Skomer Island
Skomer Island has been on my bucket list for quite some time now, and we even attempted a visit back in 2019 for my birthday. However, despite getting up ridiculously early to drive the hour and a half to Martin’s haven, they sold out of tickets just as we were about to get to the front of the queue. It was very disappointing, but we did manage to book a boat trip around the island and see a good number of puffins from a distance, which helped make up for the disappointment.
Cue 2021, and the announcement that boat trips would now be bookable online in advance, and you wouldn’t be wrong to assume I did a little happy dance in celebration, and immediately informed my husband that this would be what we would be doing for my birthday this year.
Being able to book ahead made the whole process so much easier, and meant I finally got to tick Skomer off my bucket list. Despite knowing we wouldn’t need to be there quite so early this time, we decided to make a weekend of it and camped at West Hook Farm, which is perfectly positioned for your visit to Skomer, as you can actually walk along the coastal path to the ticket office and the jetty in just a few minutes.
Views from the campsite…
Despite it being June we actually ended up visiting on a grey and rainy day, but it was still an incredible experience. As well as seeing the most incredible amount of puffins we also saw so many other incredible birds, and quite a few seals and even a ridiculous amount of rabbits, which was an unexpected delight.
In all of my anticipation and excitement for seeing the puffins I hand’t really thought about what the island itself would be like, a gross oversight on my part, as of course it was breathtakingly beautiful. Not just the rugged cliffs and coast, but also the incredible wildflowers covering the island. It made me want to do a visit in April/May time to see the bluebells at their best, as I can’t recall ever seeing so many bluebells outside of a woodland setting anywhere before this.
Views from around the island…
It’s safe to say that I loved our trip to Skomer Island, and whilst I might not be able to justify the cost of all 5 of us going again next year, I might just have to book myself a solo trip instead. Maybe I’ll get luckier with the weather next time, and maybe even see some of the porpoises we failed to spot this time around.
If you want to book your own Skomer trip then keep an eye on the booking website and their facebook page for the 2022 calendar to open up for bookings.
