Where To See Puffins In Scotland

Scotland is one of the best places in the world to see puffins. The combination of remote Atlantic islands, dramatic sea cliffs, and a coastline that stretches from the Solway Firth to the northern tip of Shetland gives Scotland a puffin offering unlike anywhere else in Britain.

Some colonies are reached by a short boat trip from a busy harbour. Others require ferries, small aircraft, and a willingness to wait for the weather to cooperate. What they share is scale, wildness, and a quality of encounter that is difficult to find elsewhere.

This guide covers the major puffin colonies across Scotland, from the northern isles of Shetland and Orkney to the Inner Hebrides and the accessible mainland clifftops. Wherever you are based, there is a Scottish puffin colony within reach.

Over the years, I have visited most of these puffin colonies. Each one is completely different with its own character. This means that every visit is unique and an experience.

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Why is Scotland good for Puffin watching?

The Scottish islands sit at the heart of the Atlantic puffin’s breeding range in the UK. Shetland alone holds some of the largest colonies in Britain, and the Firth of Forth’s Isle of May attracts close to 100,000 birds each summer.

Scotland also offers something the more southerly English and Welsh colonies cannot: genuine remoteness. Standing on the cliffs of Hermaness at the northern tip of Unst, or landing on Lunga in the Treshnish Isles, feels like a proper expedition rather than a day out.

The seabird communities that accompany the puffins add to the experience. Gannets, guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes and great skuas are regular companions at Scotland’s major colonies, and many sites offer the chance to combine puffin watching with wider wildlife. These include the white-tailed eagles on Hoy, seals on the Isle of May, otters on the Isle of Mull, and the extraordinary archaeology of Orkney.

Shetland

Shetland holds some of Britain’s most spectacular puffin colonies. The islands are remote but well connected by ferry from Aberdeen and by flights from several Scottish airports, and the reward for the journey is puffin watching on a scale and in surroundings that few places in Europe can match.

Hermaness, Unst

Hermaness is the most northerly point of the United Kingdom, and the walk to the clifftops feels like it. A boardwalk leads from the car park across peat bog and open moorland before the ground falls away to the Atlantic. Puffins nest here alongside gannets and great skuas, and the remoteness is integral to the experience. This is puffin watching at the very edge of Britain with just Muckle Flugga Lighthouse beyond the cliffs.

Best time: May to late July.
Access: Drive to Hermaness Nature Reserve car park, Unst. Unst is reached by two short ferry crossings from Lerwick via Yell.

Sumburgh Head

Sumburgh Head is the most accessible puffin site in Shetland and one of the easiest in Scotland. Park at the RSPB reserve at the southern tip of Mainland, and the puffins are nesting metres from the path. Viewing platforms let you look directly down onto the cliff ledges, and a visitor centre, lighthouse and small café make this a complete stop. You can stay overnight at the lighthouse for sunrise and sunset with the birds.

Best time: Late April to late July.
Access: Drive to RSPB Sumburgh Head at the southern tip of Shetland Mainland.

Fair Isle

Fair Isle sits in open water between Shetland and Orkney and has a character entirely its own. Large bird cliffs hold substantial puffin colonies visible from the paths that cross the island, and Fair Isle is one of the most celebrated migration watchpoints in Europe, making it a destination that rewards any serious wildlife traveller.

Best time: May to July.
Access: Ferry from Grutness, Shetland, or by small aircraft from Tingwall. Book well in advance.

Orkney

Orkney’s puffin colonies combine outstanding wildlife with some of the most remarkable archaeology in Europe. The islands are accessible by ferry from the Scottish mainland and by air from several airports, and the puffin sites are spread across Mainland and the outer islands.

Brough of Birsay

The Brough of Birsay is a tidal island off the northwest corner of Orkney Mainland, connected to the shore by a causeway exposed for a few hours either side of low tide. Beyond the remains of a Pictish settlement and a small lighthouse, puffins nest along the seaward cliffs. Checking tide times before you go is essential.

Best time: Late April to late July.
Access: Drive to the car park at Birsay and walk across the causeway at low tide. Tide tables are essential.

Westray

Westray offers a combination of puffin colonies and Orkney’s deep cultural heritage. The cliff walks to the nesting sites at Castle O’Burrian and Noup Head are exposed, and care is needed in poor weather, but the rewards are considerable. A short flight from Kirkwall makes Westray feasible as a day trip from Orkney Mainland.

Best time: May to July.
Access: Ferry or short scheduled flight from Kirkwall, Orkney Mainland.

The Scottish Islands

Scotland’s Inner Hebrides and the more remote Atlantic islands offer some of the most extraordinary puffin experiences in the UK. Most require a boat trip, and some require careful planning, but each has a character that sets it apart.

Lunga, Treshnish Isles

Lunga offers some of the most dramatic puffin watching in Scotland. The island is uninhabited, the landscape volcanic, and the puffins nest openly on the clifftop turf, allowing unhurried observation at close range. Most trips combine Lunga with a stop at Staffa on the same excursion, making this one of the most rewarding single days of wildlife watching available anywhere in Scotland.

Best time: May to late June.
Access: Boat trips with Turus Mara and other operators from Ulva Ferry or Fionnphort, Mull.

Staffa

Staffa is best known for the basalt columns of Fingal’s Cave, but puffins breed on the grassy clifftops and are often visible from the boat on the approach. Organised tours from Mull include a short landing, giving time to walk up to the colony before the return crossing.

