SEAHOUSES AND THE FARNE ISLANDS
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Where holy men (and now divers) once sought spiritual seclusion.
The Farne Islands comprises of 29 islands just off the Northumbrian coast. They now belong to the National Trust and are inhabited by Wardens who spend days monitoring the birds. (Divers who get too close can be bombarded from the 20 metre stack on Staple Island with droppings).
From the harbour at Seahouses, the view out to the Farnes is low-slung, panoramic, with a huge expanse of sky. The apparent calm is deceptive - over 200 wrecks lie under the waves, including the Forfarshire, which in 1838 Grace Darling (daughter of lighthouse man) infamously rowed out to rescue its passengers, and so set up a major tourist opportunity for the area. Last year an estimated 30,000 people took pleasure trips to the islands from Seahouses, and at times these boats treat divers as an additional spectacle to get close too. (Definitely a site to practice skills in use of SMB's).
I had my first sea dive from the club boat on the Inner Farnes. I remember vividly a 15 metre dive with plenty of sea life to look at, including a grey seal who tried to steal one of my fins. The trip out was fun too with puffins jumping into the waves and the birds on the cliffs above. Since then there have been cliff dives and some good drift dives close to shore at Beadnall.
The club has launched from both Seahouses and Beadnall and makes on average 3 trips a year, some with a club boats others using 'Stan's' hardboat. I recall a scary hour spent trying to run through the gap in the harbour wall with his son as skipper when an unexpected storm blew up. It is also a good outing for seeing the coastguard helicopter and the lifeboat in action.
For those days when it is not so sunny what do we do? Well there are plenty of cosy pubs for food and drink. There are trips to the castles at Alnwick and the Berwick. The latter is great for its long sandy beach overlooking the Farnes and for kite flying.
For those weekends when Seahouses is far too busy with day trippers from Newcastle we go to St Abbs.