Swim & Snorkel the Farne Islands
Creating a distinctive wildlife experience that connects people with one of the UK's most important marine environments.
The Challenge
The Farne Islands are internationally recognised for their seabirds, grey seals and marine wildlife. Every year, thousands of visitors travel to Northumberland to see this remarkable landscape, yet opportunities to experience the marine environment directly remain relatively limited.
Northern Latitude saw an opportunity to develop a new type of visitor experience — one that combined outdoor recreation, wildlife interpretation and meaningful connection with nature while operating responsibly within a sensitive environment.
The challenge was to create an experience that was commercially viable, environmentally responsible and operationally robust, whilst appealing to a growing market of visitors seeking immersive and authentic outdoor experiences.
Our Approach
As an in-house experience development project, Northern Latitude led every stage of the design and delivery process.
This included:
Market research and competitor analysis.
Product concept development and testing.
Customer profiling and pricing strategy.
Partnership development with local marine operators.
Activity planning, safety management and operational procedures.
Environmental impact considerations and wildlife-aware delivery.
Branding, marketing and digital content creation.
Online booking and ticketing integration.
Customer journey design from enquiry through to post-visit engagement.
The experience was deliberately designed around small groups, expert guiding and high-quality interpretation, creating a deeper and more meaningful visitor experience than traditional sightseeing trips.
What We Found
The project reinforced several important lessons about experience development and outdoor tourism.
Visitors increasingly value authentic, small-scale experiences that provide meaningful access to nature and local knowledge.
Strong partnerships are essential to successful product delivery, particularly in complex environments involving marine operations, wildlife considerations and seasonal demand.
The project also demonstrated that commercial success and environmental responsibility are not mutually exclusive. Careful group sizing, thoughtful interpretation and strong operational planning helped create a product that delivers both visitor satisfaction and positive environmental outcomes.
Importantly, the experience continues to provide an ongoing testing ground for ideas around customer experience, digital distribution, sustainability and visitor engagement.
Key Outputs
The project delivered:
A fully operational wildlife and marine recreation experience.
A new tourism product for the Northumberland coast.
A complete booking, marketing and customer management system.
Partnership agreements with local marine operators.
Wildlife-aware operational procedures informed by WiSe principles.
A scalable product development framework that informs consultancy work.
A growing body of customer feedback and market insight.
The Impact
The experience launched successfully and entered its second season with strong demand and positive customer feedback.
Key outcomes include:
Fully booked during Year 2 operations.
Strong repeat and referral demand.
Positive customer reviews and recommendations.
New visitor engagement with Northumberland's marine environment.
Demonstration of a commercially viable low-volume, high-value tourism model.
Ongoing insights into visitor behaviour, experience design and sustainable tourism delivery.
Beyond commercial performance, the project demonstrates how outdoor experiences can foster deeper connections between people and nature while supporting local economies and encouraging responsible engagement with sensitive environments.
Our Role
Northern Latitude acted as creator, developer and operator throughout the project, providing:
Product development and experience design.
Market research and commercial planning.
Safety management, training and operational development.
Partnership development.
Marketing and digital integration.
Visitor experience design.
Sustainability and wildlife-awareness planning.
By continuing to design and operate our own experiences, we ensure our consultancy remains grounded in real-world delivery and informed by current market conditions.
At a Glance
Client: Northern Latitude (in-house development project)
Location: Farne Islands, Northumberland
Our Role: Product Developer, Operator and Project Lead
Services: Experience Design, Product Development, Outdoor Recreation, Marketing, Digital Integration, Operational Planning
Outcome: A fully booked, commercially viable wildlife experience demonstrating how regenerative tourism and outdoor recreation can create lasting value for visitors, local communities and the natural environment.