Isle of May Landing Trip

The May Princess sails from Anstruther to the beautiful Isle of May.

It is an outstandingly attractive island which lies at the entrance to the Firth of Forth, surrounded by prolific fishing grounds, which supports the varied sea life that live here. The island is 1.5 km long, 0.5 km wide with marked paths leading all over the island affording excellent views of the wildlife and their habitat.

NatureScot (SNH) have rangers stationed on the Isle of May during this time to make your visit more enjoyable and informative, they will greet you on the pier when you arrive, give a short talk on the latest information concerning the wildlife and they will also patrol the island during your visit. Isle of May is home to an incredible array of wildlife, up to 200,000 seabirds can nest on the May, which can include 100,000 Puffins, there are also large colonies of Guillemots, Razorbills, Kittiwakes and Shags

The trips lasts for 4.5 to 5 hours and includes 2.5 to 3 hours on the island to explore and enjoy the scenery and the wildlife. 

The first human settlers arrived in Fife about 8,000 years ago and made good use of the May Island for fishing and seal hunting, the earliest find of human activity that has so far been found on the Isle is a piece of pottery dated 2,000 B C, ancient flint arrow heads have also been found. It seems that long before Christianity the island had some religious significance, this serene austere island certainly lends it self to peaceful thoughts, place names around the island are reminders of its religious history, such as Kirkhaven, Alterstanes, the Angel, the Pilgrim etc

It is thought that the island name comes from the Norsemen who called the island Maa Oy, which is norse for gull island.

When back on dry land we'll head to the famous Anstruther chippy for a bite to eat on the harbour wall.