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Farne island reopens after two-year bird flu closure

William Shiel People standing on the edge of Inner Farne next to the lighthouse William Shiel
The first visitors have landed on Inner Farne off the Northumberland coast since 2022

A popular tourist island, home to thousands of seabirds, has reopened to visitors after two years.

Landings were stopped by the National Trust on the Farne Islands off the Northumberland coast, after an outbreak of bird flu which killed thousands of birds.

Inner Farne has opened, but Staple Island is to remain closed.

Area ranger for the National Trust Sophia Jackson said: "We are keeping everything crossed the birds are building resilience to bird flu."

William Shiel People walking up the path from the jetty on Inner FarneWilliam Shiel
Inner Farne is also home to a medieval chapel and Victorian lighthouse

The Farne Islands are a National Nature Reserve in England and an internationally important home to approximately 200,000 seabirds, including puffins, Arctic terns, and kittiwakes.

The colony was hit hard by bird flu in 2022, with rangers collecting more than 6,000 dead birds, and more than 3,000 last year.

National Trust images A puffin landing onto the ground with its wings in the air National Trust images
The islands are home to one of the largest colonies of puffins in the UK

"The last two years have been really tough, and we are really looking forward to welcoming people back to the islands," Ms Jackson added.

"But the health of our precious seabirds has to be our priority, so we do have a ‘closure plan’ that we’ll implement, should bird flu return.”

Inner Farne is the only island to open to visitor landings in 2024 while limited openings are trialled by the National Trust.

Emma and John Greenwood
Emma and John Greenwood said being among the first visitors was a "privilege"

John and Emma Greenwood, from Leeds in West Yorkshire, said it was a "privilege" to be among the first visitors in two years to such a "special place".

"It was better than I expected, so beautiful and incredible, and to be in the middle of all these puffins and wildlife is amazing," Mr Greenwood said.

"It's been such a treat. I was expecting to see just one puffin but they are everywhere.

"It's an amazing place and we are so lucky to be here."

A skipper, William Shiel standing in front of his boat
One of the skippers, William Shiel, says having the islands closed has had an economic impact on boat tour operators

William Shiel, who runs Billy Shiel's boat trips from Seahouses Harbour, said it was a relief.

"People have been waiting for it to reopen, we had one lady come along who comes quite a bit, so it was great to see her again," he said.

"If the weather settles down, we'll have a good summer, there are a lot of people wanting to get on the island and now, it's just great it's available to them and they can see the birds close up."

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