Seahouses and the Farne Islands

Seahouses is a busy little port which grew up in the late 19th century when the harbour was built to serve the inland village of North Sunderland.  Today, potting boats and leisure craft share the harbour with holidaymakers and wildlife spotters, and the village is given over to catering for visitors and passers-by. Next to the harbour the huge limekilns are a reminder of a busy trade in stone and lime in the 18th century, now used as storage by fishermen for their lobster pots. The RNLI lifeboat station houses two boats, the John and Elizabeth Allan and the Grace Darling.   

The Farne Islands lie just offshore midway between Seahouses and Bamburgh. They are located at the most easterly point of the Great Whin Sill, an intrusion of volcanic rock which gives a distinct and spectacular character to the north Northumberland coastline.  There are between 15 and 28 islands, depending upon the state of the tide.   

The Farne Islands are designated as a National Nature Reserve for their important seabird colonies and provide food, shelter and breeding space for Kittiwake, Fulmar, Guillemot, Razorbill, Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, Shag and Eider Duck through the seasons. The islands are also a Special Conservation Area offering a haven to the grey seals which breed and rest there. Human activity is now limited to those caring for the wildlife and visiting via boat trips from Seahouses, but in the past the islands were lived on by St Aidan, St Cuthbert, and other monks seeking peace and solitude, and to lighthouse keepers protecting seafarers from the hidden rocks beneath the waves. 

In 1838, local heroine Grace Darling raised the alarm from Longstone, after spotting the Forfarshire boat crashed into Big Harcar rock. She caught sight of the wreck at 4:45am, and when it was light at 7am, Grace and her father (who was the lighthouse keeper at Longstone) rowed out to sea in a wooden fishing boat known as a coble. Grace was just 22 years old at the time and she rescued 9 people.

The Farne Islands are now managed by the National Trust.