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Northumberland & the Farne Islands (Wildlife Photography Tour)
Tour Code: GBR54A 6-day wildlife photography holiday to Northumberland's photogenic coast and the Farne Islands, focusing on seabird and coastal photography.
£1,695 (land only)
Highlights
Tour Itinerary and Reports
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Summary
The photogenic Northumberland coast is — with mile upon mile of long sandy beaches and big skies, its broad vistas and moody, changeable cloud formations — a delight to the eye … and the photographer’s lens! On this photographers appreciation, we’ll make daily excursions from our comfortable hotel base in search of the region’s wildlife, landscapes and castles. Our visits to the Farne Islands will provide excellent opportunities to photograph a tantalising array of seabirds at close range, from exquisite Arctic Terns to the ever-photogenic Puffins. Back on the mainland, our time will be spent photographing some of the county’s iconic coastline, including Bamburgh Castle, making the best use of light and tides to capture atmospheric images. We end our tour back in Newcastle, where we will photograph the country’s most inland Kittiwake colony against a background of twinkling city lights.
- Photograph Arctic Terns bringing Sandeels to their chicks
- Seabird colonies including Puffins & Guillemots
- Razorbill, Kittiwake, Shag & Common Eider
- Spend a day on Lindisfarne
- Visit Inner Farne & Staple Island
- Based in a comfortable hotel in Bamburgh
- Led by professional wildlife photographer, Oliver Smart
Grading
Easy to moderate day walks
Outline Itinerary
What's Included?
- Accommodation:
Comfortable hotels; all rooms are en-suite
- Food:
Breakfast & dinner are included in the price; lunches are not.
Dates & Prices
2025
Tour Leader: Oliver Smart
Following a childhood fascination with the natural world, Oliver went on to study ornithology at the University of Birmingham during his mid-twenties. Alongside an emerging interest in photography, learning the art of bird ringing and volunteering for the Avon Wildlife Trust, BTO and RSPB, Oliver has put time to good use. His main passion is birds and through photography he has built a diverse collection of imagery, which is represented by both RSPB Images and Alamy. Combined with a desire to travel, Oliver has explored many parts of the world; his favourite destinations usually including a seabird colony or two, where the sight, sound, smell and opportunities for a photographer are second to none. His claim to fame to date though is an image he took in the Seychelles which has been used on a bank note!
2026
Tour Leader: Oliver Smart
Following a childhood fascination with the natural world, Oliver went on to study ornithology at the University of Birmingham during his mid-twenties. Alongside an emerging interest in photography, learning the art of bird ringing and volunteering for the Avon Wildlife Trust, BTO and RSPB, Oliver has put time to good use. His main passion is birds and through photography he has built a diverse collection of imagery, which is represented by both RSPB Images and Alamy. Combined with a desire to travel, Oliver has explored many parts of the world; his favourite destinations usually including a seabird colony or two, where the sight, sound, smell and opportunities for a photographer are second to none. His claim to fame to date though is an image he took in the Seychelles which has been used on a bank note!
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Among our programme is a significant range of short breaks, designed specially for those wishing to enjoy some of Europe’s top natural history highlights at the best time of year. All of these holidays have the bonus of being short-haul and supported by like-minded wildlife enthusiasts.
Naturetrek Short Break Wildlife Tours
Short breaks are becoming increasingly popular and in response to the high demand for this type of holiday we are continuing to increase our programme both within the UK and abroad. Most of our short breaks are within Europe, for convenience of travel.
For some of our mini-breaks there is an option to travel by plane or train, and we offer a choice of duration and type of break, from a weekend’s birdwatching in the Somerset Levels to a 6-day whale watching tour in the Azores.
A selection of our UK short breaks:
- A winter bird watching break in Norfolk
- An autumn holiday to enjoy the Red Deer rut in Ardnamurchan, Scotland
- A wildlife weekend in the New Forest
A selection of our overseas short breaks:
- In Spain we look for the world’s rarest cat, the Iberian Lynx
- Wolves on the plains in rural northern Spain
- An exploration of La Brenne’s exceptionally rich butterfly-life in northern France
Our specialist recommends...
"We offer two superb short breaks to the lovely island of Madeira in search of whales, dolphins and seabirds. It’s hard to beat our Just Brown Bears trip for families, while if you fancy something off the beaten track, try Estonia in Early Spring for some excellent spring birdwatching."
