Atlantic Grey Seals

This afternoon we sailed out to the Farne Islands on the MV Glad Tidings from Seahouses in Northumbria. The Puffins we had hoped to see had gone for the winter, and they would have been a sight as no less than 40,000 breeding pairs live there over the summer.

It was no small compensation to sail close to the groups of Atlantic Grey Seals lying on the rocks. The cows were enormous as their pups are due in just a few weeks. There are between three and four thousand Atlantic Greys on the Farne Islands, with 1,000 pups born each year, making this one of the largest colonies in the UK.

We landed for half an hour on the largest of the islands - Inner Farne - which in the late 7th century was home to St Cuthbert, who retired there until he became Bishop of Lindisfarne in 684. He returned to Inner Farne and died there in 687. You can still visit the chapel on the island dedicated to St Cuthbert.