Puffin Colony – Wester Clett, Sutherland

Just on the Sutherland side of the Sutherland/Caithness border, on the coast at Drumhollistan Moss, is a complex series of deep geos, or coastal inlets, with a steep sided island called Wester Clett in the middle. Wester Clett has been popularly named “Puffin Island” and the surrounding geos as “Puffin Cove”, which is fair enough given the number of puffins here in the summer months. The upper turf section of the island is pock-marked with puffin burrows. They’re all over it during the late spring and early summer.

Thurso or Melvich are ideal locations to stay while exploring this area. You can search for accommodation here.

Please note: convenient parking is not currently available – I have recently been informed that the unofficial gravel pull off the road, frequently used for parking south of Wester Clett, has been fenced off and is currently not accessible for parking. There may not be any safe parking areas nearby.

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What I hadn’t realised (having visited only once before in autumn when the puffins were all at sea) was that the colony has also spilled over on to the surrounding grassy hillsides of the mainland. Following the small path across the hillside in the lower right of the photo above, I turned a corner and almost stumbled over a group of puffins. I quickly stepped back, not wanting to alarm the birds. Over the course of the next couple of hours I moved carefully around the steep slopes taking photos and enjoying peaceful time watching and soaking up the atmosphere. The puffins were remarkably tolerant of my presence but I was keen to minimise any disturbance.

See a map of the location of Wester Clett below. The puffins begin to arrive from late March but the best time to see them is between late spring and early August, outside of this time the birds spend their time offshore in the Atlantic and North Sea.

Even without the puffins this stretch of coast is worth a wander. The cliffs aren’t the highest but it is wild and feels remote even whilst the road is nearby.

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Discover and explore Caithness through the articles and links below.

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