A Wet and Wild Crossing

Today several of us got to experience the unpredictability of the North Sea first hand. Renee, Linda, Janet, Joyce, Deb, Merton and I set off this morning for Seahouses, a town on the North Sea where we knew that we could book a trip out to the Farne Islands. The weather was party cloudy with big puffy clouds and some sunshine. (The Farne Islands are outcroppings of rock in the North Sea. They are known for the birds that nest there each year, including puffins, cormorants, gulls, and terns. About 290 species have been recorded on the islands through the years of record keeping.)

The first adventure was the coastal route that the bus took. Very winding and narrow with lots of stops and starts, the ride to Seahouses took an hour and it proved to be a real test of motion sickness for the group, with some members barely passing the test.

Once in Seahouses, we were able to buy a ticket for a 2.5 hour boat trip that was leaving right away. The boat circles several of the Inner Farne islands so passengers can see the seals and birds, then it stops at one of the islands so the passengers can get off and spend an hour close up bird watching. The seals were having a lazy day on the rocks and the sea and the air were filled with birds, especially puffins. When they fly, puffins look like plump little bundles with wings that rotate at a high speed. On land, they look like plush toys. They waddle around, many with their mouths stuffed with small fish for their young, which are just leaving the burrows where they are hatched and stay for about 40 days. The island we were on is called Staples Island, and it was a lot of lichen covered rocks. Adventure number 2 occured when a couple of us fell, but the only damage seems to be a bruised toe and a dented lens sun shade.

Squalls could be seen in the distance all morning but we thought all was well as we boarded the boat for the return to Seahouses. Not so...about half way back, the wind came up and the skies opened with a hard driving rain that felt like needles. The boat was completely open, so we were subject to Mother Nature in all her glory for the rest of the trip. Luckily, all of us were fairly well prepared with warm clothes and rain gear, but as soon as we landed our thoughts turned to hot soup and a fireplace! We found the hot soup at the Bamburgh Castle Hotel, but the fireplace will have to wait for another day. It was certainly an adventure to remember and laugh about.