Handa – the Little Ferry to the Seabird Cliffs, and Seafood
A day.
The route
Handa is a wild island nature reserve a few minutes off the Sutherland coast, its north-west side a wall of red sandstone cliffs where seabirds nest in their tens of thousands.
A small open boat runs across from the jetty at Tarbet, north of Scourie, with no booking: you turn up and go. Back on the mainland, the Shorehouse beside the jetty serves the shellfish its own boat brings in.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
Ring the Shorehouse on 01971 502251 (11am to 7pm) to book a table: it has only a few, and it opens Monday to Friday only, from Easter to early September.
The day
Handa
A short, splashy crossing, a morning out on the island's rough trails to the great seabird cliffs, and a seafood lunch by the jetty.
About five hoursAbout 3 miles on foot
The Handa ferry
Tarbet is signposted off the A894 about 3 miles north of Scourie, then it's 3 miles down a single-track road to the jetty. The Handa ferry runs from early April until late August or early September, Monday to Saturday and never on a Sunday, from the morning, with the last boat out to the island at 1.30pm and the last back at 5pm. You can't book a time: the boat goes as people arrive and the weather allows, so come in the morning. It's £25 an adult, £10 for under-14s and free for under-5s, in cash only. No dogs, on the boat or on the island. The crossing takes only a few minutes but can be very wet, so wear waterproofs.
About 45 min on foot
Handa Island
An attraction
A volunteer from the Scottish Wildlife Trust meets the boat with a short talk about the reserve. Handa's north-west side is a wall of Torridonian sandstone cliffs where tens of thousands of guillemots and razorbills come to breed each spring, along with great skuas and more than 250 pairs of puffins, best seen from May to July. From the cliff tops, watch the sea for minke whales, dolphins and grey seals. The trails can be rough, so you need a reasonable level of fitness, stout footwear with a good grip and warm waterproofs even in midsummer, and take something to drink. Keep well back from the cliff edges.
About 20 min on foot
The ferry back to Tarbet
Walk back to the landing for the boat to Tarbet. The last boat leaves the island at 5pm, and in bad weather the ferry runs only at the boatmen's discretion, so keep an eye on the sky.
About 30 min on foot
The Shorehouse
Lunch
Lunch is beside the jetty at the Shorehouse, a family-run seafood restaurant since 1977, serving shellfish caught from its own boat within sight of the tables, Handa prawns among them, along with smoked salmon, hot-smoked mackerel and a seafood platter. It's normally open from Easter to early September, Monday to Friday, 12 to 7pm (last orders 5.30pm), and shut at weekends, so on a Saturday take a picnic to the island instead. There are only a few tables, so ring 01971 502251 between 11am and 7pm to book. It's licensed and dog friendly.
If it rains
There's no shelter on Handa, and the ferry stops in bad weather. On a wet weekday the Shorehouse beside the jetty is the place to be.
Photographs by Alan Younger, Rachael HB, Aleksandra Grzanka, Calum Morrison and Viktoria Wilson via Google