Holy Island and the Northumberland Coast (Day Trip)

Tour Code: GBR135

A day on the lovely Northumberland coast to enjoy birding in the setting of Lindisfarne, one of the most important sites for early Christianity in England, and surrounding areas.

1 days from
£60 (land only)
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Highlights

Summary

Summary

This Day Trip centres around historic and atmospheric Lindisfarne (Holy Island) – a beguiling island cut off from the mainland twice daily by the tidal cycle. Known as the cradle of Christianity, it is also internationally important for its wildlife – and especially its birds.

Our adventure also encompasses the picturesque coastal village of Bamburgh, with its impressive castle and the huge mudflats of Budle Bay which offer excellent views of a variety of wildfowl and waders.

Whatever the time of year Lindisfarne and the surrounding area is an exciting birdwatching venue. Whether for ducks, geese, waders, terns, auks, raptors or some very special migrant songbirds.

The order of the day may vary depending on the timing of the tides. 

Walking is relatively flat and gentle with up to 6 miles being covered in total, interspersed with car journeys to make the best use of our time. 

Please look at the detailed information below to read about the seasonal highlights of this Day Trip in spring and summer.

  • At sea, divers, sea ducks and terns
  • Seals out on the flats, perhaps ‘singing’
  • Shoreline, both rocky and sandy, with waders, geese, duck and gulls
  • The magical landscape of Holy Island
  • Svalbard Pale-bellied Brent Geese – only regular wintering site in all the UK
  • Summer migrants, wheatears, warblers and hirundines
  • Possibility of dashing Merlin or Peregrine

 

Early Spring

In early spring the waders and wildfowl can still be in evidence, feeding up before their migration north to their breeding grounds. The Light-bellied Brent Geese from distant Svalbard start their way back in March but some may linger into April. Pink-footed Geese are also gathering for their journey back to Iceland – normally leaving a little after the Brents.

Shelduck are a year-round treat and their striking pied and chestnut plumage stands out on the mudflats where they spend their days sifting for small molluscs.
Waders such as Bar-tailed Godwits, Grey Plover, Dunlin and Ringed Plover can also be found feeding in the abundant and rich mudflats. Many of these birds are starting to turn from their drab winter plumages into striking breeding garb. The high Arctic breeders such as Turnstones are particularly beautiful in their harlequin attire.

Merlin and Peregrine are frequent visitors to this bounty of food and a sudden explosion of birds into the air often indicates a hunting raptor.

This area is also home to a large number of Grey Seals which can often be heard ‘singing’ out on the mudflats or rocks.

 

Late Spring & Summer

Lindisfarne is a bird magnet during migration. When the weather is right all sorts of warblers, chats and other small birds can drop in. The ‘lonnens’ (hedged walkways) are always worth a visit and just about anything can, and has, turned up in these tangled shrubs and trees. The air is filled with the sound of singing Skylarks and other small passerines.

Terns and auks breed on the nearby Farne Islands and can be seen feeding out to sea. Sandwich Tern is the most obvious of the terns but Common, Arctic, Little and even the very rare Roseate (which breeds further south on the RSPB’s Coquet Island) can be seen. Eider duck also breed nearby and the striking males can be seen fishing for bivalves just off the shore and with luck their distinctive ‘cooing’ call can be heard.

Various waders are still in evidence and some, such as the Ringed Plover, breed on the foreshore.

The extensive sand dunes are stabilised by Marram Grass and these dunes and associated dune slacks support many plants, including 11 species of orchids. These plants in turn provide food for various moths and butterflies including the Dark Green Fritillary and Ringlet.

 

Autumn & Winter

During the autumn, many small birds can also be found, particularly along the hawthorn hedges of the Lonnens. We might hear the seals ‘singing’ out on the flats – a magical experience. At this time of year, many birds are migrating and the Northumberland coast is an important migration route for arctic breeders moving further south. Then, as we move into winter, we should begin to find grebes and divers in greater numbers off-shore, along with wintering flocks of geese, ducks and waders.

DETAILED INFORMATION
Day Trip Location

Day Trip Location

Reviews
Dates & Prices

Dates & Prices

2025

Departures Availability Cost
Tue 1st Apr – Tue 1st Apr SPACES £60
Book Tour Show Details
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£60
Tour Leader:
Please note that, whilst we assign leaders to particular tours well in advance, we reserve the right to make changes if necessary
Keith Buchanan
Keith Buchanan.jpg

Tour Leader: Keith Buchanan

Keith Buchanan has more than 30 years' experience of working on biodiversity and landscape issues in the UK and internationally. Until August 2008 Keith was designing and leading a major project for Natural England to understand the impact of climate change on wildlife and landscapes. Prior to that he was a Programme Director within the Countryside Agency, and responsible for that Agency's work in relation to National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, climate change and land management. Since 2008 he has been freelance, and has led wildlife watching groups to many parts of Europe ,the Caribbean and South America and worked on biological expeditions in Indonesia, Central America, South America, Madagascar and South Africa.

