A beautiful island located in Scotland's Firth of Forth, the Isle of May is a true delight for bird lovers, nature lovers, artists and photographers alike. Like bees seeking nectar, day trippers swarm to the island and spread out in search of their own spiritual nourishment.

The Isle of May is indeed a sanctuary for our modern day souls. First used by monks in the ninth century, the island has now been reclaimed by nature and provides a home for millions of sea birds, but perhaps most notably the puffin.

With crags and cliffs that rise 150ft from the sea, the dramatic coastline of the tiny island of May is bedecked with thousands of nesting fulmar, kittiwake, shag, and numerous other sea birds. The rocky plateau atop the island is pocked with puffin burrows and strewn with clumps of white sea campion, grasses, mosses, sedges and lichens. Drifts of pink thrift nestle into craggy crevices and all around there is evidence of Man's worship and reverence for this beautiful place. Ruins of a twelfth century chapel lay next to the path that leads up to Scotland's first manned lighthouse, and a second lighthouse further down towards the shore. De-manned in 1989, the lighthouses are still in operation helping to guide sailing traffic safely past the treacherous rocky coastline.

How to get there...

The day tripper can spend around three hours on the island by sailing on the 'May Princess' ferry from Anstruther, a small town on the south coast of Fife (also known as the Kingdom of Fife). You will probably need to book early as there are only limited numbers of people allowed on to the island at any time, and seats on the boat get taken fast. At £18 per adult, it might seem a lot of money but if the weather is good then it is certainly worth every penny!

The crossing takes around an hour, but is definitely a part of the pleasures of the day. The crew of the 'May Princess' obligingly through bread into the sea to attract gannets in and allow for some close-up action shots of these stunning sea birds. Watch them fold their wings and dive at top speed into the water. It's a sight you will never forget!

As you draw closer to the island, you will see puffins out on the water and seals basking in the sun on the rocks that create parts of the island's dramatic coastline.

The 'May Princess' eases into a small, natural harbour on the north side of the island where you can disembark and spend three hours exploring all the natural nooks and crannies.

Be respectful...

Although some researchers and ornithologists may stay from time to time, and it is possible to hire the bothy on the island for a night, the Isle of May belongs to nature. It is a wild place and it is the home and nesting place of millions of puffins amongst others.

The puffins nest in burrows on the island top. If you stray from the paths you may cause a burrow to collapse and either crush any eggs, or even cause a chick to starve to death as the parent bird cannot enter the burrow and abandons it.

There are many paths that criss-cross the island and there really is no need to stray from any of them. The birds will be all around you and at such close range that you will have no need to try and get any closer. So, please, if you go (and I highly recommend that you do), respect the birds and respect the island. It is their home, not yours.

What will I need to take?

The facilities on the island are limited, so you will need to take your own refreshments. There are no litter bins, so be prepared to take back everything that you bring and do not leave anything on the island!

You will probably need warm and waterproof clothing, even if it is dry and sunny when you set out. The sea crossing can be cold and you are 150ft up on a craggy outcrop at the edge of the North Sea. Even in summer, that can still be a cold and draughty place! Also, as it is Scotland, the weather can change fairly quickly and you don't want to be stuck 6 miles from shore in t-shirt and shorts when it starts pouring with rain!

If you are photographing birds, you won't really need a tripod. The shutter speeds you will use will be fast enough that handheld should be fine. If you have an enormous lens that requires its own tripod, you certainly won't need me to tell you what you should bring!

If you are staying at the bothy and want some sunrise and sunset shots, or you want general landscape and seascape shots, then of course you will probably need a sturdy tripod, or at least a good beanbag to rest your camera on.

I used a 70-300mm lens and kept that on all day. I had my 18-55mm lens with me, but never needed it.

A circular polariser filter will help with seascape shots, but is not a good idea when taking bird shots as your shutter speed will reduce and you may end up with a series of blurry images!

Neutral density graduated filters may help with dramatic seascapes if you are down at the shoreline and there are some stunning clouds. The ND grads basically allow you to balance exposure between a darker foreground (your rocky shoreline) and the brighter sky. Ideally you need a straight horizon to avoid that tell-tale dark line across the image, even with a soft edge graduated filter.

If you don't have an ND grad filter but you do have a digital camera, you can try taking two shots, one exposed for the sky and one for the ground. The digital files can then be merged and blended so that the final image is matched. You will need a tripod or solid base to rest the camera on so that the images are identical. Even a few millimetres out can make it very difficult to match up when post-processing.

How do I get good shots of the puffins?

The puffins are very small and very fast in flight, but they will stand for ages posing on rocks! It is almost impossible NOT to get that classic shot of the puffin with sand eels hanging from its bill, even with a compact camera.

If you have a camera that allows you to change ISO, then I recommend you notch it up to around 800 or so to enable you to get a faster shutter speed.

Use a wide aperture, as wide as you can, and that will not only allow for faster shutter speeds, but will also render the foreground and background out of focus and put all the attention onto your subject, giving you a perfect puffin portrait.

If you have a camera that allows you to shoot rapid burst exposures, and you can use continual tracking autofocus, that will certainly help to get good sharp pictures. You will most likely discard at least 50% of the shots, but you should get more than enough to choose a favourite from.

Make sure you have spare cards / film and batteries!

Always be aware of where you are. It is very easy to get carried away in the excitement, but remember you are on top of a cliff in the middle of the sea, and there are also thousands upon thousands of puffin burrows all around your feet!

Do take care, of yourself and of the birds and their habitat.

Back to Anstruther...

The boat will leave from where it dropped you, so be back in plenty of time to get a good seat. The crossing is also part of your day out so make sure you've got a good view.

Once back in Anstruther, take your time to explore the harbour and perhaps some of the fine local restaurants and cafes. One of the fish & chip shops on the harbour front is frequently awarded as best in Scotland and best in the UK... you'll know which one, it's the one with the queue stretching out the door!! They are very good, and the awards are justified, but so are the other places to eat in town and you will probably get served quicker elsewhere, so don't automatically go for the one with the longest queue. Have a look around first.

I sincerely hope you book a trip to the Isle of May if you are in Scotland, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Aunty,x.