After the frankly ludicrous heatwave over Easter it was back to reality with a bump come May, a week of which we spent camping along the Northumberland coast at Seahouses. Our main objective for this trip was to get across to the Farne Islands where breeding birds promised to wow us in their thousands. To that end we made two sailings, the first in glorious sunshine but sadly with a sea swell too large to even consider landing. Attempt number two didn’t prove much better but we did at least manage to grab forty minutes ashore Inner Farne where, as expected, the avian residents put on a fabulous show.
Our feathered friends can wait for another day however as this entry is all about the mammals which also call these windswept islands home. I am of course referring to Grey Seals, hundreds of which are resident here and, when conditions are right, like nothing more than to haul themselves out on the rocks to enjoy a siesta. It’s a spectacle I’ve witnessed on numerous occasions but during our second voyage their numbers were greater than anything I’d ever seen. One particular island seemed especially popular and was covered from front to back with dozing, grumbling bodies. Honestly, who can resist faces like these.
Of course, there’s always someone who decides to play up for the camera!
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