Puffin Watching in Scotland: Best Spots, Best Seasons & How Not to Fall Off a Cliff

Isle of May - Scotland’s Puffin Parliament

A jewel of the Firth of Forth, the Isle of May is basically the democratic headquarters for puffins. Tens of thousands of them descend on the island each year, popping in and out of burrows like feathery whack-a-moles. It’s one of the easiest wildlife adventures you can add to your Scotland itinerary too. Simply nip aboard a boat from either Anstruther or North Berwick, and within an hour you’re stepping onto The May, surrounded by seabird mayhem and thinking, “Aye… this was a good life choice.”

The island’s paths wind through colonies so busy you’ll swear the birds are on some sort of union-mandated schedule. Rangers keep everything running smoothly, making it one of the most accessible puffin-spotting locations in the country. Ideal for families, photographers, and anyone who wants a dramatic wildlife experience without needing to conquer the Himalayas beforehand.

There are few moments in life that make you grin quite as hard as the first time you lock eyes with a puffin. Those bright beaks. Those tiny, furious wingbeats. That “I’m trying my absolute best” energy. Scotland is absolutely riddled with puffins, stuffed with them, if you know where to look, when to visit, and how to plant your feet firmly enough that you don’t go over a cliff while cooing at one.

Puffin season runs from late spring into midsummer, when these pint-sized icons waddle ashore to raise their pufflings (yes, that’s genuinely what they’re called, and yes, it’s adorable). It’s the time of year when Scottish coastlines become fluttering soap operas of arguments, courtship rituals, and mid-air collisions with other seabirds who absolutely could have avoided them but chose chaos instead.

So, where should you head for the best puffin watching in Scotland? Well, lace up your sensible shoes, we’re touring the coast, the islands, and a few places that once made brave Victorian mapmakers shake their heads.

Lunga & Staffa: The Hebridean Double Act

If the Isle of May is the puffins’ parliament, then the Treshnish Isles, most famously Lunga, are their VIP lounge. This is where puffins sit inches from your boots, look at you with mild disappointment, then carry on with their day as if you’re the world’s least interesting cloud. Lunga is perfect for capturing those iconic puffin portraits: the ones where their beaks glow like traffic lights and the Atlantic rolls behind them like a movie backdrop.

A short hop away lies Staffa, famous for Fingal’s Cave and its hexagonal basalt columns that look like they were crafted by a giant with OCD. Staffa has puffins too, and while they’re not quite as social-media-obsessed as the ones on Lunga, they certainly know how to command a cliff edge with style

Faraid Head: Puffins with a View (and the Occasional Dramatic Breeze)

Right at the top of mainland Scotland, tucked beyond Durness, Faraid Head is the kind of place that makes you say “Wow” and “Hold onto your hat” at the exact same time. Miles of dunes, turquoise water that looks suspiciously tropical, and cliffs bustling with puffins during the summer months.

You’ll feel gloriously remote here, just you, the birds, and the wind trying its absolute hardest to push you into your fitness era. But with good footing and a bit of awareness, this might just be one of the most atmospheric puffin-watching experiences in the country.

Sumburgh Head: Shetland’s Showtime

Shetland has always marched to the beat of its own Nordic-leaning drum, and that includes its wildlife. Sumburgh Head, perched at the southern tip of the mainland, is a puffin paradise so reliable that even the birds seem smug about it. They nest in the grass above the cliffs, greeting visitors with expressions that say, “Aren’t you lucky I’m here?”

The Sumburgh lighthouse, dramatic viewpoints, and wild sea below create the perfect theatre for puffin watching. Add in Shetland’s long summer days, and you’ll have more time than usual to enjoy the show—or to attempt roughly 800 photos of the exact same puffin because this one feels different, somehow.

St Kilda: The Puffin Kingdom at the Edge of the World

If you want bragging rights, a spiritual experience, and possibly very questionable hair once the wind is done with you, St Kilda is your destination. It’s remote, rugged, and unreachable on days when the weather says “absolutely not,” but if you manage to get there, you’ll see puffins in eye-watering numbers.

The cliffs of Hirta and the sea stacks of St Kilda host some of the largest seabird colonies anywhere in Europe. Puffins zip around the rocks like tiny torpedoes, and the whole place radiates an ancient, slightly mystical energy—as though the land itself has stories it’s keeping from you.

Boat trips run from the Outer Hebrides, and while it’s a commitment, it’s the sort of adventure you’ll still be talking about in your eighties.

A Wee Word on Not Falling Off a Cliff

Let’s be honest: puffins nest in places with… dramatic architecture. Sheer drops. Sudden gusts. Bits of Scotland that have spent millennia perfecting the art of “scenic but treacherous.”

A few golden rules to stay upright and uninjured:

• Stay on marked paths, unless you fancy an unexpected dip in the North Atlantic.

• Be mindful of burrows—puffin parents do not appreciate a size-nine boot through the roof.

• Keep an eye on the wind, which in Scotland can go from “a pleasant breeze” to “I’m taking your hat and possibly your dignity” in about six seconds.

If you treat the landscape kindly, it’ll reward you with unforgettable wildlife encounters, and you’ll get to leave with every bone still intact, which is always a plus.

When to See Puffins in Scotland

Puffin season in Scotland starts in spring when they begin to arrive; they settle in by May and hang around through July before heading back out to sea like tiny, feathered commuters. June is often peak viewing, when both birds and humans are at their happiest: puffins raising pufflings, visitors raising cameras, and everyone praying the rain holds off for just ten more minutes.

Why Puffin Watching in Scotland Should Be on Your Bucket List

Because nowhere else combines raw coastal drama, gentle comedy from small seabirds with big personalities, and the sheer joy of exploring Scottish islands and headlands that feel like they’re perched at the edge of the known world. Whether you choose a breezy boat trip to the Isle of May, the rugged north of Faraid Head, the volcanic quirks of Staffa, the puffin-paparazzi scenes on Lunga, the dramatic theatre of Sumburgh Head, or the awe-inducing cliffs of St Kilda, Scotland’s puffin hotspots deliver every single time.

You’ll leave with wind-tangled hair, a camera full of birds that all somehow look identical, and the warm sense that you’ve just witnessed one of the most magical wildlife experiences the country has to offer.

If you'd like to see puffins without the logistical faff (or the risk of being swept into the Atlantic by a rogue breeze), I also offer private puffin tours. You can have the fun bits, and I’ll handle the bits that require spreadsheets.