Skomer Island
Skomer Island, Pembrokeshire, SA62 3BE
Category: Places to visit, Pembrokeshire
To bird lovers, Skomer Island is paradise. That’s because it’s got the finest sea bird colony in northern Europe. This flat-topped island lies just to the south-west of the Marloes Peninsula, separated from the rest of Pembrokeshire by Jack Sound, a narrow stretch of water renowned for its strong tidal currents. The island's isolation has meant that predators such as rats, cats, dogs and foxes are absent, which is how it’s become such a successful breeding ground for the likes of 200,000 Manx shearwaters plus puffins, gulls, guillemots, shags and kittiwakes, to name but a few. Its importance has led to it being a National Nature Reserve, a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Protection Area under European law.
The island was once inhabited by man – there are ancient hut circles, a stone circle and a Bronze Age standing stone known as Harold’s Stone. Today, however, man is only present in the form of daytime visitors (with just a small number allowed to stay the night in self-catering accommodation run by the Wildlife Trust South & West Wales). You can reach the island by boat from Martin’s Haven between April and October.
Sailing out at 10am, 11am, 12pm, with hourly returns from 3pm (no booking required). as well as the crossing fee, a landing fee applies, but don't let 2 costs put you off as this fee goes directly into the conservation fund to keep the island open to the public and more importantly open to the birds
calls charged at national rate