The island is officially called Lunga, part of the Treshnish Isles, and a number of companies do day trips there and to neighbouring Staffa Island. In the winter, they leave the island and spend the rest of the year at sea. Fingal’s Cave is a natural geological formation of basalt columns within a Paleocene lava flow, similar in structure to the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland. They nest underground in borrows. We continued the hike up the hill where we eventually reached the top. Our apartment was at the base of the walk to McCaig’s Tower. We took this tour from Staffa Tours. Attorney. Following are the spots which enjoy 100% sighting rates in summer. From my little outpost, I had a little lunch (brought some sandwiches) and enjoyed the scenery. I thought we’d see a couple of Puffins and that’s it. Pin now – Best Place to see Puffins in Scotland. Thousands of birds. Puffins, Seals, Guillemots, Razorbills – there was barely a single empty nesting spot among the high cliffs of the tiny islands. Pilot Wife. During the breeding season, displays of bill-knocking and ritualised walking will result in mating pairs producing one egg, which is laid at the end of the burrow. If this sounds too complicated, Staffa tours will book this all as one package for you and give you easy to follow instructions! They make the transfer with the ferry and bus so easy by booking everything for you. And another one when I cursed myself for not bringing a proper telephoto lens. it truly was amazing..beyond amazing in fact. They will come right up to you! Puffins, small winged seabirds that come ashore to breed @shutterstock Be prepared to wake up early and come home late, though. Norman is the face behind the blog and prides himself of having traveled for more than 30 years without stop or fail. Hugging the cliffs where thousands (quite literally!!) Oban was the cutest little fishing town. No, really. Cheese Fry Enthusiast. Now I stand corrected and am already planning my return, lol :), Yes; this is now on my bucketlist called “Places to visit on short notice if weather is good” :-) We stayed in THIS AirBnB. I did … Muckle Flugga, at the northern tip of the UK is in the distance.. Aug 17, 2014 - A Puffin admiring the view. By then the MacLeans were in charge on the Treshnish Isles. If you are staying on the Outer Hebrides, there might be some tours as well, though I am not aware of them. And hopefully I have convinced you to go see puffins in Scotland! In the winter, they leave the island and spend the rest of the year at sea. There are few places left on earth, where you can experience unspoiled nature and abundant wildlife. Papey is a low-lying island, just two kilometres squared, that since 1948 has been deserted of full-time residents. These days the Hebridean Trust owns Lunga and the Treshnish Isles. This tour was wayyyy more athletic than I thought it was. I hope to go back to Scotland one day, this time I will try to go and see this place, it looks absolutely magical! Not that i’d complain. Aside from the puffins, we have red deer, roe deer, pine martin, beavers, eagles, buzzard, kites, ospreys, seals, otters, basking sharks, dolphins, red squirrel, lynx, scottish wildcat, adder, stoats, and of course the infamous scottish midge! The first cliff was no unique spot, though. Now, it is a paradise of birds (with puffins and guillemots being the main residents) and seals. I will say, that the Scottish people are very fit. Atlantic puffin landing on Farne Islands. I organized my trip via Staffatours (not affiliated with them; they did a great job, though!). I highly recommend mentally preparing yourself for physical activity and bring your hiking boots! At the time I didn’t know, sadly, about this island! Coincidentally, there is another magnificent whiskey distillery in Tobermory, Tobermory Disillery. The main island that puffins nest on in the bay is called Lundey, or Puffin Island. Puffin Island's highest point is Carboniferous limestone, at 192 feet (59 m) above sea level, having steep cliffs on all sides. You have entered an incorrect email address! Read more about Sharvedda B&B On the adjacent island of Cairn na Burgh Mòr, there was even a small castle. Most of their life they spent out on the sea. The Puffin Tour is actually out of Tobermory on the Island of Mull, another quaint fishing village even smaller than Oban. When planning my trip to Scotland (read my itinerary here) I stumbled over the island of Staffa. After spending some time (Puffin Therapy time) at the base on the island on the ledge, we decided to hike the path. Everywhere. Puffins are always to be found close to or on the sea. All in all, Lunga is quite small. Some