The trip takes about half an hour, longer really, as the Skipper stops when you are near the island to tell you about the wildlife and you get to see the puffins, seals & shags up close.
We were dropped on the island and then spent a few hours exploring and wandering around. It is a beautiful, unspoilt place, that has no inhabitants, just the rangers that are there for 7 months of the year monitoring the birdlife. We had to walk strictly on the paths so as not to disturb nests and burrows.
We had forgotten to bring binoculars, but we didn't need them as we saw so many birds and animals up close. All of them completely unfazed by the visitors.
I think that we found the puffins the most entertaining; they are much smaller than we realised and were so funny to watch. They look as though they have only just learnt to fly, as their take off and landing all looks a bit haphazard! They are amazingly efficient at scooting out and returning with bundles of fish in their beaks for their young. I'm not a great one for birdwatching, but these wee characters are so funny and charming. They live for about 40 years too and mate for life.
We were collected by the Osprey later in the afternoon; the skipper showing us around the side of the island we had not seen when we came in. We returned to Anstruther harbour tired and hungry, so a well deserved trip to the famous Fish Bar was a must!
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