Autumn trip out to the Farne Isles

What ended up being our last trip of 2012 was certainly memorable. We spent the night in the van near the beach in Bamburgh and woke to a fantastic sun rise and the sight of dolphins playing out in the bay

Except for Andreas first enounter with some surf the conditions were near perfect. We left the beach at 9am with force 1-2 wind which was forecast to drop throughout the day.

The seals came out to follow us. I believe it was breading season so they were quite active.

Watch out for surf, this was the third time I've visited the Farne Isles and despite the swell forecast being minimal there's always been surf.

Summary

A fantastic trip with superb wildlife. It feels like quite an exposed crossing, so if there's 3+ wind, a swell running and surf on the beach it would feel like a committing day out.

Additional information

Tides
We did this trip on a spring tide and everything was manageable, however the windspeed was force 1-2 and the swell was low. There was some strongish streams between the islands and several areas of rougher water but these were easily avoidable.
Swell
If there's swell, leaving and landing on the beach could well be problematic.
There wasn't any swell forecast when we did the trip by but there was still 2ft surf.
Wild life
In the spring you get masses of sea birds and in the Autumn you get 1000's of breading seals. Be warned the seals get quite territorial and will chase you in their 100's, we tried to keep our distance.
Access
I'm not 100% sure on the access rules, but basically if you only land on Longstone island by the lighthouse shouldn't have any problems. If you require further info check with the National Trust.
Other information
There's several campsites within 25mins drive and two good pubs in the village for a post paddling pint.
What else to do on a weekend there
St Abbs head is another trip well worth doing, it's similar in distance but feels more serious because there's very few landing possibilities.