Puffins on the Path: Skomer Island, Wales
Whether you’re taking your time visiting Wales, having a short break in Pembrokeshire, or just want to escape from Cardiff for a night, Skomer Island is within easy reach. With just a little organisation, it is the ideal place to make all your dreams of seeing puffins (in real life, not just the spine of a book) come true.
The fact of the matter is, any guidebook worth its salt is going to rave about Skomer.
Its isolation makes it one of the world’s most important habitats for burrow-nesting seabirds. There are no natural ground predators on Skomer; the birds rule the roost here. Although we were only going on the promise of seeing the Puffin, Skomer is also host to the largest breeding colony of Manx Shearwaters in the world! Expect tripods, lenses and binoculars of the widest variety to be honing their sights on the cliff ledges.We identified Razorbills, Guillemots, Kittiwakes, too many gulls to differentiate with our naff binoculars, Shags, Cormorants, rabbits and a darting black and white cutie-pie that may, or may not, have been a Pied Wagtail.
There’s the possibility of seeing a Short-Eared Owl, this will inevitably draw others like me, who know nothing about natural habitats at all but are absurdly fond of owls, even though, due to their tiny brains, they are not actually wise.
Others, will be lured by the presence of a unique sub-species of vole, creatively called the Skomer Vole, and might too, wrongly, assume they have ludicrous shovels for hands like moles do, because Mole and Vole rhymes, and both live below ground, but, in reality, a vole looks more like a hamster.
Never underestimate the power of sentimental tourists! Our optimism about what we might spy will motivate us to book in advance, and you will not get to go at all if you don’t do the same!
Here’s my one-night suggestion for getting the most out of a budget trip that includes a visit to Skomer.
Book a place on the boat that includes admission to the island, and book in advance as the spaces sell out. The whole trip is 5 hours, including a 15 minute journey each way. Buy tickets here
Marloes Sands Beach is worthy of a visit in its own right. Motivate yourself, even if it’s grey and depressing, and go walking on any section of the beach that’s easiest to access. Some of the bays here are remote and you may get a sunset to yourself or, at the least, get panoramic vistas of Skokholm and Gateholm Islands. Wales boasts many sublime beaches, the coastal path is a pot of gold, but this area is probably most beguiling for the isolation it seemingly affords, the ease of parking, the lack of ‘Welsh Rock’ shops.
For seasonal information on the area, great trails and events, the National Trust website is ace.
Things to consider:
Upon arrival: There’s a pretty steep ascent from the landing dock up to where the wardens will give you a talk about the island and the dos (be a decent human) and don’ts (all those regulars: don’t be a dickhead, take your rubbish home, don’t wander on the burrows and crush the baby puffins underfoot like an oaf for a good selfie). Before you go romping, be very sure of which boat you are taking back.
There are no extras. If you miss your own departure you will not be met with an amiable response. Bear this in mind when deciding which hike you want to do; adjust accordingly if you unexpectedly spend longer gawping at any earlier spots. There need be no explanation on how to make the most of your experience from thereon. Just use your eyes and you’ll be dandy. I’ll let my pictures vouch for how singular a place Skomer really is.
A rule to abide by, if you don’t want to be considered a damned nuisance
Follow polite etiquette! Puffins are smaller than you might think. About 30cm in length. So, when a crowd of giants are all clustering on the path, waiting to see them fly in from the sea with their catch, they are often, unintentionally, blocking a clear passage for the puffin to get back to the nest and feed its chicks.
You might not expect this, why doesn’t it just fly to its nest in the first place? I don’t know.
One of the wardens said they are clumsy at landing? Whatever the reason, once you realise you’re in the way, move! The puffins aren’t sitting there, with fish flopping from their beaks, for our amusement. They are trying to solve a complicated navigational puzzle and wasting precious time to hunt. Just shuffle to the left, or right, and let it walk between you. They will take the gap, you will swoon; it’s a win-win scenario. A woman told me, the previous year she’d visited, the puffins had scrabbled right across their sandals and padded onto her toes (I was jealous). However, this can’t be guaranteed, the attitude and volume of the birds vary day-to-day, much like our own habits.
What to take:
Binoculars: A must if you want to spot seals or work out what birds are roosting and squawking on the cliff edges. Mine are pretty rubbish, even so, it was exciting to be able to make out Guillemots and tick them off in my little island bird guide. Tripod: I was too lazy to bring mine, I really don’t like lugging things around, especially when it’s hot, but this was one of those rare times I immediately knew I’d made a boo-boo with that decision.
After the initial ascent from the boat, the island’s series of paths are surprisingly even and, with so few people around, it’s very convenient for setting up a tripod and taking your time to compose images.
If sunny: Hat, sun-tan lotion, lots of water, sunglasses. There’s very little cover on the island, you are essentially in a wide-open space with a 360-degree view of the sea and sky. There isn’t a shop or café so come prepared. We took a bottle of water each and were lucky that the boat had dropped off a pack of water on the island, where we purchased another two, without those, we would have had a very different experience.
Even with 2 bottles a-piece, we suffered sandpaper mouths on the return journey as there was no water left to buy at the dock. There was an elderly man with sunstroke waiting with us and he too had run out of water. This is a rookie mistake. Try to be responsible for your own wellbeing instead of assuming others can bail you out for your lack of organisation.
Recommendation: Campsite: West Hook Farm Campsite, just a 5-minute walk to the ticket office for boat trips to Skomer Island. Call them on 01646 636424 for pricing queries and availability. We were going to free camp somewhere, having a camper makes that quite easy (if illegal) but we were lured in by the puffins standing guard on the fence posts and the unfettered view of the sea and sunset.
The showers and toilets are basic but clean, there’s not an indoor space to sit in, or a shop, but there are Swallows in abundance dipping low and huge spaces between camp spots, so you feel you have your privacy. This campsite is glorious. For more information, see the website.
