Twenty odd years ago I spent a week volunteering as an assistant warden on Skomer, a small island off the coast of south west Wales. It was a formative experience of my 20s; the beauty of the island, the conservation work and the volunteers are all ingrained in my memory.
It’s always tricky to revisit a place that holds such strong memories but I wanted to return with the kids when they were old enough to enjoy it. Our recent holiday to Pembrokeshire gave me the ideal opportunity; I knew the visit would be completely different but would I regret returning?
The boat to Skomer
The boat to Skomer leaves from the small bay of Martin’s Haven. As the island has a limit of 250 day visitors you need to arrive early if you’re travelling during peak season. We were visiting on the late May Bank Holiday so didn’t take any chances and were in the queue for tickets by 8am.
Our early start paid off and we were allocated seats on the first day visitor sailing. Our boat, the Dale Princess, makes the 10 minute journey several times a day which is reassuring given the notorious reputation of Jack Sound, the stretch of water that separates Skomer from the mainland. I was glad it was only a short journey as the swell was considerable despite it being a calm day.
As we neared the landing stage we were surrounded by seabirds, mostly puffins, bobbing in the sea around us. After disembarking we were directed up a flight of steps, past ledges full of guillemots, for an introductory talk by the warden.
The warden described the island as a piece of Swiss cheese. This is a perfect analogy. Three of its main inhabitants live in the burrows which cover the island; puffins, rabbits and Manx shearwaters. Whilst you’re likely to see both puffins (in season) and rabbits the Manx shearwaters arrive and leave in darkness. Only overnight visitors will witness the vocal cacophony of the shearwaters that return to the island each evening.
We had around 5 hours which is more than enough time to walk a circuit of the island. Our first stop was a trip to the Old Farm, which houses a small visitor exhibition and, most importantly, the only public toilets on the island. It’s also the location of the volunteer accommodation, which I was keen to show the family, even though the kids weren’t particularly impressed by my reminiscing.
The volunteer accommodation had certainly had a makeover since my earlier visit, as you can see from the then and now photo. Our converted cowshed (top photo) had no running water and very rudimentary facilities. I’m not sure what I smelt like after a week with no shower but I doubt it was fragrant!
We continued walking on towards Skomer Head. As with much of the Pembrokeshire coast the island is carpeted with flowers during late spring. At home (Oxfordshire) the bluebells have finished for the year but they were still flowering in abundance on Skomer, along with pink campion and sea thrift.
We saw plenty of rabbits as we walked. Rather disconcertingly the first one was black and white which made the kids wonder if a pet rabbit had escaped. The rabbits were introduced to the island in the 13th Century and were raised by locals for their fur and meat. Hence many are from domesticated stock and aren’t the traditional brown colour.
We didn’t actually miss out on seeing Manx shearwaters either. Although sadly they were dead ones! Skomer is home to the largest population of Manx shearwater in the world and they’re easy picking for greater black backed gulls. As we walked around the island we saw plenty of Manx shearwater carcasses in various states of decomposition. My son delighted in taking photographs of these, I’m not quite sure what that says about his psyche.
We stopped for an early picnic lunch near Skomer Head where we attempted to spot porpoise. We were out of luck so contented ourselves with views of Grassholm, renamed gannet island by the kids. The island is home to thousands of gannets, who are responsible for the snow covered appearance of the island (bird poo).
The Wick
After lunch it was on to the main attraction, The Wick. This sheer cliff is rammed full of seabirds, mostly guillemots and razorbills, which you can hear just as well as you can see. All the visitors to the island seemed to congregate here too as it’s the best place to watch puffins on Skomer.
This year’s puffin count recorded more than 21,000 individuals, the highest number ever. The footpath runs between the puffin burrows and the cliff so visitors are treated to great close up views of the birds. There was no need for binoculars, although there was a Skomer volunteer manning a telescope focused on The Wick for better views of other seabirds.
I remember my volunteer work consisted of boardwalk building and a bird count. I should probably apologise for any inaccuracies in puffin numbers during the early 1990s. It was hard to accurately count birds that wouldn’t stay in one place for long!
The puffin burrows are marked with numbered sticks. These help the volunteers record which burrows are occupied and which eggs have hatched. Every so often a startled puffin emerged from one of the burrows, let out a squirt of poo and escaped the cameras by heading out to sea.
Of course puffins are not the only bird on the island. They’re not even the main attraction for the serious birdwatcher. The Skomer island blog shows that a black stork flew over on the day we visited; previous visitors this year include several golden orioles and even hoopoes! Needless to say we didn’t see any of these, but we were quite content with puffins.
After we finally tore ourselves away from The Wick we headed back to our start point, stopping to take in the glorious views over The Neck (inaccessible to day visitors). The photo above really doesn’t do it justice as the ground was covered in swathes of bluebells and pink campion.
We arrived back at the landing stage earlier than our planned departure time so that I could take some photographs of the guillemots we’d passed earlier. As it turned out, the boat arrived early too and we were allocated seats on an impromptu 2.30pm sailing. The trip back was completely calm, no spray and no swell, much more pleasant.
Did my return visit live up to expectations? Of course it did, and the rest of the family enjoyed it too. Sadly there was no sign of the boardwalk we built, but the island was exactly how I remembered it, with added puffins.
I would so love to visit here and see the Puffins! Just pinned this too (on my Kids Wild Britain Visits board)! Wonderful captures too of the birds.
Many thanks Kriss. You’ll have to plan a visit to Pembrokeshire, so much wildlife and plenty of flowers to see. I think you’d enjoy it.
Looks like a fascinating and enjoyable day out, and how lovely to be reminiscing, too. Glad it lived up to your expectations.
