ISLES OF INTRIGUE: VERA/THE FARNES

 

As I mentioned in a previous piece, the crime series Vera takes us on a tour of a variety of locations in the north-east of England.  In episode 1 of season 7 (Natural Selection) the action centres around Ternstone Island, a magnet for birdwatchers, with some of the rangers quizzed as potential suspects in the murder of one of their own.  The real-life location used for Ternstone Island was one of the Farne Islands, a bird sanctuary owned by the National Trust and accessible via boat trips from Seahouses on the Northumberland coast. 

 

                                  Farne Islands. Photo by MiloDenn, via Wikimedia Commons.

The tiny harbour seen in this episode of Vera, however, is actually that of Craster, and the ruins of nearby Dunstanburgh Castle are glimpsed in a couple of the scenes.  In real life, there are no trips to the islands from Craster, and although an island is visible on the horizon in the filming, the footage must have been doctored, because there is no such island visible from Craster.  Meanwhile, some of the Farne Islands scenes, including those depicting the Visitor Centre, were filmed further south at Souter Lighthouse in Tyne and Wear. 

 

                             Craster (9815022296). Photo by Dave_S, via Wikimedia Commons.

There are numerous boat trips out to the Farnes from Seahouses, with different variations available, including a Sunset Cruise and an All Day Bird Watch Trip. Some trips run from April to October, while others have a more restricted timetable.  I personally found the month of June the best time to visit, not only for the puffins frequenting the island and flitting around offshore, but also for the thrill of dodging the arctic terns nesting on the island.  Remember your hats for protection when they swoop down on you from above!

 

Craster, a few miles down the coast from Seahouses, is a small harbourside village with a cosy pub, a fishmonger specialising in smoked fish and a wonderful coastal path leading up to the ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle.  Souter Lighthouse is run by the National Trust and is a short distance to the south of South Shields.  It is a classic red and white lighthouse, opened in 1871 and designed for the use of alternating electric current, a world first.  The other claim to fame of this lighthouse is that it is haunted, allegedly by the ghost of Grace Darling’s niece Isobella.

Map of Northumberland.