Isle of May Website: Isle of May
Ferry Website: Anstruther ferry
Tickets are purchased on the day from a kiosk at Anstruther harbour which is open 1 - 1½ hours before the departure time, which is different each day depending on tides. In fine weather or at weekends, the passenger quota of 100 is soon reached, so be there early. There is one sailing per day except Fridays, and any sailing may be cancelled in adverse weather. A landing may be cancelled by the skipper if weather conditions dictate on approach. There is no credit card facility. Dogs are not allowed.
The ferry uses the Kirkhaven landing on the north shore near the visitor centre, where the warden meets the boat and gives a brief overview of the bird life and any current points of note. The island is a mere 1½km long and has a network of easy paths marked by small posts. We had over 2½ hours ashore, which was easily enough to cover all the major paths and vantage points. There are superb sea stacks at the SE corner of the island around South Horn and the sheer cliffs are well seen in the SW at Bishop Cove (see photos).
Note that you must stay strictly on the paths (there is no reason to deviate from them anyway) because the puffin burrows are easily crushed. There were around 68,000 pairs on the island this year, which means a high density of burrows and we were surrounded by puffins the whole time. There is a free leaflet available including the map below from the Tourist Information office directly opposite the booking kiosk. The Isle of May website gives details of the bird life and other aspects of the island.