Thank you, I think we were fortunate with the weather too, much better than my earlier visit.
Fantastic write up. We are all very envious here – would return to Skomer in a heartbeat. We didn’t see the bluebells though – how spectacular a setting they make it. Must have been really interesting visiting again after all that time..
I remember reading your Skomer post last year and thinking that we really must return! It’s good to have finally made it back.
This has been on my list for ages. I really ought to make it happen. How fabulous to have been a volunteer. Puffins are so adorable. Perfect time to go with the bluebells out as well. Funny to see them in a non-wooded setting. #CountryKids
I think we were lucky to volunteer when we did as from reading the website volunteers have to go through a more stringent application process now. Not surprising really given how unique the island is.
A wonderful trip down memory lane for you here and so beautifully told, I was transported along the journey with you. It looks so beautiful there in a rustic rural way, clearly a great adventure for you 20 years ago and how wonderful to share it with your family now. I love the then and now photo, it gives a real insight into your first visit. Thank you for sharing the day with me on Country Kids.
Thanks Fiona. Yes I’d describe our earlier accommodation as rustic (basic!). Looks much nicer now.
They look stunning! Such a lovely place and such amazing birds! #pocolo
Thanks Merlinda. I think you’d be in photography heaven there!
Oh it looks so lovely and I would love to see a Puffin, what a great post x
Thanks Sarah. They’re great birds.
Skomer is one of the places on my bucket list to visit, I would love to get up close and personal with the puffins (that sounds wrong, I mean with my camera of course).
Such great photos and a wonderful write up 🙂
It’s a good place to have on your bucket list. If you’re ever in Scotland (west coast) try to visit Lunga in the Treshnish Islands – all of the birds, including puffins, are really close there!
The Mother says – I love Pembrokeshire. We visited a beautiful island called Caldey Island and they had colonies of Puffins too. Pembrokeshire is such a beautiful place and this looks like a wonderful experience. #pocolo
I think Caldey is the one near Tenby? I’ve heard it’s lovely; I didn’t realise there were puffins on it too.
What a fantastic place – I would LOVE to venture there. I think Puffins are beautiful birds and it is amazing to see how close you got. Thank you for linking to #PoCoLo x
Thanks Vicky. There were a lot of photographers with huge zoom lenses (which I’m sure were useful for all of the other birds) but they weren’t required for the puffins. They were literally within a feet or two of the path.
This looks absolutely stunning – I love puffins but hadn’t heard about the island before. It must have been interesting to go back again too. One for my list when my daughter’s older. #countrykids #MondayEscapes
I’m sure puffins must be one of the nation’s favourite birds, they’re great aren’t they.
Stopping by from the link up.
Aww, puffins! I love them. And the bluebells look so pretty.
Thank you. I wasn’t expecting the bluebells to still be flowering so it was an unexpected treat.
Wow, wow, wow. I just love the photos of the puffins, they’re breathtaking. I am so glad that a return trip to Skomer lived up to your expectations – I know what it’s like to return somewhere where you’ve got so many happy memories. I saw a documentary on Skomer once and always wanted to go! Thanks so much for linking up with #MondayEscapes
Thanks Ting. I’m glad the trip did too even though it was very different to my earlier experience.
It’s remarkable the similarities between the islands at the south and north of the UK – this place looks a lot like my home in Shetland! Beautiful! 🙂 Puffins are such fantastic, quirky little birds too, aren’t they. It’s always a pleasure when they return for the breeding season.
You’re right there. We went to see the puffins on the Treshnish Isles near Mull a few years back and the islands were very similar. Fewer visitors in Scotland though!
Hi Christine, I am more than a little envious! I could happily spend a few hours in a place like that taking in the sights and sounds around me. Skomer sounds like a perfect day out for families with slightly older children too.
I’ve seen puffins in South Africa before and they are funny little creatures. Peculiar on land, but graceful in the water.
Great pictures too, I think volunteers have a better deal with their accommodation now than you did back then though!
xx
I’m not sure I’d have enjoyed the basic accommodation aspect as an older volunteer but back then I was quite happy roughing it!
What a wonderful trip. Looks beautiful, and must be wonderful getting to see the puffins up so close.
Thanks Emma. They seemed fearless around humans, it was good to get so close.
Thanks for all these information !! The place looks lovely, I would love to see puffins again. I’ll try to visit soon !!
Thank you, glad you enjoyed.
These puffins are so adorable! I love seeing them and have been lucky to have seen many at Bempton Cliffs, Yorkshire as my study site is based there. Skomer looks lovely, bluebell fields so pretty. Thanks for sharing 🙂
I didn’t realise they were at Bempton Cliffs, another place to add to my list (along with the Farne Islands).
Oh, I love Skomer. Lovely to hear that you volunteered there. I feel exactly the same when visiting places that mean so much to me too. Glad you all had a lovely day x
It’s a beautiful island, you’re lucky to live nearby!
What a great post! I’d love to visit there someday with my family. The puffins are so cute!
Wow, how fantastic. I would love to see puffins. It sounds like some of the Enid Blyton books I used to read! What a great place to visit.
i just love puffins. aren’t they the funniest birds? and so pretty. what a beautiful place this is. one day i will have to get there. it’s just a bit far from australia:)
So enjoyed your post and photos. I went to Skomer years ago, in sunshine, and again a couple of weeks back, in the wind and rain. Even bad weather can’t dampen the delight of seeing puffins (who don’t mind a bit of wet, obviously!) It was bluebell time, which brightened the day. And we saw dolphins as we headed back to Martin’s Haven. Perfect.
Thanks Deborah. Lovely to hear that you enjoyed the post. I’m rather jealous that you’ve been back this year to see them too (although not jealous of the wind or rain!).