An island of sheltered bays, exposed headlands, offshore rocks and shaded inlets, all painted with the graduated colours of lichen. The best location is The Wick; a sheer cliff carved with ledges that are ideally suited to nesting seabirds and easily viewed from the opposite cliff.
In the centre of the island is the ruined farm. An education room and interpretation centre can be found here as well as a newly built bunkhouse that can sleep up to 15 people in 5 rooms. If you stay overnight, you can witness one of the most remarkable natural events in the UK, the Manx Shearwaters returning to their burrows under the cover of darkness. The noise they make is really spooky.
There are also several Neolithic hut circles tucked under a rocky outcrop.
Visit in May to see carpets of bluebells and pink campion.
What to see:
- Puffins (6,000 pairs)
- Manx Shearwaters (120,000 pairs)
- Guillimots (10,000 pairs)
- Razorbills
- Choughs
- Short Eared Owls
- Skomer Voles
- Grey Seals
How to get there:
Boats leave from Martins Haven at 10am, 11am and 12am. Sailings may be disrupted by the weather - check by calling Lockley Lodge (01646 636234), Dale Sailing (01646 603123) or the Dale Princess (07831 659623).
There is a maximum daily quota for landing visitors. If you arrive too late, you may have to resort to a round island boat trip. At weekends between May and early July, queue’s can be lengthy. As well as the boat fare of £8 for adults and £6 for children, there’s a landing charge of £6 for adults and £3 for children (2006 charges). There are no refreshments available on the island, but there is a toilet at the old farm.
Map
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Links:
The Wildlife Trust
Skomer Island Boat Trips
Shearwaters Safari’s