A couple of weeks ago we took a trip over to one of Pembrokeshire’s most loved islands and nature reserves, Skomer Island!
From mid April til late July, Skomer is one of the few places in the UK puffins call home. As we were visiting in mid July, we were beginning to worry we might have already missed them. However as we approached the island, we were relived to be greeted by thousands of the little puffins, from sea to shore, still very much enjoying their stunning rugged home, Skomer Island.
Landing on Skomer Island
There’s only one tour provider for day trips to Skomer Island, Pembrokeshire Islands Boat trips. Children under 2 go free, 3-12 year olds are £30 and an adult day ticket is £40. Once making your online booking, you’ll head down to Martins Haven, just beyond Marloes, about a 40 minute drive from Newgale Coast Holiday Parks. Where you’ll find plenty of parking, free if you’re a member of the national trust and if not, starting from £3.50 for 3 hours.
From the little bay at Martin’s Haven is where you’ll board the boat to head over to Skomer. Sailings depart from 10am and the last boat leaves Skomer at 5pm. The boat trip takes about 15 minutes and once you arrive at Skomer’s north haven you’ll have the whole day to explore before heading back home in the afternoon.
Once we arrived at Skomer, we were greeted by an Island Ranger who briefed us on where we could explore and what we could expect to see on the Island and how to do so in the safest way for the nature and wildlife that call this environment home.
They use a one way system on the island to ensure all foot traffic flows in the same way. So we explored the Island anticlockwise, starting at the landing bay, North haven, and heading to the centre of the island where you come across Old Farm, where there’s a small information centre, First Aid, picnic area and the Islands only public toilets, so it would be wise to make the most of these facilities while you’ve got the chance!
Garland stone and beyond
After visiting the central point of the island, Old Farm, we headed north crossing through the north valley towards Garland Island, where a small colony of Puffins live on the island. We were able to watch them flying to and from the cliffs diving down into the sea to catch fish.
From there we followed the path south-west down through Bull Hole, Pigstone Bay and Skomer Head. Not only are the views stunning and rugged, you really feel as though you’re exploring an untouched island, you’re greeted by plenty of wildlife. Other than thousands of Puffins we saw, wild rabbits, seals, Guillemots, a Chough and many other interesting species of seabirds.
The Wick
Towards the southern tip of the island we began to approach The Wick, home to one of the larges puffin colonies on the Island. A beautiful location with the dramatic cliff backdrop. The steep cliffs make it the perfect launch pad for the puffins to fly down into the sea to catch sandeels.
Right by the boundaries of the path there are hundreds of puffin burrows and tunnels, meaning you really get up close and personal with these little curious birds! Often running between your feet as they bring back a beak full of fish to the safety of their homes.
It really is a photographers paradise as you can get so close to the birds, watching them in action or just taking a little nap on the rocks!
When we were there, there were park rangers to answer questions about the birds. They had also set up a telescope zoomed onto some distant birds nests on the cliffs edge.
South Haven
Now almost back at the start of our loop around the Island, we lastly explored South Haven. Tucked away between the main Island and the neck, this bay was extremely sheltered and looked very inviting to anchor up a boat and observe the puffins dotted on the surface of the clear seawaters.
It only took us a few hours to walk around the entire island, its mostly flat with a more hilly section only toward the end of the loop, so its a doable venture for most ages and fitness levels.
We were so glad to make the most of the nice weather and spend the day on Skomer Island. For a few of us this was the first time visiting, for others it was the second or third time, every visit being just as good as the last.
Many of our customers purchase a holiday home with us to really make the most of the natural beauty of the Pembrokeshire coast, especially on days out like this you can see why. Whether you’ve been coming to Pembrokeshire for years or you’re looking to plan your first visit, we couldn’t recommend a day trip to Skomer Island more!
