British Travel Journal | Summer 2020

THE FARNE
ISLANDS
Northumberland
Many of us have heard of Holy Island
(aka Lindisfarne) but less well known
are the Farne Islands, 7.5 miles away as
the boat sails and scattered a couple of
miles off shore near Seahouses. They
are one of the best places in the UK to
see wildlife – Sir David Attenborough’s
favourite, in fact! Hop on a boat from
Seahouses harbour to pootle around
them (up to 28 depending on the
height of the tide) whilst seals bob in
the sea and bask on rocks. If you are
lucky you may spot wild dolphins, too.
There are a couple of stops where
you can get off to get up close to
thousands of breeding sea birds in the
late spring and summer, including cute
Puffins, Arctic Terns and Eider Ducks.
On Inner Farne there’s a chapel, built
in the 14th century and dedicated to
St Cuthbert, who lived as a hermit and
died here in the 7th century.
Golden Gate Farne Island Tours
also takes visitors to Longstone Island.
It was once home to Grace Darling,
whose father ran the lighthouse, which
visitors can tour. She became a local
heroine in 1838 at the age of 22 when
she rescued passengers from a sinking
paddle steamer.
Where to stay
Coquet Cottages have self catering
accommodation in this area, including
the quirky Gin Gan, sleeping six, near
Seahouses. Interesting fact – a Gin
Gan is another name for structures
once built to house a horse engine –
basically an engine powered by horses
in order to operate machinery (it’s
where the term ‘horse power’ comes
from!). Or there’s cosy Curlew cottage
for two in nearby Bamburgh, with its
atmospheric castle and huge sandy
beach.
HERM
Channel Islands
By day, this pocket-sized paradise bustles
when the ferry arrives from Guernsey (they
call it the ‘mainland’!) and day trippers
descend to eat, shop and explore.
Those in the know, however, spend their
entire holiday here – and have the place to
themselves once the ferry departs.
Activities tend to be of the spontaneous
variety - crabbing and rock pooling,
kayaking (with ‘puffin patrols’ from April
until July) and Stand up Paddleboarding.
The whole island is walkable in two hours,
taking in hulking cliffs, rolling fields, wild
flowers, dreamy beaches and a tiny chapel.
The very best thing to do here, however,
is to be inactive. What a pleasure not to feel
the need to visit a castle or a museum, to
be able to stretch out on a perfect stretch of
sand and totally unwind. We love the long
sweep of Shell beach (it really is made up of
millions of tiny shells) and Belvoir Bay’s cove
of ice-cream coloured sand – like something
from an Enid Blyton novel.
Where to stay
There are cottages, and a campsite
with views. The White House Hotel is
delightfully old fashioned (croquet, tennis,
no clocks or televisions), there’s a pool
for warm days and the food is excellent –
don’t miss the oysters, grown just offshore.
62 BritishTravelJournal.com