The best way is to travel by car to Martins Haven. Skomer Island is a tiny, uninhabited island off the Pembrokeshire Coast in Wales. Their bodies are perfectly suited to the sea – their short wings help them to ‘fly’ through the water in search of food, and their beaks help them catch multiple fish in one go. There were hundreds of these seabirds flying high above us on the island, but the puffins still managed to outnumber them by quite some margin. The queue reached round the bend in no time despite the fact that Lockley Lodge only opens at 8.30am for boat ticket sales. It was fantastic to watch them from this distance, going about their business completely undisturbed: swimming, diving, and interacting with each other on the rocks. I remember my lad and i. walking up to the edge to try and spot the seals down below bobbing up and down in the water and i always get shivers now when i reminisce about how stupid i had been taking my boy close to the edge. Make sure you stand behind the barriers and let the puffins come to you. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. Man, did he earn himself some brownie-points that day! In spring and early summer the island is carpeted blue, pink and white by one of the best wildflower displays in Britain. Conscious that we didn’t have too long before our boat left, we hurried along the path to The Wick, an area of the island that is known for its large puffin colony. If you’ve got a good pair of binoculars, consider bringing them to Skomer Island too. The exposed headlands, towering offshore rocks, and sheltered inlets of this fascinating island are home to a incredible variety of wildlife, both above and below the surface. Before us was the impressive 100 metre high sea cliff, with a sheer drop and the screeching of seagulls filling the air. Our top 3 wildlife highlights. How to Access the Island (read thoroughly) Either place has plenty for someone with a camera. It was a straight 200m drop down below onto the rocks. After buying our landing passes at Lockley Lodge, we boarded our boat trip out to see the puffins with 48 other passengers, all squashed up together on wooden benches. To reach Lockley Lodge, park at the National Trust Car Park in Martin’s Haven (postcode is SA62 3BJ). Well known for its Puffins, yet there is so much more to the bird paradise including Manx Shearwaters, Dolphins, Harbour Porpoises, Atlantic Grey Seal, Razorbills, Gannets, Fulmars and the unique Skomer Vole. Please choose a different date. The Puffins return in April to start nesting and laying eggs at the start of May. So you thought you had to travel to Iceland to see puffins, eh? Well, think again! Though I continue to post travel inspiration on my blog at this time, please follow WHO advice and only travel once international/local restrictions have been lifted. My site contains affiliate links, which means I may earn commission if you purchase something after clicking on one of these links. Skomer Island, in Southwest Wales, is one of the most accessible and important seabird breeding sites in Europe. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. Puffins spend the vast majority of their lives at sea, only returning to land to nest and feed their young. We drove about 10 minutes to Marloes where there is a cafe for breakfast, the ONLY cafe within easy reach. Otherwise, there are plenty of options for places to stay in Pembrokeshire, such as the eco-chic glampsite Top of the Woods. You can also call 01646 636800 to speak to the staff at Lockley Lodge too, as they’ll be able to give you accurate information. To protect the wildlife on the island, there is a daily limit of 250 boat tickets and it is on a first come first serve basis. We are then free to explore at our leisure, and will end the day with a sunset shoot at “The Wick”, which is the area of Skomer Island with the highest concentration of Puffins. Another bird we did see a lot of, though, was the Kittiwake – more commonly known as the seagull. When visiting The Wick, the puffins can walk across the footpaths in front of you. When visiting on hot, sunny days, remember there are no trees at all on Skomer Island. I would like to return in May, when the island is full of bluebells in bloom, but will possibly not get views of puffins bringing back food for their unhatched young. On the 15 minute boat journey to Skomer Island, we began spotting puffins flying out over the water and seals sunning themselves on the rocks. >> Read more about my stay at Top of the Woods here! It is possible to stay overnight on Skomer Island if you book far enough in advance. Well done, Tom. You are given colour coded tickets and are not allowed to return sooner or later than allocated. Feel free to ask any questions in the comments – I’ll be happy to help! That means there’s barely any shade, so make sure you cover up with loose layers and wear suncream. We were watching hundreds of puffins bobbing about in the water, when we suddenly noticed a bloom of jellyfish (technical term!) When we visited, there weren’t that many around (we imagine it was too hot on the rocks for them to stay too long) but we eventually spotted a group of six near the water’s edge. We went on 1st May (Mark’s birthday ) and started queueing at 8am, managing to get the last couple of tickets on the 10am boat.So that should give you a good indication on what time to start queueing. Is this a romantic place or activity that you would suggest for, Is this attraction a good place to visit on a, We took the 2 hour Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) Three Island Sea Safari provided by Dale Sailing and it was mesmerising. This sheer cliff is rammed full of seabirds, mostly guillemots and razorbills, which you can hear just as well as you can see. Getting to Skomer the parking area is quite bare and if you don't reach early you are in for long queues. Skomer Island is an important breeding colony for both Manx Shearwaters and Atlantic Puffin with some of the largest populations in Britain. We discovered that the best time to visit Skomer Island is in June