Skomer … my Go To island

Wherever else you go this year, says Angela Suter, go to Skomer Island ...

‘AMAZING, incredible, wow! – all words we would use to describe our two-night stay on Skomer Island, off the Pembokeshire coast in South-West Wales.

We stayed in renovated barns on Skomer Island, where the accommodation was excellent; it was very clean, and everything we needed was there.

Our seven-year-old old daughter was enthralled with Skomer and the wildlife we found there, enjoying especially the nightly bird log meeting where we talked about the sightings we’d made that day. 

We were concerned that we – wildlife lovers as opposed to learned bird watchers – might feel like the odd ones out; how wrong we were .......... 

The staff on the island are knowledgeable and friendly, answering our daughter’s many questions and involving her in small things such as identifying the moths and letting her help to release a Manx Shearwater.

We saw Puffins, which were so close they walked over our daughter’s foot on their way to their burrows. 

The eerie sound of the Manx Shearwaters after dark was an experience never to be forgotten, and spotting the first Hoopoe to be seen on the island in three years caused quite a stir. 

We wished we had booked a longer stay, but we will definitely be going back, probably at the same time next year. It was the beginning of the migration; we saw the first of many species of birds which, as the days go on, will increase in numbers.

One of the most enjoyable things was to sit and listen to the quiet that descends on the island after the last boat of day visitors has left . . . bliss!’

Skomer is a national nature reserve, a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and a Special Protection Area. Much of the island has also been designated an ancient monument. It is surrounded by a marine nature reserve and is managed by the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales.

Where we stayed: The Barn on Skomer Island. For full details, go to http://www.welshwildlife.org/overnight-accommodation-on-skomer/

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Picture Credit: Angela Suter and family