tours leave from Oban on the mainland, but these usually involve taking the Ferry to Craignure and then a coach ride to a port on Mull. Somewhere between 250,000 and 300,000 puffins nest on the islands of St Kilda, which is around a quarter of the total number for the UK. 86 reviews. A couple hundred yards into the hike, we were not prepared for the sight we saw. And then you see the view from the top and completely forget about how exhausted you are. Travel Destinations. I’ll be back in whatever weather. There are numerous burrows where the puffins nest, and later in the season you can watch the hatched pufflings (baby puffins) poke their head out for a look. Adults have a distinctive rainbow coloured deep bill as well as white cheeks and a conspicuous, clown-like black stripe down over each red-ringed eye. My wife and I went to Lunga during a week long stay on Mull back in 2014, I can only re enforce the comments. On top of Oban being the cutest little Scottish coastal town, it was also a perfect place to stay that was close enough to the big city, but accessible to the Treshnish Isles! We were closer and the town of Oban has things to do as well as the islands tours. Puffins on the island of Staffa, accessible by boat trips from Mull. Everyone should see a puffin in its natural habitat at least once in their life and there is nowhere no more beautiful to do it than here in the North of Scotland. For most of the year puffins are out at sea, returning to land to breed. To see Scotland without rain is not to see Scotland. You could also stay on the Isle of Mull! Notify me of follow-up comments by email. I didn’t know what was expecting me, as I already detailed out.  Keep an eye on the weather and be flexible with the day you go if you can! I “only” saw porpoise, but then again I was more than lucky with the weather, so I shall not complain. I am actually quite amazed that more or less unregistered tourism is still possible on Lunga. There are two main tour operators: Staffa Tours and Turus Mara. From Mull, there are boats departing from Ulva Ferry, Ardnamurchan, Tobermory, and Fionnphort, as far as I know. The exposed rock on the island I showed you earlier is called Dun Cruit and home to over 6,000 guillemots. The biggest is on St Kilda, a remote group of islands 110 miles to the west of mainland Scotland. The people were nice, the seafood was delicious, and one of the world’s best whiskey distillery happens to reside there. crazy…beyond overwhelming, and I don’t say this lightly (check out the otherworldly wildlife experiences I had on the Galapagos Islands to get an idea). Lunga is one of the Treshnish Isles which the tour is named after. The puffins can be spotted when they breed between late May and early August. I was able to get as close as 1 meter or less. When I stayed in one spot, the Puffins came close, walking too hastily they shied away. ___________ If at all, they seemed to come closer, taking an avid interest in the stranger intruding into their domain. Put on the rain gear and enjoy it! Thank you :), Hey Mike, I have some fabulous pictures of Scottish skies and they are sure not all blue! These birds breed on land from April to August, which is why I was able to see them in their prime during my visit in July. Muckle Flugga, at the northern tip of the UK is in the distance.. Aug 17, 2014 - A Puffin admiring the view. The island is very easy to reach from the city of Edinburgh by car or by train to North Berwick where you can walk to the harbour rendezvous point. I had to go check out one of the best places to see Puffins in Scotland. as a matter of fact I did bring all my rain gear…only I never needed it. We took a day trip to Lunga, the largest island to see the puffins and also to the Isle of Staffa to see the legendary Fingal’s Cave. Do it. Awesome! The next stop is Staffa for more birds, hiking, and most importantly, Fingal’s Cave! Check out my YouTube Video of our experience! As I take my leave from the beautiful island, I pass by a stack of crumbled ruins. On the way back, we had some time in Tobermory before the bus came to take us back to the ferry. They are basically the OG snow birds. If you want to see the Puffins, October is a bad time. Two small, uninhabited islands -named Akurey and Lundey or the ‘Puffin Islands - are home to a large puffin colony. But to be fair it was not just Puffins. The Isle of Lunga is one of the Treshnish Isles which lies between the Isle of Tiree and the Isle of Mull on Scotland’s west coast. We wanted to maximize the days around the Open, and wanted variety from the cities (Edinburgh and Glasgow) we were also visiting. When I was researching activities to do in Scotland, I came