Scotland is famous for its dramatic landscapes, scenic winding roads, distant islands and elusive wildlife, and rightly so. But many of Scotland’s highlights are quite remote and hard to get to, which makes them a little challenging for a day trip.
Not so, the Isle of May.
This little island – located at the mouth of the Firth of Forth, just off Scotland’s southeast coast – is not one of Scotland’s celebrity island destinations like Skye, Mull or Arran.
In fact, many people haven’t heard of it and it rarely features in guides to Scotland. But what it lacks in fame it more than makes up for in stunning landscapes, abundant bird life, and accessibility – and for me the fact that it isn’t crowded is even more reason to go there!
What’s so special about the Isle of May in Scotland?
It’s only small – less than a mile long (about 1.5 km) and 0.3 miles (0.5 km) wide – but there’s a reason the Isle of May has been nicknamed ‘The Jewel of the Forth’.
The entire island is a national nature reserve, so there are no residents apart from the wardens who stay there during the summer months, and of course all the plentiful birds and animals who come to visit.
Most notably, it’s home to a wide variety of seabirds including a colony of cute and comedy puffins. In fact, many people consider the Isle of May as the best place to see puffins in Scotland.
Being small, it’s easy to explore in a few hours and you can’t get lost, but there is still loads to see – in fact when it was time for me to get the boat back, I wasn’t ready to leave.
The Isle of May also has some interesting history, the remains of which can be seen as you wander around, so there’s something for everyone even if you are not that excited about seabirds. Which I can’t imagine, because why wouldn’t you be excited about puffins!
Important note: don’t get confused between the Isle of May in Scotland, and the Isle of Man, which is in the Irish Sea!
There are Isle of Man puffins, but not very many – they were absent for more than 30 years but a few began to return in 2021. While the Isle of Man has many great attractions, if you’re after puffins, head to the Isle of May.
Read more: How to See and Photograph Puffins in the UK
The adorable Isle of May puffins
I only heard of the Isle of May for the first time last summer, when I went up to the Scottish Borders to visit a friend who lives near North Berwick. In passing, I happened to lament that it was my dream to see puffins, and that I had hoped to stop by the Farne Islands (which are near Berwick-Upon-Tweed), but I couldn’t because the islands were closed.
“Don’t worry,” said my friend. “You can see puffins on the Isle of May! You just get a boat from North Berwick. It’s really easy. I’ll even give you a lift to the harbour!”
I swiftly googled ‘Isle of May boat trips’ and managed to snap up one of the last remaining seats on an Isle of May landing cruise from North Berwick on a Saturday morning. And that was it: I was going to see puffins for the first time in my life!
Isle of May Boat Trips
The Isle of May lies in the entrance to the Firth of Forth, 5 miles from the Fife mainland and 11 miles from East Lothian, so the only way to get there is by boat. Half-day landing trips are run from either Anstruther in Fife, on the northern shore of the Firth, or from North Berwick on the south side. In peak season there may also be a few boat trips from Dunbar or Crail.
Isle of May boat trips from Anstruther
The journey from Anstruther is run by the ferry service on the May Princess and costs around £28 for adults and with about 2-3 hours on the island. It’s a pleasure cruise with basic amenities like a snack bar and toilets.
You can also do non-landing sea safaris which last about 1 hour 15 minutes and cost £30 in off-peak season or £36 in peak season.
Isle of May boat trips from North Berwick
I did the other route, taking the Scottish Seabird Centre boat from North Berwick. Landing trips cost £60 for an adult and depart regularly throughout the day – but be warned, they book up months in advance!
The journey time by boat is about 45 minutes and then you get about 3 hours to explore the island before you have to get the ferry back the way you came.
On the way there you’ll also get a brief stop to marvel at the incredible Bass Rock gannet colony you pass by. There are a few Bass Rock puffins wandering about here, but the main thing to see at the Bass Rock are the gannets. For puffins, you need to wait until you reach the Isle of May.
Non-landing Isle of May cruises are also available.
Read more: Seeing Gannets at the Incredible Bass Rock in Scotland
Things to see on the Isle of May: wildlife
The main reason people come to visit the Isle of May is for the nature and wildlife. Over 285 species of birds have been recorded here, and there are no predators like rats or foxes, meaning the island is a safe breeding site for ground-nesting birds.
At the height of the Isle of May puffin season there can be up to 250,000 different seabirds here, including the legendary puffins, plus razorbills, guillemots, shags, eider ducks, terns, black-legged kittiwakes, fulmars, oystercatchers, and various species of gull.