Best time: May to July.
Access: Boat trips with Turus Mara and other operators from Fionnphort, Mull, or Oban.

St Kilda

St Kilda is one of the most remote places in Britain, a group of islands far out in the Atlantic that feel genuinely beyond the edge of the inhabited world. Hirta hosts thousands of puffins during the breeding season, set against cliffs that make the birds look almost small. Access is by boat from Harris or Lewis, and trips are weather dependent, so allow several days of flexibility.

Best time: May to July.
Access: Boat trips from Leverburgh or Stornoway, weather permitting. Allow several days of flexibility.

Isle of Skye

Puffins are present in small numbers around Skye’s north coast and the nearby islands of Rona and Raasay, and a boat trip gives significantly better views than watching from the cliffs alone. Skye’s accessibility from the mainland makes it a convenient base, and several operators run wildlife boat trips from the island during the season.

Best time: May to July.
Access: Drive to Skye via the Skye Bridge, or ferry from Mallaig. Boat trips available from various operators on the island.

Mainland Scotland

For those without time to reach the islands, Scotland’s mainland holds two excellent puffin sites that require no ferry crossing and minimal planning.

Dunnett Head, Caithness

Dunnett Head is the northernmost point of the British mainland and one of Scotland’s quieter puffin sites. The cliffs hold a significant colony but attract far fewer visitors than the island destinations, making it an ideal choice for puffin watching without the crowds. Views across the Pentland Firth to Orkney are exceptional on a clear day.

Best time: May to July.
Access: Drive to Dunnett Head, Caithness. No booking required.

Bullers of Buchan, Aberdeenshire

The Bullers of Buchan is a dramatic sea cave and cliff formation near Peterhead, offering accessible puffin watching for anyone based in or near Aberdeen. The colony is smaller than those on the island sites, but the rugged coastal scenery is striking, and no ferry or boat trip is required.

Best time: May to July.
Access: Drive to the Bullers of Buchan near Cruden Bay, Aberdeenshire. No booking required.

North Berwick and the Isle of May

The Firth of Forth holds two of Scotland’s most visited puffin sites. North Berwick is the departure point for Bass Rock, home to a large puffin population alongside one of the world’s great gannet colonies. The Isle of May, reached by boat from Anstruther, is a protected nature reserve with around 100,000 breeding puffins and is the closest major colony to Edinburgh. Both sites book up quickly during peak season.

Best time: May to mid-July.
Access: Boat trips to Bass Rock from North Berwick Harbour; May Princess trips to the Isle of May from Anstruther Harbour, Fife. Book well in advance.

Best Time to See Puffins in Scotland

Puffins are present in Scottish waters only during the breeding season, coming ashore from late March or April and departing by late July or August. The best window for most Scottish colonies is May to mid-July, when birds are actively nesting, carrying sand eels to their chicks, and at their most visible.

June and July are the peak months for seeing puffins with sand eels, as this is when chicks have hatched, and adults are making repeated feeding trips to the burrows. Early morning and evening see the highest concentrations of birds on the clifftops, though puffins are active throughout the day.

Shetland and Orkney birds tend to linger slightly later into July and early August than those further south. St Kilda and the remote Atlantic sites follow similar timing but are most easily visited in June and July when sea conditions are more reliable.

Choosing the Right Scottish Puffin Destination

• If you want ease and no boats: Sumburgh Head in Shetland is a drive-up puffin experience with birds nesting metres from the path. Dunnett Head and Bullers of Buchan are the mainland options requiring no advance booking.
• If you want the most dramatic scenery: The Treshnish Isles, particularly Lunga, combine volcanic cliff landscapes with puffins at close range. Hermaness in Shetland offers the wildest setting of any accessible colony in Britain.
• If you want the most puffins: The Isle of May holds around 100,000 breeding birds and is the most concentrated colony accessible from mainland Scotland. Shetland’s colonies at Hermaness and Sumburgh are substantial and less visited.
• If you want a proper expedition: St Kilda rewards those prepared to wait for a weather window. Fair Isle offers a unique combination of birdwatching and remoteness that is unlike any other puffin destination in Scotland.
• If you are a photographer: Lunga and the Treshnish Isles offer the combination of dramatic backgrounds and approachable birds that make for the most compelling images. Sumburgh Head allows slow, unhurried work at ground level.

Puffin colonies closest to Scottish cities

• Edinburgh: The Isle of May, located in the Firth of Forth, is the nearest major puffin colony to Edinburgh. Accessible by boat from Anstruther, it takes about 1.5 hours to reach.
• Glasgow: The Isle of Mull, with accessible puffin spots such as Lunga Island, is a great option. The island can be reached via train and ferry from Glasgow, with the journey taking approximately 3-4 hours.
• Aberdeen: Bullers of Buchan, Auchmithie and Fowlsheugh are all close to Aberdeen. Aberdeen is also the easiest point to reach Orkney and Shetland by ferry.

Boat Trips to See Puffins

Boat trips are an excellent way to reach many of Scotland’s puffin colonies. Several operators offer tours to popular sites like Staffa Island, Bass Rock, and the Isle of May.

These trips not only provide close-up views of puffins but also offer opportunities to see other seabirds and enjoy the coast from a different perspective.

These tours book early, so always make sure you book before travelling to the coast. They are also weather-dependent, so don’t be disappointed if they are cancelled at the last minute.

You can also book a tour directly from Edinburgh to Mull to see the puffins.