across a tour to the Treshnish Isles to see the Puffins in one of the largest breeding grounds in the world. This tidal island off the west coast of the Orkney mainland is a fantastic place to visit. Skye is called “The Misty Isle”. What odd, but beautiful creatures. Your legs burn. | Webmasters WordPress Nanny, Visiting the Florida Gators on a Myakka Airboat Ride, Anna Maria Island: A Unique Bachelorette Party Destination, 10 Reasons the French Polynesia Should Be on Your Bucket List, We Bought a 1978 VW Bus! I am thinking of going the beginning of October and was wondering if there would still be an abundance of wildlife? Yet, there is more to the country of Alba than rolling green hills, high cliffs, whiskey and quite a bit of rain. I wouldn’t have minded seeing the “normal” side of Scotland either. Also for anyone visiting Mull for a while I would like to give a shout out to Mull Charters. © Henk Bogaard/Getty It has been suggested that we adore puffins, or ‘sea parrots’ as they are traditionally known in northern Scotland, because their rotund features and comical gait on land remind us of human babies. How to get to the Puffin Cove You can also go out of Ardnamurchan, Fionnphort, Mulle, Iona and others. Not interested in our food at all just wandering around us. The rest of the year the puffins are out at sea resting on the waves when they aren’t ducking and diving for food. After a calm ride north, we arrived on Lunga, the first island on our tour to see puffins in Scotland. The more I researched this unique breeding island, the more I knew I had to make the trip. I will admit that Scotland isn’t readily associated with wildlife experiences. The first stop was Lunga to see the puffins! These birds breed on land from April to August, which is why I was able to see them in their prime during my visit in July. Puffins! Puffin Island is the ninth largest island off the coast of Wales and marks the northeastern end of the Menai Strait. So, this was my little blog about visiting the Puffin colony on Lunga. We went at the end of May and at one point while eating our sandwiches were surrounded by at least 20 Puffins no more than a meter away. Norths sagas tell us of King Hakon of Norway assigning the property to Ewan MacDougall in 1249. Vigur Island. This is where I found myself a little rock to rest. Visiting the Isle of May in the Firth of Forth to find Puffins, was one of the highlights of my scottish adventures. I don’t know why but these pictures of puffins just put a smile on my face. It was also walking distance to Oban Distillery which is a must-do! Oban seems like the big city next to Tobermory. This is a test to see if he even reads this. Let’s take a look at some of Scotland’s most popular island puffin-spotting locations. Authentic pictures and insider information are its hallmark. They are not afraid of humans and you can get fairly close. We just wanted to be closer to the city and didn’t want to venture onto ferries with cars and such. But the island of Lunga is, much as the other Treshnish Isles, home to quite a lot rare plants as well. Années de Pèlerinage is a travel blog that focuses on luxury hotels and unforgettable cultural experiences. Oban is basically the most south west city you can stay in and get away with this day trip. drizzle would be uncomfortable! The island is privately owned by the Baron Hill estate. Even more amazing: Whereas the Puffin population is on the decline in other parts of the British Islands and Europe, Lunga actually sees an increase. I pray with all my heart that they will be able to conserve this unique place for further generations. We got super lucky with the weather. A puffin’s beak (or bill) changes colour during the year. This is an excellent time to take a whiskey tour at Tobermory Distillery. CTRL + SPACE for auto-complete. ;-). It’s a fantastic place. It was…. They have a wingspan of roughly 47cm-63cm and can reach about 20cm in height. We were in Scotland for the British Open, so we didn’t want to stray too far from Angus, where the Open was being held. 34,663 posts. It really is a magical place and I can’t recommend it enough. (And then drove it across the Country. And don’t forget to pin this to your pinterest board! The day is long, but so fun. Time your arrival at low tide so you can cross the concrete causeway. Puffins on the cliffs at the Brough of Birsay. Thanks! And believe it or not, none of them in the least shy. (Also leaves from Ulva). Puffin-nesting season is in full swing. It’s probably better to book our tour not too much in advance. However, further away is Flatey Island which is also home to nesting puffins in the summer. Take a walk further along the cliff path