Billy Shiel's Boat Trips - Seahouses

Thomas Hutchinson

As part of a birthday trip to Northumberland we went on a sunset tour of the Farne island's. The trip included some audio from a guide but not too much that it was hard to follow. We managed to see quite a few marine birds including some penguins as well as seals. The boat stopped at several points (close into the shore) to give passengers plenty of opportunity to take photos and videos. As well as the wildlife the coastline looked stunning in the magic hour. Well worth the cost and make sure to book ahead.

Justine Coombs

The boat was very new and very comfortable. It was a very informative trip and we saw puffins , seals and all manner of other sea bird life. The trip was just finishing and we had entered the harbour wall when the Captain was notified of the dolphins in the bay so he asked if we would like to see them - needless to say a cheer went up and we returned to witness pods of beautiful dolphins. Thank you it was the perfect end to a wonderful trip! Great customer service!!

Jonny Barber

Good trip, boat was great even though the sea was rough. We missed the birds at the farne islands but still enjoyed the trip and our time on Holy Island.
I found it quite expensive for what you get. Nearly £150 for 3 of us, yes it was their longest trip 4.5 hours but 2 hours of that is walking around on your own at Holy Island. I think £25 each would be about right. I'd maybe just recommend the shorter trips for the lower price to other people as you get to see plenty and then just drive to Holy Island.

martin ainger

Took an evening cruise for £25 each which was good value. Comfortable new boat, only complaint was we could not hear the commentary very well seated on the top deck. We saw dolphins, minke whales, grey seals and loads of sea birds. Sea was pretty calm but would recommend wrapping up warm! Trip went over the advertised 2 hours as we were chasing the whales. A great experience. Recommended.

Barry Weeks

Wonderful 'Inner Farne Island' trip. Landing on the island was great, but, so too was the rest of the trip. Amazing cliff views as the crew expertly got us very close to get great views of the birds and seals. Would highly recommend. (The wildlife is so very close, that all photos taken with a relatively basic camera and did not require the super long telephoto lenses that some had on the trip)

Tommy Suth

It was such a lovely sunny day that we decided to take a trip around the Farne Islands on one of Billy Shiels’ boats. We took a 1:30 trip. There was plenty of room on board. We chose to sit at the front of the boat under the Captain’s window. It was a good choice. The views were tremendous.

The Captain’s commentary was enlightening. His wealth of knowledge was impressive. Everything we needed to know was imparted to us in a calm, unhurried manner. I suppose it could be quite easy to become bored doing the same trip continually. This was certainly not the case. The enthusiasm from the Captain was clear to hear. The ride itself was smooth despite the tidal surge. I'm so glad we did the trip despite initial misgivings. We felt so comfortable even before we had left the harbour. Don’t worry. Do it.
An added bonus was the spectacular views of Bamburgh Castle, Lindisfarne Castle can be seen also. However, it is a few miles away.

Lianne J

My family of four did the sunset cruise, on the last weekend of the school summer holidays.
It was lovely! Well worth the money. Stunning views ? really informative too.
We would absolutely do it again ?
**if you think you’d got plenty of layers on, add one more ? we thought we were prepared for the sea breeze but we were still freezing! A takeaway cuppa from the food van at the harbour before boarding helps!
Great couple of hours.

Thehoneybadger Bobbi T

Absolutely fantastic. Top notch service. A went with my elderly dad and my disabled mam as a birthday treat in June. The service was great, the ride was nice and we didn't get TOO wet, the captain drove us by the various sites and explained what we were seeing and told us about it. Despite somewhat choppy conditions he and the rest of the crew managed to get us to the island safely.

The island itself was beautiful and the crew were all polite while also having a sense of urgency. They were very helpful and forthcoming.

On the return journey (which again was operated smoothly), the captain had everybody move to the front of the boat to keep it as low as possible to help make it easier for my mobility impaired mam disembark, which was absolutely lovely of him. This touch definitely added to the trip and put the smooth in smooth sailing. 5/5☆ would highly recommend if wanting to see the puffins in the farne islands or staple island. The journey itself isn't totally accessible (which is declared on the website), but the crew definitely did their part to help those who were struggling