Wed 7th May – Wed 7th May SPACES £60
Book Tour Show Details
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£60
Tour Leader:
Please note that, whilst we assign leaders to particular tours well in advance, we reserve the right to make changes if necessary
Andy Bunten
P7280418.JPG

Tour Leader: Andy Bunten

Andy Bunten has been an obsessive enthusiast about wildlife ever since he can remember. Educated at Cambridge, Newcastle and Imperial College, he then embarked on a career in nature conservation. He has worked for local government, wildlife trusts and, for 26 years, the RSPB. He initially worked in RSPB Scotland then headed south to be the Regional Director for the South East of England for 5 years before, in 1991, moving to the North of England to take up the reins of Director there. An experienced lecturer, Andy has cruised extensively completing over 20 trips ranging from South America to the Philippines and from Argentina to Svalbard. Now an Environmental Consultant, Andy is an enthusiastic traveller and has led wildlife groups to numerous places around the world including the Seychelles, France, Egypt, Costa Rica, Panama, Borneo, Norway and Spitsbergen. Over the last few years, he has led Naturetrek holidays in France, Romania, Hungary, Sweden, Spain and Scotland. He loves leading trips!

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UK Day Trips Led by Expert Naturalists


We are delighted to offer a series of Naturetrek Day Trips which visit a wonderful selection of reserves and habitats across the UK, each guided by one of our expert naturalist tour leaders, many of whom are leading our Day Trips on their own ‘local patch’! Meeting at around 9am, and exploring largely on foot until around 5pm (though note that specific Day Trip timings do vary slightly by location and season), these trips are designed to spend a full day out in the fresh air, in search of a wide range of special British wildlife.


Whether you would like to explore a new area in the company of a local, expert naturalist tour leader, try a guided wildlife day out for the very first time, or perhaps you simply wish to spend the day learning more about your own local wildlife, you will find yourself most welcome on one of our Naturetrek Day Trips. We also offer days out specifically aimed at beginner birders and amateur wildlife photographers, and some trips even extend after sunset to allow us to take you on a guided tour of the night skies above. Whatever the trip focus – be it birds, botany, fungi, photography, butterflies, dragonflies, geology or a mix of just about everything – your leader will take you to the very best places to search for wildlife, and will share their knowledge generously along the way.


Our Day Trips have been fully risk assessed, and all activities are carried out in line with UK government and industry Covid-19 guidance. Most Day Trips from 17th May 2021 onwards will have a maximum number of 7 people, with a handful, such as cruises with a slightly higher number. We have also been certified as 'Good to Go'; the domestic tourism industry standard mark for Covid-19 protocols. Your safety is paramount, and we will be complying fully with UK government guidance throughout all of our Day Trips.


 


How to Book


The price for all our standard Naturetrek Day Trips is £50 per person and payment is by debit card only. You can book online, or you are very welcome to book over the phone by calling us on 01962 733051. Some Day Trips operate seasonally, and we are continuing to add additional departure dates for our fully booked Day Trips, so if you would like to be added to our wait list for any of these trips please just email info@naturetrek.co.uk or register your interest via the tour page.


 


Joining Instructions for Day Trips




If you, or someone that you have been in close contact with, has displayed symptoms of Covid-19 in the 14 days prior to the Day Trip, or if you receive an alert from NHS Track and Trace, you MUST NOT JOIN the Day Trip. Please let us know in the Naturetrek office as soon as possible and we will be happy to refund you in full.


    

  • Upon booking we will email you with a designated meeting point and confirmed timings, along with contact details for your tour leader.
    • 

  • During some Day Trips we will each use our own vehicle to move the short distances in between sites (group transport is not provided).
    • 

  • Please do not bring your dog, or other pets, as they may disturb the wildlife!
    • 

  • Please bring your own lunch.
    • 

  • Please bring plenty of water, snacks, hand sanitiser, tissues, your own face covering (this will not be compulsory whilst we are out in the fresh air and wide open spaces throughout during the day but may be required to enter toilets, visitor centres, etc.) along with anything else that you might need for the day. You will need to be able to carry everything yourself. Suitable footwear (walking shoes or walking boots) will be essential, along with sensible layers and waterproofs plus sun hat and sun cream or woolly hat and gloves etc., depending on the weather forecast.
    • 

  • Wherever possible, we will try to arrange comfort breaks during the day. On some of our more remote Day Trips this isn’t always possible, and on those occasions you will need to be prepared for the odd ‘bush stop’! If this is likely, we will alert you in the joining instructions beforehand. Please be stringent with hygiene when using public facilities.
    • 

  • We ask you to respect minimum social distancing AT ALL TIMES (currently 2m where possible between households at the time of writing, but could be updated at any time). To help ensure this, we ask group members and tour leaders not to share optics, field guides or any other equipment.
    • 

  • Finally, please do share your photos and favourite wildlife sightings with us … we love seeing them! Tweet @naturetrektours, Instagram @naturetrek_wildlife_holidays or find us on facebook.com/naturetrekwildlifeholidays
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Tailormade Day Trips

Should the dates we offer not suit you, or should you wish to have a private, tailored Day Trip, we will be delighted to arrange this for you. Please just call Georgie Head on 01962 733051, or fill out our quick enquiry form and we will get back to you. For inspiration for a Tailormade UK break, please see our Tailormade UK holidays.