and you will be rewarded with literally thousands of Guillemots and Razorbills nesting. Hi It was cold and rainy in the morning when we left Oban on the ferry, but cleared up beautifully for us! I saw some amazing bird colonies at Rubha Hunish, though. Got any question? Yet I decided to explore the island a bit more. These industrious guys are just beyond cute, don’t you think? Puffins in Scotland Puffins spend the majority of their time out at sea, only heading to shore to breed during the months of April to mid August so this is the time you want to be here in Scotland. Starting out from Oban, as I did, takes a whole day. I’m not affiliated with either, but I went with Staffa Tours based on how easy it was to book and navigate their website. Depending on your tour, you will have plenty of time to see Staffa and Iona as well. It was such a cool sight and the sound of that many birds is forever ingrained in my mind. 105 helpful votes. (Click HERE for $20 off your first AirBnB stay!). Scotland’s smallest and most distinctive breeding auk species with black upper parts and white under parts. Hi. Coincidence? Home to Puffins, rare Bonxies, stunning views of the Assynt mountains and one of Scotland’s best beaches, here’s how to visit the paradise of Handa. Puffins, Razorbills, Gullimots and others. If you’re in the Westfjords why not take the opportunity to sail out to Vigur Island and … You can find my full itinerary here: https://www.annees-de-pelerinage.com/perfect-scotland-road-trip/ I want to see Scotland; but don’t want drizzle :-). An amazing volcanic island, so surreal it looks like alien shaped it thousands of years ago. So they live on land, sea, and air - Just off the remote north-west coast of Scotland lies Handa, one of Scotland’s most beautiful islands and a nationally important wildlife reserve. Look to the sky. I've seen puffins on Inchcolm Island in the Firth of Forth. I wouldn’t say we have little in the way of wildlife experiences here! More travel inspiration: 20 amazing things to do in Scotland. I promise you, the views are worth the misery you experience hiking up. I’m planning to visit Lunga in June 2020 and I try to understand if we come with a tour from Oben, there is a tour with 2 hours on the island and another one with 4 hours. Isle of Staffa There were birds EVERYWHERE. With that many birds flitting about, I was otherwise preoccupied, as you can imagine. Report inappropriate content . Hope you enjoyed it. Getting to the isles is a little complicated. See more ideas about puffin, scottish animals, animals. of Puffins, standing over their freshly dug burrows. It’s the ferry port, so it makes it a great home base. hehe). Enter Oban. What time of year did you go? Visiting the Puffin colony on Lunga, Scotland, wildlife experiences I had on the Galapagos Islands, The best time to visit the Isle of Skye, Scotland, The 15 best things to do in Salzburg, Austria, https://www.annees-de-pelerinage.com/perfect-scotland-road-trip/. It has an area of 69 acres (0.28 km 2). Alternatively, you can grab some food or stroll down the main street and pop into a variety of different shops. Puffin Watching on Papey Island Just off the shore of East Iceland is another enormous puffin colony that can be reached by boat. The chick remai… For my full Scotland itinerary check out Epic Scotland Roadtrip Part 1 & Epic Scotland Road Trip Part 2 There was a little path winding up the high cliffs. Puffins in the UK are mostly found in a few sites in the north of England, Angelsey in Wales and Scotland. Answer 1 of 21: Hi guys! It's a nice little excursion. It was such a sublime moment. There can be up to 3000 puffins on the island in addition to other seabirds such as razorbills, guillemots and fulmars. The Puffin Cove in Caithness, Scotland, also known as Puffin Island, is just off the north coast between Melvich and Reay at the border between the historical counties of Caithness and Sutherland. It is so nice to experience a different side of Scotland and I wouldn’t have wanted to experience it with anything else but a flock of Puffins (just kidding Pilot Husband. Aug 6, 2014 - Explore Daniel Bickhart's board "Scottish Animals - Puffins", followed by 599 people on Pinterest. At the time of the RSPB’s last census, 2,000 puffin pairs were recorded in the Inner Hebrides. Puffins are seabirds belonging to the auk family and have a predominately black and white plumage. Hoping to see as many Puffins as you did! Lunga on the Treshnish Isles in Scotland is one of those rare places. Walking down the length of the short island, Lunga presented me with yet more Puffins. Jess has wanted to see puffins for a very long time, so when the Scottish Seabird