There are also grey and harbour seals, and rabbits. Minke whales and porpoises have been spotted off the coast.
Read more: A Local’s Guide to Kelso Scotland: The Charming Borders Town
First glimpse of puffins on the Isle of May Scotland
And so it was that I arrived at the harbour in North Berwick a week later with my luck still intact: the famously elusive Scottish sun had put in a rare appearance and the sea was mirror-calm.
We made an easy crossing, and as we arrived at the island I soon glimpsed my first puffins, bobbing about on the sea, gathered in quizzical groups on the clifftops, or clumsily taking off and flapping away on their stubby little wings.
There’s no shortage of puffins on the Isle of May – an estimated 100,000 of them. It was still early in the season and the pufflings hadn’t hatched yet, so many of the birds were hidden inside their burrows incubating their eggs, while the remainder just hung about in groups on the cliff edges.
I spent a glorious morning stomping about all over the island in the sunshine, taking photos not only of the puffins, but other birds and landscapes too. Because with its imposing 45-metre high cliffs, crowded with chattering seabirds, the Isle of May really does lay on an impressive spectacle.
You could spend hours just sitting on the clifftop watching and listening as birds take off, swooping and soaring through the air and over your head before coming into land again.
Another great place to see puffins in Scotland is the Isle of Mull, which you can use as a base for boat trips to the Treshnish Isles to visit puffin colonies.
Read more: 5 Great Places To Photograph Nature And Wildlife In Wales
Exploring the Isle of May: Historic sites
As well as wildlife, the Isle of May has some interesting history, the remains of which can be seen as you wander around. Here are the main sites you’ll spot on your Isle of May trip.
The Isle of May Lighthouse
As you walk from the landing site towards the centre of the island, the Isle of May Lighthouse (or Main Lighthouse) is the large, impressive grey stone building perched on the top of the hill.
It was built in 1816 by celebrated civil engineer and lighthouse-builder Robert Stevenson, to help guide ships into the Firth of Forth and prevent them from crashing into rocks and reefs. With its castellated stone building and ornate gothic tower, it’s designed to resemble a castle and is now a listed building.
The lighthouse was occupied by a lighthouse keeper until 1972, when the keeper and his family were moved to the mainland. It became fully automated in March 1989.
The Low Lighthouse / Bird Observatory
The Isle of May is also home to a second, smaller lighthouse, known as the Low Lighthouse. This was built in 1843 so that together the two lights would align to help protect ships from crashing into a notorious reef in the Firth of Forth called the North Carr.
Later, another lighthouse was built on the mainland at Fife Ness, and the Low Lighthouse was decommissioned. It’s now used as a Bird Observatory.
The North and South Horns
Two squat, white buildings topped with red-painted horns stand at the north and south ends of the Isle of May: these are the South and North Horns, built in 1886 and 1939 respectively.
They’re fog horns, which during foggy weather would blast a loud warning every 2 minutes and 15 seconds, to warn ships off the rocks. They were decommissioned in 1989.
You can explore inside the South Horn, but the North Horn is located on an area of the island known as Rona, which is a protected part of the reserve and off-limits to tourists.
The Beacon
The small, short, white building close to the Main Lighthouse is all that’s left of the earliest lighthouse on the Isle of May, which was a coal-fired beacon built in 1635 and the first permanently manned lighthouse in Scotland.
The beacon was originally three-stories tall, with the coal fire on the roof. It required 400 tons of coal a year and three men permanently stationed on the island to keep it going. The building was privately owned and passing ships who made use of its light had to pay a fee.
The Priory / St Adrian’s Chapel
One other building you might spot as you wander round the Isle of May is the ruin of St Adrian’s Chapel. This was part of the medieval priory that once stood here, and you can find it just up the hill from the main ferry landing, alongside the foundations of some of the outbuildings.
There was a church on this site since at least the 9th century, but in the 12th century it was expanded into a Benedictine monastery. Nine monks from Reading Abbey moved to the island and the site became a popular destination for pilgrims during the later Middle Ages. The monks relocated to Fife in the 14th century and eventually the building fell into ruin.
In the 16th century the Isle of May was used as a quarantine island for ships arriving to Scotland with suspected cases of plague on board.
Read more: Red Kites In Wales: How To Photograph These Majestic Birds
Visiting the Isle of May Scotland: Some FAQs
How do you get to the Isle of May?
You can’t reach the Isle of May by land transportation as it’s an island. However, several ferry companies offer boat trips from either North Berwick, Dunbar or Anstruther in Scotland.
