The Isle of May

Summary

The Isle of May is a stunning place to visit. A National Nature Reserve and home to a huge puffin colony, grey seals, razorbills, shags, eider ducks and other seabirds, the island also has fabulous cliff scenery and a fascinating history. Commercial boat trips operate from 1st April to end of September from Anstruther and usually give 2 - 3 hours ashore on the island to enjoy the walk.

Grade (key)

Bog Factor (key)

Rating

Terrain

Marked grassy paths; care is needed near to unprotected cliff edges. Visitors are asked to keep to the paths to avoid crushing puffin burrows.

Public Transport

Bus to Anstruther, then ferries to the island.

Start

Kirkhaven Jetty. Open in Google Maps.

Walk Statistics

Distance: 4km / 2.5 miles
Time: 1.5 - 2 hours
Ascent: 135m (Profile)
Start Grid Ref: NT659990

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A visitor map is provided; ask the boat operators.
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Walk Description

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Stage 1

There are two different boats operating ferries out to the Isle of May - the May Princess, and the fastboat Osprey - both operate to a schedule dependent upon the tides. Visits to the island are very popular and pre-booking is highly recommended. Both boats run from Anstruther harbour and take visitors to the jetty at Kirkhaven on the southeastern side of the island. At the jetty visitors are met by the island's SNH warden who will give a short introduction to the island and the rules for responsible visitors.

Stage 2

There is a maze of paths on the island and the exact route taken matters little; visitors are provided with a map and it is essential to keep to the marked footpaths. Immediately after embarking the main path leads up through an area used by nesting terns; during the season, these are very protective of their nests (with tiny eggs close by the path) and hats are recommended to protect your head from a pecking! The path leads up towards the visitor centre and toilets; our route turns left on a path before reaching these to visit the southern end of the island first.

Stage 3

As the south coast is reached there is a path junction. It is worth detouring to the left here and settling down to watch some of the island's puffins. Upto 90,000 of these delightful birds nest on the Isle of May each year; they begin arriving around late April, lay their eggs in burrows and leave in August after weeks of bringing beakfuls of sand eels to feed their pufflings. They appear a little rushed and ungainly in flight, but are superb swimmers.

Stage 4

Return to the path junction, this time keeping straight ahead to continue above increasingly impressive coastal cliffs, covered with nesting razorbills and gullemots in nesting season, with crowds of puffins on the greensward above. Soon the path reaches the south horn, which sounded a warning to ships that could heard for five miles out to sea until it was decommissioned in 1984.

Stage 5

The path now passes behind Pilgrim's Haven - where boats visiting the island's former priory once landed. The bay is now the location for the puffin webcams operated by the Scottish Seabird Centre in North Berwick. After the bay the path forks; our route keeps left, and then left again to head out onto what is known as the Prior's walk. There is some spectacular cliff scenery, particularly from a viewpoint visited by a short detour at one point.

Stage 6

You can detour out to the end of the peninsula above the Mill Door - a natural arch which is better seen from the water (the boat may pass it on your return journey) before the path cuts back inland, high above the artificially-creatde Mill Loch down to your left. Keep left at junctions to head down through a picnic area to meet the main island track some distance above the visitor centre. Now turn left up 'Fluke Street' - once the home of the lighthouse keepers. Turn right at the end of this to climb 'Palpitation Brae', and left at the top to visit the island's lighthouse.

Stage 7

The path curves back down to the main path from the lighthouse. Turn left along it - known as the High Road - before taking a detour through a shallow glen to a viewpoint above the Bishop's Cove - another great puffin-watching spot. After enjoying this, return to the High Road and keep left along it. It can be followed as far as a barrier where there was once a bridge over to the neighbouring island of Rona - separated at high tide; Rona is currently used for research projects and should not be visited.

Stage 8

Begin retracting your steps from the Rona barrier, but fork left to take the Low Road, initially towards the Low Light lighthouse. This is a bird observatory and home to volunteer observers; it is closed to the public, so keep right before reaching it to follow the path that leads through a tunnel under the track linking the two lighthouses.

Stage 9

The path - the Holyman's Road - gives views over the eastern side of the island; the air is often full of puffins. Keep left at the foot of Fluke Street to head back to the visitor centre and the ferry jetty. For more information on puffins and an account of a visit to the Isle of May, check out the article from our nature columnist Ben Dolphin: In Search of the Perfect Puffin.

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