Centre in North Berwick, Scotland, offered us a trip on one of their bird watching tours at the start of puffin season, naturally we leapt at the opportunity. You could always charter your own boat, though regular tours are not exactly crowded either. Staffa’s name comes from the old Norse for ‘pillar’ – a reference to the strange hexagonal basalt columns found on the island (similar to those found across the water at the Giant’s Causeway) most notably in Fingal’s Cave, famed for its natural acoustics. There are few places left on earth, where you can experience unspoiled nature and abundant wildlife. To get to the top of the islands and to see everything you probably want to see, it is a brisk hike. The islands only covers 81 hectares – there is no way it would support any sort of mass tourism. To get there you take the ferry from Oban to Craignure and then catch a bus to Tobermory. A rather close relative is the Guillemot. We sure had our laughs but obviously respected their privacy. It is best that way. With their blackheads and beaks, they were certainly not as charming as their cousins. Peterscot. © 2017 - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Adventure of A Pilot Wife. They are the cutest little birds and SO curious. I did say, right in the first paragraph, that Scotland is rich with (unexpected) wildlife. Once ruled by the Vikings, the islands have many ancient remains of forts and the Viking heritage is still reflected in the names of the islands. The island of puffins, hundreds maybe thousands of them hop about. Sally Coffey Staffa Toursruns trips to Staffa and the nearby Tresh… Since the landscape of Lunga was already presenting itself in picture-perfect greens, disappointment was out of the question anyway. I went to Scotland last year, but haven’t seen any puffins. After much research, I personally thought it was easier to leave out of Oban. thank you so much for your invaluable input. They bear their offspring underground but live on the water when not raising babies. ;-) but then again..if everything is wet, the green will shine just so beautifully! Not yet a UNESCO World Heritage Site (unlike St. Kilda a few hundred kilometers farther east), though. On a calm day, it is possible to spot dolphins and even humpback and minke whales en route to the island. The humorous birds spend the rest of the year at sea. They are the freaking CUTEST! I'm staying in Lerwick and will be car-less but prepared to walk a lot and I've been checking bus schedules. It’s a phenomenon the locals call “Puffin Therapy”! The chicks will already have hatched and the puffins flown away. Quite accidentally the tour I decided to take had a stop on Lunga, some 10ish kilometers farther north. I am quite ashamed to admit (being the control freak I am) that I was thus utterly unprepared for the spectacular wildlife waiting for me on this unique island. They like to sneak hikes into everything without letting us know. Reykjavík. There are a number of places on the island where plenty of Atlantic puffins can be seen. The purchase was completed in April 2000. Once this island has been inhabited. Explore . Located in South-West England, off the coast of England this little island is the only place in the South of England that has a puffin colony. Boat trips from South Queensferry during the summer. But that might just be a matter of time. Being the wildlife fan I am, I almost suffered a heart attack. Follow me along on social media: A analysis of the current situation in Egypt and how that translates to your travel plans. However, in spite of their large quantities, St Kilda's puffins are not easy to see. By then I was ready to adopt one or two, maybe even the whole islands. You’re sweating, but its chilly so you have layers on. And as for the rain, people are waterproof!! This is the island that most boat tours will circle when you go searching for puffins. I just had to see it! As I made my way back to our ship, an elderly man (quite nimbly walking among the cliffs) offered to explain some details about the Puffin colony; obviously, I willingly accepted. This is one of the reasons Lunga is now a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest. We only had two precious hours on the island before the boat departed again. Here’s the details for our day trip to the Treshnish Isles to visit the Puffins in Scotland. Now, it may not be the Serengeti or the Amazon jungle, but it’s amazing in its own way :). From the Isle of Mull, we took a boat to the islands of Staffa and Lunga where we got what the locals call “Puffin Therapy”. In medieval times, the Treshnish Isles had been a bit more popular. 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