Puffin Cove (Wester Clett)

📌 Puffin colony near Melvich, Highland
★★★★

Puffin Cove near Melvich is the site of the UK mainland’s largest puffin colony by far, with 3,500 pairs recorded by the RSPB in 2019. The vast majority nest on the pointy sea stack of Wester Clett, which protects the bay from northerly storms. This inaccessible location protects the birds from land predators and also prevents the growing number of human visitors from getting too close; binoculars and / or a good zoom lens are recommended. This is a stunningly beautiful spot even without the wildlife, with the shingle beach of Puffin Bay itself the best (only) place to gaze up at the cliffs from below. A few puffins reside on steep slopes on the mainland side in the vicinity of the cove, but these should also only be viewed at a distance – from the path down to the beach – to avoid disturbance and since the slippery grass around their burrows also terminates in cliffs. The nearest parking area is less than a mile away but paths are informal and there are certainly no signposts; see below for rough directions.

🌍 Location

📌 Access from A836 2 mi east of Melvich. Wester Clett is at:

🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NC 920655

🛰️ GPS coordinates: 58.563761,-3.858929

❌ Extremely infrequent bus passes the car park but there is no official stop

🚗 Car park (gets full at peak times) at 🧭 NC 920645 / 🛰️ 58.554988,-3.858052. Park responsibly – using nearby verges is discouraged

📝 Key info

⌚ Always open

🎫 Free

💬 Allow 1 hr (excluding viewing time) to visit both the lower (beach, a.k.a. Puffin Cove) & upper (clifftop, a.k.a. Wester Clett) viewpoints. Visiting the beach first is easier for navigation. Follow the fairly soggy track north from near the east side of the car park, reaching the clifftop after 0.5 mi. Turn left (west); a rough path soon descends steeply to Puffin Cove (⬤ Moderate).

For the upper viewpoint, return to the clifftop and follow it east, soon reaching a deep ravine. Head inland to cross it at the earliest safe point, then follow the east rim back to the coast; Wester Clett sea stack and its puffin burrows are soon visible. Attempting to get closer by descending the steep slopes is likely to be extremely dangerous – they can be slippery and end in cliffs. From this level viewpoint, various informal paths lead more directly back to the car park, or you could retrace the outward route (⬤ Moderate).