonderful wildlife.
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