Farne Islands

Group of about 28 rocky islands in the North Sea, close to the mainland of northeast England, 2–8 km/1–5 mi from Bamburgh, Northumberland. The islands are a sanctuary for birds and grey seals.

On Inner Farne, the largest of the group, there is a 14th-century chapel on the site of the hermitage at which St Cuthbert stayed from 676 to 684; he returned to die here in 687. The Longstone lighthouse, on one of the most remote of the islands, was the scene of the rescue of shipwrecked sailors by Grace Darling in 1838.

The group has been owned by the National Trust since 1925. The islands are a nature reserve and sanctuary for many species of seabirds, particularly guillemots, puffins, terns, and kittiwakes. To protect the birds only two of the islands are open to visitors. It is the only breeding station of Atlantic seals on the east coast of Britain.