I Seen A Puffin in Staffa!

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So I had a few days off last week and instead of spending it in the University library actually doing work, I decided to pack up my pack for a two days and head west. I had one goal on this trip: see a tiny puffin. I'm very happy to say that I did and that it was INCREDIBLE. So let's start at the start and go accordingly.

I took an evening train to Glasgow and got a private room at the Eurohostel smack bang in the middle of town. If you're ever planning on spending a night in Glasgow, I can't recommend it enough. Because I was working on a budget and the trip was all last minute, I opted out of fine dining (there are seriously nice looking restaurants in the upper left of the city centre just after the train station) and went to a place called Bloc.

They had an offer on for southern style chicken & chip for a very happy £4. Luckily the meal came with lots of different sauces including my favourite Cholula, which I quite happily smothered everything in. They had quite a good selection of beer on offer too. I had a pint of Anchor Steam, a lovely amber coloured ale all the way from San Francisco that I was told was very hard to find on tap anywhere else. After my meal fit for a king, I took a walk around town. There are a lot of nice looking spots and everyone was generally nice to talk to. Glasgow definitely does not precede its reputation at all.

After a night in a surprisingly cosy and quiet bed (hostels can usually be rowdy places) I was up early on the bus and out to the west of the country. This was all new territory to me and it was absolutely breathtaking. I'm something of a conservative when it comes to battery life so I didn't risk taking lots and lots of snaps on the old iPhone. Instead I just enjoyed the view and was probably all the better for it. I was taking what is known as the Three Island Tour from West Coast Tours. Over the course of the day you get to visit Mull, Iona and Staffa.

First was Mull and it was surprisingly serene for being out by the coast. I was expecting a very windy morning to leave my cheeks rosy red but the weather was bright, warm and inviting. There are a lot of colourful houses on the island which is a stark contrast to the little stonework numbers you usually get on location like this on the east of the country and I managed to get a cracking cup of tea from a little cafe. I can't remember the name but it's just top to the right of where you originally get off on the tour.

After Mull was Iona and it is tiny. We only stopped there for a few hours. At first I thought I wasn't going to pack in the entire island but when you can almost make out one side from the other, you know you won't be missing out on much. Not that its a bad thing. I seen the old abbey which has been there centuries and has I think over 30 old kings of Scotland and Ireland buried, as well as an old abandoned with all the machinery still there. It felt like something like a old style video game.

The main event of course was the tour of Staffa. There are a lot of different birds flying around the island and when you see the places they live in, you get slightly jealous. I wouldn't mind living in a house with a sea view when the weather is as good as it was. I can't say it's always quiet though. There is a big above water cave called Fingal's Cave and some of the other people on my tour made a game of trying to shout as loud as possible inside it. Of course, most of that noise was muffled by the water crashing against the inside of the cave but it was still fun.

After a jaunt around the island I sat on my todd and spent the rest of the time there just enjoying the chance to see puffins up close. And I'm glad to say I did as they are incredible little creations (I've attached a YouTube video showing just how petite they really are). They don't mind people getting up close to them and don't stop to be a nuisance. They're probably more interested in getting food and looking after their chicks.

I did manage to catch one do a rather dangerous looking dive right in to the water and disappear for what seemed like five minutes, only to reappear with some sort of fish in it's tiny little beak. I found out after from a tour guide that puffins can grab food with their beaks, push it back and then scoop more to hold on to. If I learned the same skills I wouldn't eat breakfast ever again.

You can take the tour I did by visiting http://www.westcoasttours.co.uk/great-days-out/tour-mull,-iona-and-staffa . They also have other tours all over this part of the country and I'll definitely be taking another one soon, even if there aren't any puffins around to make it happen.

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