The Best Way to See Puffins in Scotland!
On my recent adventure around Scotland, I
decided that I needed to see some puffins.
Being from the great Land Down Under, we have lots of birds, but none
quite like the clown of the sea. To see
puffins, you’ve really got to get off the mainland and onto the Hebrides,
particularly the Treshnish Isles, which were all formed by a huge volcanic
eruption.
The largest breeding ground for puffins in
Scotland is on a beautiful island called Lunga, which is a few hours by boat
from Oban. When your guide tells you
that around 3000 puffins nest there, you don’t expect the place to be swarming
with puffins. You’d be wrong.
Puffins are curious little creatures, and
not concerned by humans. In fact, when
humans are about, it generally means that their predators are scarce, so they
are quite at ease around you.
To get to Lunga, you need to take a boat
from Iona or from Mull. The best way to
do this – and to see Staffa, another of the fantastic Treshnish Isles – is to
book a tour. I went with Staffa Tours,
who offered a round trip that took you from Oban to Mull, then from Mull to Lunga,
then to Staffa, then to Iona before they took you back to Oban, via Mull. It’s a long day, but it’s definitely worth
it.
While the animal spotting depends hugely on
the time of year you visit, Staffa Tours told us that you’re almost guaranteed
to spot puffins between May and September.
I went at the very start of the season and feared I wouldn’t see any! I was pleasantly surprised though, and it was
a definite highlight of my trip to Scotland.
The other islands you visit are Staffa and
Iona – which are worth a look too. The
Isle of Staffa is an amazing basalt island, with caves of columna basalt that
you can walk into with relative ease – the individual columns work a bit like
steps. Iona is most commonly known as
the birthplace of Christianity in Scotland, because St Columba landed there
first, but its beaches can rival those of the most tropical islands.
I know I’ve got my parents convinced to
give this one a go on their trip to Scotland in September! Seeing the puffins up so close was really magical,
and I hear that if you go later in the season, there are lots of seals around
too! I’m going to have to go back.
I’m hoping to make a trip out to ‘Puffin
Island’ when I go to Iceland, too – I’m in love with these little birds. Have you seen puffins? Where did you see them?
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