Reviews: 


'The Naturetrek £50 days out have been a lifesaver this year. What better way than to spend a day in the open with four other like minded people in the company of a brilliant guide who can tell you all about the geology, flors and fauna of the area. I’ve been on three of these days with more booked for the future. The days are full, meeting at 9.00am and not finishing until 5.00pm, maybe slightly earlier in the darker winter months, with about 45 minutes for our picnic lunch but never have I ever looked at my watch and wished the time would pass more quickly. Quite the opposite in fact, the time passed so quickly I was amazed when we found ourselves back at the car park. Value for money? Yes, definitely. Thank you Naturetrek.'
VB – The Naze and Walton Backwaters (Essex)

‘The Upper Teesdale Day Trip was brilliant and Andy Bunten was an exceptional guide. So very knowledgeable and an expert spotter, but equally important he had great communication skills so that no-one felt remotely patronised or afraid to ask the most basic of questions. The organisation of the day was impeccably planned too. This was my first Naturetrek outing but I have friends who regularly use you and have spoken of your trips in glowing terms. So I will certainly look at your website and I will hope to travel with you at some point in the future.’ 
 KS – Teesdale


‘We had a lovely day on Monday; Matt was terrific - particularly with us being beginners at bird watching! The other attendees were very interesting and one in particular was extremely knowledgeable. So we learned a lot - just got to remember it now! We are looking at the other day trips available to see if we can do another one.’ 
 Ashdown Forest


‘I wanted to write to thank you for organising your new Day Trips. It’s an excellent idea and something to give hope to many people, who are keen to get out and about, and to experience the beauty of nature closer to home. Our trip to the Ashdown Forest on Friday was excellent. The weather was kind to us, a lovely sunny, English summer day, but it was our guide, Matt Eade, who made it special. Quite how Matt managed to arrange Goshawk, two Honey-buzzards, Hobby, Treecreeper, and a whole host of other species was remarkable.
 Spotted Flycatcher is the personal favourite of my husband Simon – and Matt knew where to find two of them. Simon was over the moon!  


It was a top day. Matt was informative, very knowledgeable, engaging, encouraging, always happy to help, provide insights and share his knowledge and experiences. He paced the walk just right, thoughtful about short breaks where needed. I worked for 8 years as a Tour Director around Europe and I know how exceptionally hard it can be to keep everyone happy!’ 
 Ashdown Forest


‘The trip exceeded our already high expectations. Andy Bunten was kind, humorous, thoughtful and his knowledge of the wildlife truly exceptional. It was a real pleasure and privilege to be in his company.’ 
 KE – Teesdale


‘So nice to be on a Naturetrek trip again and had a thoroughly enjoyable day with Russ and our other companions. Everyone just got on even though we had not met before. Looking forward to our next day trip!’ 
 LD – Smardale


‘We had a great day, thank you. Matthew Capper was an excellent guide, giving us a wealth of information about the ecology, conservation and social history of the area as well as the wildlife, and having an amazing ability to detect birdlife out of nowhere.  The Lammergeier before we'd even left the meeting point was of course spectacular, but it was Matthew's commitment to searching for the birds and Mountain Hares which impressed me even more.  We also appreciated his patience and good humour, and his determination to make sure that all 5 of us got to see everything. These day trips are a brilliant idea. We are really looking forward to our next Naturetrek Day in a couple of weeks.’ 
 AB – Peak District



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Prefer to Travel in a Private Group?

For any interested natural history club or society, we can arrange for a private departure of this tour.

Enquire
Why Naturetrek?

Why Naturetrek?

At Naturetrek we craft expertly-guided group and tailor-made wildlife holidays and cruises to all seven continents. On one of our holidays, you can be assured that our passionate team will enable you to experience and enjoy the best of the world's wildlife and natural spectacles in as comfortable and rewarding a manner as possible, caring as best we can for the environment in the process. We are proud to provide:

  • The widest choice of wildlife holidays worldwide
  • Tours managed and led by naturalists, for naturalists
  • Outstanding value and exceptional customer service

Furthermore, as a Naturetrek client, our office team are always to on hand to help you – so if you have any queries about your holiday, whether before or after you have booked, we will be delighted to answer them on the phone. Please just give our team a call!