Paul Stanbury - Operations Manager
Birding Tours Led by Expert Naturalists
The majority of our wildlife tours focus primarily on birds, allowing us to offer a huge choice of bird holidays. On most of our birdwatching tours we aim to see a wide variety of species, while taking time to enjoy other wildlife as well as cultural highlights and architecture.
Naturetrek Birdwatching Tours
We have one of the largest selections of professionally organised, small group birdwatching holidays around the world and all of our birdwatching tours are accompanied by at least one professional ornithologist leader with detailed knowledge of the area.
The majority of our bird tours have a relaxed, flexible approach which allows more time for photography, detailed wildlife exploration, leisure time and the region’s people, culture, history and architecture, while allowing the group to see a wide range of bird species.
Here is a small selection of our many bird holidays:
- Southern Morocco – an exploration of the birdlife in Morocco’s southern deserts, oases and mountains
- The Camargue in Spring – a short break to enjoy the spring birds of the Rhône Delta and Camargue wetland
- Wallcreepers & Cranes in Northern Spain – a 2-centre holiday focusing on Lammergeier, Wallcreepers, raptors, Cranes, bustards, sandgrouse and more!
- Madeira & Desertas Islands – A Seabird Extravaganza! – a short break focusing on special breeding seabirds, including a night on the remote Destertas Islands
- Peru – Macaws & Machu Picchu – searches for boobies, macaws and Inca Terns
- Spain & Morocco: Birding on Two Continents! – watch the spectacular spring bird migration from both sides of the Straits of Gibraltar
Our Bargain Birdwatching Selection
Our Bargain Bird Tours are intensive birdwatching holidays suitable for the serious birder. They are led by expert English-speaking local guides (and not accompanied from the UK by a tour leader). You can expect a higher-paced tour and to spend long hours in the field.
Our specialist recommends...
Byron Palacios - Tour Leader
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Wildlife Photography Workshops with Expert Tuition
Our dedicated wildlife photography workshops are aimed at wildlife photographers of varying levels of experience and ability, including beginners with ambitions to learn and improve, keen amateurs looking to hone their skills, and accomplished photographers seeking exceptional photographic opportunities.
Naturetrek Wildlife Photography Holidays
We work with outstanding photographers who share our goals of spending quality, informed time watching – and capturing – once-in-a-lifetime moments. Joining one of our wildlife photography tours will not only improve your technique and sharpen your reflexes, but will also optimise your chances of capturing memorable, high-quality images of some of the world’s most sought-after species. Group sizes on these holidays are strictly limited, not only to allow you plenty of room in which to work, but, just as importantly, to enable you to benefit from the dedicated time of our expert leaders. Our leaders aim to challenge your approach to photography, giving you the chance to pursue new avenues of creativity. They are also expert naturalists, enabling them to provide insight that will help you see your subjects in a new light, and improve your ability to predict and capture interesting behaviour.
Our tours offer:
- Expert advice on how to get the most out of your equipment
- Expert advice on composition and photographic technique
- Photo editing tuition fills time that is unproductive for shooting
- Extended time in hotspots to allow a focus on target species such as Jaguars, Tigers, bears, puffins and otters
- Picturesque landscapes, visited at optimal times
- Limited group size
- Like-minded travelling companions
Our specialist recommends...
Paul Stanbury - Operations Manager
Flight-free Wildlife Holidays
At Naturetrek we make full use of the Eurostar rail service through the channel tunnel, and of the ferry routes between England’s south coast and France and Spain, to offer a range of ‘flightless’ wildlife holidays in Belgium, Holland, France and Spain. In addition, we also offer the widest selection of wildlife holidays within the UK, none of which require a flight to participate in. Therefore, if you prefer not to fly, for whatever reason, we have a range of varied and exciting wildlife holidays for you to choose from, and we are committed to regularly adding more.
It is also the case that many of our other holidays within Europe are also accessible by rail. Generally, where there’s a will, there’s a way, and we’d be pleased to offer advice to anybody who wishes to join any of our tours within Europe by a means other than flying!
Our specialist recommends...
Kerrie Porteous - Operations Manager
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.
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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!
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Wildlife photographer Oliver Smart writes about his photography-focused tours in the UK and the joys of capturing British wildlife on camera.