What facilities are there on the Isle of May?
As well as the historic buildings mentioned above, the Isle of May has a visitor’s centre near the main harbour with accessible toilets and some information panels about what there is to see on the island. There is no shop or cafe, so you’ll need to make sure you bring your own water and snacks.
Can you walk on the Isle of May?
Yes, absolutely! There are clearly marked paths to follow which are flat and easy to navigate. Note however that the paths are not paved and are quite narrow, so may not be accessible for some people with mobility issues. Remember that you must keep to the paths at all times to avoid accidentally treading on ground-nesting birds or damaging puffin burrows.
When is the best time to see the Isle of May puffins?
Isle of May Scotland boat trips only run between April and the end of September. Spring is a good time to watch puffin courtship rituals, and numbers of birds increase as the season progresses.
The busiest time is probably June and July, when chicks have hatched and you’ll see parents returning to their nests to feed their hungry young. At this point there may be nearly half a million seabirds here!
By mid-August most of the Isle of May puffins will have left but grey seal numbers start to increase as they arrive at the island to breed.
You’ll still see plenty of other birds, including migrating birds which use the Isle of May as a convenient stopping point on their journeys north or south. More than 250 species of migrating birds have been seen here.
What should I wear to visit the Isle of May?
Depending on when you travel and where you go from, Isle of May trips will be on either a small rigid inflatable boat (RIB) or a slightly larger ferry.
Some or all of the seats will be open to the elements, so you need to be prepared to get a bit wet, either with rain or spray. Bring waterproofs and a cover for your bag, especially if you have expensive camera gear in it!
The Scottish weather can be changeable, so check the forecast in the morning and prepare for all types of weather! Layers are best, as well as sturdy shoes.
There are no shops on the Isle of May Scotland, so bring snacks and water, and maybe a packed lunch.
Is the Isle of May accessible?
Getting to the Isle of May involves travelling on a small boat. You’ll need to be able to embark and disembark, and the ride across can be very wet and bumpy. Once there, you’ll need to manage a few steps up from the landing site, as well as uneven and narrow paths all around the island. So this may not be an accessible day out for anyone with mobility issues.
There are accessible toilets at the landing site but once you head off around the island there aren’t any others, and it can be a 20 minute or longer walk back if you get caught short.
Does anyone live on the Isle of May?
No, there are currently no permanent residents on the Isle of May. The Isle of May National Nature Reserve is managed by NatureScot and occasionally hosts researchers and staff who conduct various studies and conservation work. They typically stay for a few days to a week.
Up to six visitors can also stay at the Isle of May Bird Observatory for a week at a time, primarily for birdwatching and research purposes.
Can you stay on the Isle of May?
Between the end of March and early November, a single group of up to six visitors at a time can stay for a week in the Isle of May birds observatory. As part of this, you’re required to carry out simple observatory duties like recording wildlife sightings. The weekly price (including the boat transfer) is £190. Check out their website for more information.
Far easier and less of a commitment is to visit the Isle of May as a day trip from North Berwick. North Berwick is a cute and charming little seaside town with plenty of cafes, shops, restaurants and guest houses.
What should you know before visiting the Isle of May?
As with all wildlife experiences, it’s important to be respectful and follow a few basic rules to protect the wildlife and preserve the environment for other visitors:
- Keep to the paths at all times. If you walk off the path you may tread on a puffin burrow and destroy it or even kill the birds inside.
- Do not cross to Rona at the north end of the island – it’s a protected area, and at high tide it gets cut off, so you’d miss your boat back.
- Allow plenty of time to get back to the boat and don’t be late.
- Take care at viewpoints and cliff edges. There are few barriers and it’s a long way to fall if you go over!
- Don’t drop food or attempt to feed the birds.
- Take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints.
- Keep noise to a minimum.
- Dogs are not allowed.
How much does the Isle of May ferry cost?
The price for a boat to the Isle of May varies slightly depending on where you travel from. At the time of writing, landing trips from North Berwick cost £60 per adult, or £34 per adult from Anstruther.
Trips may occasionally be cancelled due to adverse weather conditions.
Is Isle of May worth it?
In my view, absolutely yes! But then I’m a passionate nature and wildlife photographer and my heart is happiest when I’m out somewhere remote, away from too many people, photographing animals and birds. I had an absolutely lovely time on the Isle of May, and would love to go back again this year. The only issue is that it is quite expensive to get there, and books up super early!
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