The Isle of May in the Firth of Forth. Photo: Scottish Natural Heritage

An island nature reserve will welcome walkers from next month.

The Isle of May, in the Firth of Forth, will be accessible by boat from 1 April. The island is renowned for its bird populations, its seals, its history and its carpets of flowers.

Two commercial boat services will run to the island, one from North Berwick in East Lothian and another from Anstruther in Fife.

Scottish Natural Heritage, which administers the national nature reserve, which is 2km long and 500m wide at its broadest point, welcomes boat trips in the spring and summer months and does not charge for visiting the island which has a visitor centre and marked paths.

A spokesperson said: “The private May Princess boat operator from Anstruther runs trips every day of the week, except Tuesdays, during the season and has a knowledgeable crew who can talk about the island and its wildlife.

“The Scottish Seabird Centre operates trips from North Berwick. These services sail at different times throughout the week from April until the beginning of July. Some trips provide a guided tour that takes in some of the history as well as the amazing spectacle of thousands of puffins and other seabirds packing the island to breed.”

The May or May Isle, as it is called locally, is a long rocky island with sheer cliffs and caves. It is home to thousands of grey seals, the fourth largest breeding group in the UK, who feed in the rich kelp forests surrounding the island.

It is most famous for its seabirds, more than 200,000 of them, which include shags, puffins, terns, guillemots, razorbills, eider ducks, gulls, kittiwakes and fulmars. The huge west cliffs are teeming with seabirds in summer.

David Pickett, SNH’s reserve manager, who has recently transferred from another SNH reserve to the Isle of May said: “As well as its fabulous natural history, the May has a long and interesting cultural history.

“There are two members of staff based on the May and we meet the arriving boats to give a short talk. We are also available to give advice and information to visitors. I know that I am a bit biased but I think that visiting the Isle of May is one of the best wildlife spectacles in Scotland and an island full of seabirds can make a trip of a lifetime.

“This year people can keep up with the regular goings on on the island by following the new Isle of May blog. Even if you can’t visit the island every week you can follow what the wildlife and the staff living out on the island are up to.”

Details of sailings and prices are available on the Isle of May Ferry website and the Scottish Seabird Centre site.

A virtual tour of the island can also be seen on the National Nature Reserve website.