Skokholm Island

Set in a Marine Nature Reserve a couple of miles off the Pembrokeshire coast in Wales, Skokholm Island is a nature lover’s utopia.

Skokholm & Skomer

Skokholm has something for everyone …

Cast adrift on the tiny island of Skokholm

An Island to Ourselves … almost

Accommodation on the island is available for just a few people at a time each year. There are no day visitors, unlike on the neighbouring island of Skomer. We visited in May and our tiny group of six meant we had the entire island to ourselves, sharing it with just the wardens Richard & Giselle who live in the lighthouse at the other end of the island, and one resident volunteer.

Even at full capacity though, I believe the maximum amount of people that can be accommodated is about twenty, so you are still guaranteed to find your own piece of solitude.

Departures

Martin’s Haven, a small pebble beach on the National Trust owned Marloes Peninsula is the embarkation point for the boat to the island. Cars have to be left at West Hook Farm which is a bit of a steep trek down to the beach, so Rupert drove down as far as he could to drop our stuff off first.

The boat leaves quite early, so if you are coming from a distance, it may be wise to book somewhere to stay nearby. We were coming up from Cornwall, so we booked into a little Airbnb place in Marloes village the day before. (Follow the link to the short post at the very bottom of the page if you’d like to read more)

& Arrivals

We left the Pembrokeshire mainland not really knowing what to expect, but needn’t have worried as we were greeted at the island by an Atlantic Grey seal and Richard, the friendly warden, along with hundreds of Puffins flying overhead, which got us off to a good start.

The UK’s 1st Bird Observatory

Skokholm has been inhabited on and off for hundreds of years and was purchased in 2006 by the Wildlife Trust of South & West Wales. Sometime before this, the island was leased by a young naturalist called Ronald Lockley from 1927 to 1941, who established the UK’s first ever Bird Observatory here in 1933. He also wrote several books about his experiences on the island, many originals of which can be found in the library.

Strikingly beautiful island walks

Dotted with secret, pastel-coloured hides along the way!

After a beautiful walk through the bluebells up to the tiny settlement which would be our home for the next few days, Richard took us on an incredible introductory walk around the island. The scenery was truly spectacular, dotted along the way with the occasional, precariously positioned hide clinging to the cliff-edge.

To the Lighthouse

Walking to the Lighthouse

Perched high on the cliff at the very end of the island is the lighthouse where Richard and Giselle live. We were able to climb to the top which was fascinating and gave an excellent vantage point to see all the marked Manxie burrows below, as well as superb views out to sea.

The Alice Williams

Some of the materials used for Lockley’s original renovation were taken from the Alice Williams, an old schooner which sank off the island in 1928. Lockley salvaged the figurehead off the ship and put it on the cliff top above the harbour. However, a replica now stands in its place and the original is on display in the communal dining room.

Off the beaten track

Exploring the island’s wild walking trails

Life really slows down on the island allowing time to notice the detail. We spent our days mostly just wandering around and watching birds from the little hides. Our favourite was at Crab Bay, a Puffin paradise where hundreds of puffins are just an arm’s length away.

The island is traversed by paths which are marked by white painted stones to show the way, some passing quite close to the cliff edges and not for the faint-hearted!

Although there are no structured activities as such on the island, everyone is welcome to come along to a Log call about the comings and goings of the birds and other wildlife on the island, held at 9pm in the cottage each evening. As non-birders, we couldn’t really contribute much to this, but it was very interesting nonetheless and we enjoyed sitting around the fire and catching up with the rest of our little group.

We were lucky with the weather for most of the time, but if it’s raining, aside from the hides scattered around the island, or if you don’t fancy walking in the rain, there’s a great little library with comfy sofas and many original books to chill out in.

Skokholm Island’s Birds

A bird lover’s dream!

Puffin Paradise

There are thousands of Puffins and Manx Shearwaters, and Razorbills and Guillemots can be seen clinging to the cliff ledges. Aside from the seabirds, the island is also a hot spot for passing migrants.

A Bird Observatory since 1933, Skokholm keeps daily records of its many resident and migratory birds, and combined with Skomer, it’s home to the largest concentration of Manx Shearwaters in the world.

Almost 50,000 pairs breed in burrows which can be spotted all over the island. These remarkable birds spend the winters off the coast of South America, before completing an epic 14,000 mile round trip back to their island home each year. They are at their most vulnerable on land so stay out at sea, waiting for the safety of darkness before returning to the island at night. There’s also a large population of Storm Petrels who likewise wait for the safety of darkness before returning to land.

