Wild North [22/02/2000]
From the collection of
From the collection of
A warden at one of the National Trust's most far-flung sites has some curious companions.
The Farne Islands are a group of 20 rocky islands off the Northumberland coast. They are currently home to over 43,000 puffins, but for several hundred years they were host to Christian monks and hermits, who would retreat to a small cell alone, or occasionally with up to six other monks. At the time of writing the islands have no permanent population, but National Trust rangers stay frequently to monitor this internationally important wildlife breeding ground.