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Fair Isle: Simmer Dim on the Magical Isle
Tour Code: GBR357A 10-day tour including a week on Fair Isle in the long days of mid-summer.
£2,495 (Inc ferry)
£2,345
Highlights
Tour Itinerary and Reports
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Summary
Lying isolated in the North Atlantic between Shetland and Orkney, Fair Isle is world-renowned for its seabirds and dramatic scenery. In midsummer the island is alive with noise and colour, as thousands of Puffins, Guillemots, Razorbills and Kittiwakes throng the cliffs, while Arctic and Great Skuas patrol overhead. Offshore, Gannets plunge in tight flocks, and calm seas may reveal Minke Whales, Harbour Porpoise, White-beaked Dolphins or maybe Orca. With its compact size, Fair Isle can be explored entirely on foot, each day offering unforgettable encounters among croftland, moor, loch and sea cliff.
A stay at the Fair Isle Bird Observatory (FIBO) places us at the very centre of this spectacle. From here guests enjoy comfortable accommodation, hearty meals and immersion in island life, with staff sharing daily sightings and, on certain evenings, inviting visitors to witness Storm Petrel ringing; a rare chance to see these mysterious seabirds up close.
The island is alive with Skylarks, Meadow Pipits and Twite in full song, while Lapwings display over the open moors and Snipe drum overhead. Dunlin and Golden Plover will be on the moors, while the endemic Fair Isle Wren sings from the geos. There is even the chance of a summer rarity, with Marsh Warbler, Common Rosefinch or other overshooting passerines recorded in recent years.
With endless daylight at this latitude, the evocative ‘Simmer Dim’, Fair Isle in midsummer offers long, unhurried days among seabirds and seals, with cetaceans and rarities always possible.
We also offer this tour in the Spring and Autumn.
- Stay at the legendary Fair Isle Bird Observatory
- Seabird colonies at their peak including Puffins, Skuas, Gannets, Fulmars and Kittiwakes
- Storm Petrel Ringing at the Observatory
- Summering eastern passerines possible
- Chance of Orca and other cetaceans
- Experience island life and culture
Dates & Prices
2026
Tour Leader: Mark Wood
After spending much of his early childhood exploring the woods and fields around his house in Fife, Scotland, Mark quickly developed a curiosity for the natural world around him. With the closest nature reserve being RSPB Loch Leven it did not take long for a keen interest in birds to follow. Going on to study Conservation Biology at Aberdeen University Mark’s passion for wildlife in its many facets and a desire to protect it would only continue to grow.
Much of his working life has been spent as an Ecologist in Scotland but the desire to travel and find exotic bird species is a constant draw. This has led to many long overseas adventures including Australia and New Zealand, where he was able to work on the Kakapo project and see this endangered parrot. Driving from Scotland to Mongolia and back in 2019, exploring much of central Asia and Russia along the way, a lifelong dream! As well as many other fantastic, nature rich locations across North and South America, Africa, Europe and East Asia.
Mark started leading tours to Shetland for Naturetrek in 2022.
2027
Prefer to Travel in a Private Group?
For any interested natural history club or society, we can arrange for a private departure of this tour.
Enquire
Why Naturetrek?
At Naturetrek we craft expertly-guided group and tailor-made wildlife holidays and cruises to all seven continents. On one of our holidays, you can be assured that our passionate team will enable you to experience and enjoy the best of the world's wildlife and natural spectacles in as comfortable and rewarding a manner as possible, caring as best we can for the environment in the process. We are proud to provide:
- The widest choice of wildlife holidays worldwide
- Tours managed and led by naturalists, for naturalists
- Outstanding value and exceptional customer service
Furthermore, as a Naturetrek client, our office team are always to on hand to help you – so if you have any queries about your holiday, whether before or after you have booked, we will be delighted to answer them on the phone. Please just give our team a call!