I’ve had an interest in birds from a young age, ever since I was given a book called the “Ladybird Book of Garden Birds” as a child (I still have it). So it was great to see Rupert take an interest in them as well –Oystercatchers were his favourites. One night he had difficulty sleeping and told me in the morning that he tried to get to sleep by recalling the names of the birds he had learnt about, totalling 17 in all.

Although I’m not quite sure a lesser-spotted wag warbler is an actual species?

Night Walks

One of the highlights of our stay was a night walk to see the nocturnal Manx Shearwaters and Storm Petrels. After trekking up to the other end of the island by torchlight, Richard used infrared equipment to point out the Manxies coming back to their burrows. Just sitting in the blackness listening to their eerie, enchanting calls was something I felt very privileged to be a part of.

Conservation on the island

Skokholm  is of international importance for its breeding seabirds

Wardens Richard Brown and his partner, the aptly-named Giselle Eagle, really know their stuff and are unbelievably knowledgeable about the birds and the island’s ecology. Both very passionate about wildlife, they are more than happy to share their immense knowledge with you and are happy to let you observe them as they go about their work documenting and ringing the birds.

Richard & Giselle went to great lengths to explain the difference between this and another bird they were recording, but I’m ashamed to say that I can’t remember it’s name – perhaps it’s  Rupert’s lesser-spotted wag warbler!

Bird Ringing

The traps are checked regularly by Richard & Giselle, who then weigh and measure the birds before gently releasing them. It was a privilege to be able to watch them at work.

Moths & Slow Worms!

Traps were set up overnight to survey the moths on the island which was great fun to inspect in the mornings, identifying the different species with Richard & Giselle’s help.

The only reptile on the island is the Slow Worm …

Slow Worms down near the harbour.

Atlantic Grey seals can be seen in the sea around the island throughout the year which we regularly spotted basking on rocks, particularly around the harbour and at Crab Bay. There are also Risso’s dolphins and harbour porpoise in the waters, although sadly, we never managed to actually spot any.

Skokholm Island’s Beautiful Wild Flowers

In May, the island is awash with bluebells and red campion, which is one of the reasons we chose to visit at this time. There were also vast areas literally carpeted with wild pansies and other really pretty little flowers which I can’t name.

Skokholm Island’s Rabbits

Rabbits were first introduced to Skokholm in Norman times as a source of food, and have been on the island ever since. We saw many hopping around whilst wandering about, including several black ones up by the lighthouse. Ronald Lockley, the island’s previous famous tenant, had a long-standing interest in wild rabbits, his research inspiring his friend, Richard Adams to write the novel Watership Down 

Off the grid living & composting toilets!

Our accommodation on Skokholm

The accommodation on the island is basic but clean and comfortable. Some rooms are in converted farm buildings and some in the old Grade II listed Cottage, which was originally renovated by Lockley. A sink in each room provides solar-powered hot water. There are no showers or heating. Or flushing toilets!

Composting Toilets

As this is completely off the grid living, the island has composting toilets. One of them even has a beautiful stained glass panel on the door. These are much like a normal toilet, except they have to be cleared out every couple of days or so. (don’t worry – you won’t have to do it!) I must admit, I did find that a bit difficult at first, but like most things, you eventually get used to it.

Self-Catering

As you might expect, accommodation is self-catering.  There is a communal kitchen with two cookers powered by bottled gas and a large communal dining room. You can also eat outside on a large wooden table if the weather allows, which was nice. It’s worth noting that there is no microwave.

Visitors are allocated larder, fridge and freezer space and there are plenty of cooking and eating utensils to go round. You have to bring your own food, so you can prepare mostly any meal you like if you bring along the ingredients. There is also a small ‘honesty’ shop selling basic foodstuffs, where Rupert & I were kept supplied with crisps, cans of Coke and Snickers bars which was pretty cool!

Time to say goodbye …

Guests are advised to bring along a bit of extra food and not to make any important arrangements close to your embarkation date, just in case the weather turns bad and you’re stranded on the island. I didn’t take this advice too seriously as we were in May, but as it goes the weather did indeed unexpectedly turn on the day we were to leave, but the boat was just a few hours delayed. I’ve heard several accounts though where people have been marooned here for a couple of days – sadly, we weren’t one of them!

Richard organising our embarkation from the island. I’m the one wearing the red bin-liner!

Getting There

Visitors can book three, four or seven night stays on the island depending on the time of year. Money raised supports the Trust’s ongoing conservation work and research.

Skokholm Island is located just off the Pembrokeshire coast in south west Wales. The boat leaves from Martin’s Haven, a small beach about two miles from Marloes village, which is 12 miles outside the county town of Haverfordwest.

The boat journey from Martin’s Haven to the island is extra and has to be paid to the boatman in cash on the day of arrival. At time of writing, the return fare was £27.00. All sailings are dependent on the weather.