ST. CUTHBERT FARNE ISLANDS BOAT TRIPS trips@farneislands.co.uk www.farneisland.co.uk www.farneislands.com SEAHOUSES 01665 720388 !! LOOK FOR THE RED BOOKING OFFICE ON THE PIER AT SEAHOUSES !! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Trips with a landing on NT Bird Sanctuaries ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ These trips are normally two-and-a-half hours in duration which includes an hour on either of the two islands. These islands are owned by the National Trust who charge a landing fee to land on these islands. Members showing a valid card will gain free admission. For fares and landing fees please see below: Inner Farne ~~~~~~~~~~~ Inner Farne is the largest of the Farne Islands, being about 10 acres in size. During the breeding season, the island is home to thousands of seabirds including Puffins, Guillemots, Razorbills, Sandwich Terns, Common Terns, Arctic Terns and Eider Ducks. Inner Farne was also the home of St. Aidan and latterly St. Cuthbert who lived and died on the island in 687 AD. There is a church on Inner Farne, said to have been built around 1400 on what was the site where St. Cuthbert lived the life of a hermit in a crude stone cell. The church was renovated at the beginning of the twentieth century and also in later years. Around 1540, a Prior named Castell, built a large square "Pele" tower which housed monks who lived on the island at the time, this has also been renovated and now houses National Trust wardens, five of whom live here for about nine months a year. Other buildings on the island include a National Trust Information Centre, Public Toilets and a Lighthouse which was automated in 1910. Disabled access is not too bad on this island with fairly wide pathways. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Staple Island ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Staple Island is probably the main bird sanctuary for people who want to see the birds of the Auk family namely Guillemots, Razorbills and of course Puffins. Staple Island's cliff faces afford fantastic views of the birds in their natural habitat and is an excellent site for nature photographers. However, the down side of this is that Staple Island being an exposed rock is a much more difficult island to land at than Inner Farne and occasionaly landings can not be made here. This however, is not so frequent as it once was thanks to the building of a new jetty, but it is always advisable to ask the conditions before booking a trip. As always, all landings are made entirely at the discretion of the Skipper who will at the time take into account the conditions of the weather and tides etc., and what the situation will be like for people returning to the boat. Due to the rocky nature of the island, it is not recommended for people who are disabled. Trips to Staple Island normally last about two-and-a half hours which includes an hour on the island, although these times can vary due to tidal or weather conditions at the time. Fares and landing fees for these trips: Boat fares: Adults £ 13.00, Children £ 9.00 National Trust Landing Fees for non-members: High Season (1st May to 31st July) Adult £ 6.20, Child £ 3.10 Low Season (April; August to October) Adult £ 5.20, Child £ 2.60 (A child is aged between 5 and 17, children under 5 enter free) Members of the National Trust who produce a valid membership card upon landing on the Islands gain free admission. Additional information: Opening Hours Low Season (1st May to 31st July) Inner Farne and Staple Island - 10.30 to 18.00 daily High Season (1st August to 30th September) Staple Island - 10.30 to 13.30 daily Inner Farne - 13.30 to 17.00 daily The National Trust reserve the right to close the Islands during the breeding season when the weather conditions are such that any disturbance by visitors would affect the bird's breeding success. Visitors are reminded that they can become members of the National Trust by joining at the National Trust and Tourist Information Centre at Seahouses or on Inner Farne. You can receive a full refund of your entrance fees when joining if you join on the same day as your visit and you return your entrance tickets. Dogs are not allowed on National Trust Islands, although you are most welcome to bring them with you on the boat. ALL LANDINGS ARE MADE ENTIRELY AT THE DISCRETION OF THE BOATMEN - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - TRIPS WITH A LANDING ON LONGSTONE ISLAND ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Unlike the National Trust bird sanctuaries of Inner Farne and Staple Island, there is NO landing fee for landings made at Longstone Island. The island does not have a bird colony, so it is not of very great interest to birdwatchers, however it does have a wealth of rock pools and a sandy beach which is ideal for families with children and a great place for a picnic. Trips to Longstone Island normally last about 2 hours with half-an-hour on the Island. Boat Fares for this trip: Adults £ 13.00, Children £ 9.00, There is no landing fee on this trip Dogs ARE allowed on this island. ALL LANDINGS ARE MADE ENTIRELY AT THE DISCRETION OF THE BOATMEN - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Sailaround (non-landing trip) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Sailaround is a trip around the islands of interest such as the Bird Sanctuaries and Seal Colony, but does not make a landing at any of the islands. These trips normally last between an hour-and-a-quarter to an hour-and-a half and are ideal either as a quick trip out in itself, or as a taster to whet your appetite before making a full landing trip. Boat Fares for this trip: Adults £ 11.00, Children £ 9.00 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - WELL BEHAVED DOGS ARE WELCOME ABOARD OUR BOATS, BUT ARE NOT ALLOWED ON THE NATIONAL TRUST BIRD SANCTUARIES, HOWEVER THEY CAN BE LEFT ABOARD THE BOAT AND WILL BE LOOKED AFTER. DOGS ARE ALLOWED ON LONGSTONE. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - DISABLITY ACCESS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Due to the design of our boats, steep steps in the harbour and on some of the Farne Islands, access for wheelchair users is severely limited. Also, due to our insurance cover and Health & Safety rules, along with personal injuries sustained by crew members in the past, we can no longer physically lift disabled passengers aboard the boats either in or out of wheelchairs. However, we endeavour to offer all the assistance that we possibly can so that our trips are available to those who wish to enjoy them. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Family Tickets & Concessions are available on most trips, please ask at the Booking Office. We will gladly accept your payment in cash, cheques, travellers cheques or credit/debit cards. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ST. CUTHBERT FARNE ISLANDS BOAT TRIPS trips@farneislands.co.uk www.farneislands.co.uk www.farneislands.com SEAHOUSES 01665 720388 !! LOOK FOR THE RED BOOKING OFFICE ON THE PIER AT SEAHOUSES !! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The small print: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ IN THE INTERESTS OF SAFETY - ALL SAILINGS AND LANDINGS ARE MADE ENTIRELY AT THE DISCRETION OF THE BOATMEN. Please note, that all sailing departure times and trip duration times are approximate and subject to alteration without prior notice due to weather and/or tidal conditions, passenger demand, availability, &c. Please call us for information on the day you wish to sail, on 01665 720388 before setting out as this could save you a wasted journey. E&OE. All information given here is given in good faith and is correct at the time of writing (11th April 2011).