and July when the puffins are breeding. Whilst in queue waiting for Lockley Lodge to open, I trekked up the hills for stunning coastal views and some wildlife encounters (mostly birds). Its exposed headlands, towering offshore rocks, and sheltered inlets are home to incredible species of birds. Near the beautiful Pembrokeshire coast, there is Skomer Island, a world-renowned wildlife paradise. The puffins on Skomer Island. The light is nice, but they’re just not in particularly interesting poses. They’re a vulnerable species, but Skomer Island has recently been applauded for its successful conservation programme. The first puffins will arrive on the island during April, and hundreds of seals will begin to moult ready for summer. Skomer Island Hotel Deals: Find great deals from hundreds of websites, and book the right hotel using Tripadvisor's 557 reviews of Skomer Island hotels. There can be up to 3000 puffins on the island in addition to other seabirds such as razorbills, guillemots and fulmars. June – July: June and July make a great time to see puffins returning to their burrows with food for their pufflings. Skomer Island Puffin Factsheet The Puffin is the best-known of the British auks – its colourful and slightly clown-like appearance making it immediately recognisable. It’s also possible to see dolphins and porpoises in the waters around Skomer Island, so keep your eyes peeled! Skomer Island is only open to visitors between 1st April and 30th September, but closed on Mondays to give the island and its staff a well-earned rest. When buying your ticket, you’ll be allocated specific boat time for the outward and return journeys – don’t be late! You can also notice the patches of Bluebells in the distance. While we didn’t see any on our visit to Skomer, we were glad to be contributing to their conservation by visiting the island and Gift Aiding our entrance tickets. Then, we were free to explore. Grassholm Island's inhabitants were more than fifty thousand Gannets (plus chicks) and was a … Skomer Island is cared for by the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales, so it’s an active wildlife sanctuary for seabirds and seals. Your email address will not be published. This site uses cookies to offer you a better browsing experience. Thanks to funding from The National Lottery, vital information has been collected on protected bird species on Skomer Island, despite the Covid-19 threat. I think May is perhaps the best time to go - puffins, bluebells, sprite and manx shearwater abound. floating alongside them. Time of Year to Go. Though Skomer Island’s most famous residents might be its growing puffin population, there’s plenty of other wildlife to see too. In order to post comments, please make sure JavaScript and Cookies are enabled, and reload the page. The compost toilets in the Visitor’s Centre do tend to have toilet paper and soap, but there’s no harm in taking some extra hand sanitiser and spare toilet paper. They were fascinating to watch – their small wings make them clumsy flyers, so they have to spread themselves out in order to land safely. Getting to Skomer Island is not as hard as it seems. It goes without saying that you’ll want to bring your camera with you, but make sure you pack a variety of lenses too. Even though the puffins on Skomer Island get close enough for you not to need a telephoto lens, being able to zoom in close is one of my favourite things to do in wildlife photography. You’ll be on the island for a total of 5 hours, so make sure you have enough! If the British (nay, Welsh) weather is on your side, boats to Skomer Island usually run three times a day at 10am, 11am and 12pm. Hi! We could have watched them for hours, but we remembered the warden’s advice to move on quickly so as not to disturb the birds and allow other visitors to get a look too. Equally, if it’s cold or wet when you visit, you’ll need to wrap up warm and take a raincoat, just in case. (with their hot coffee and tea in hand). We finally got our boat tickets which was to depart at 11.00am and that comes with a return boat of a fixed time allocation at 4.00pm. Required fields are marked *. Best Time to See Puffins on Skomer Island? We started our visit by following the path from the landing point in the east towards the middle of the island. Reaching a crossroads, we took a left turn to walk clockwise around the island, knowing that the puffins tend to stick to the southern half of Skomer. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. Having decided it was not attractive enough we decided to drive a further 30 minutes through incredibly narrow and windy roads to the nearest supermarket, a LiDL, at Milford Haven to stock up on our picnic supplies. What delight to come here to see the puffins in their natural habitat. We’ll be looking at the best bits of the series. Here’s what you could expect to see in each month of its opening season: When visiting Skomer Island, you’ll need to take all the usual day trip essentials, such as snacks and your camera, but there are a few other essentials you might not have thought of. They’re relatively difficult to see with the naked eye, but thanks to my telephoto lens and our binoculars we got quite a good view! These beautiful creatures arrive on the island in early April ready to nest, and disappear again at the end of July when the pufflings no longer need parental support. The puffins on Skomer Island are Atlantic Puffins – the same kind you find in Iceland and Norway. A wide-angle photo of the puffins at Skomer. As swmbo has decided against coming up to Skomer I'm hoping to combine this years trip with a visit to Gigrin Farm and the Osprey Project. Plus lots, lots more! I took my son last year and we both had a really good day. Skomer Island Hotel Deals: Find great deals from hundreds of websites, and book the right hotel using Tripadvisor's 557 reviews of Skomer Island hotels. It’s even a criminal offence to disturb them, so do look out! Landing passes cost £11 each for adults, and they accept both cash and credit/debit cards. From here, we continued clockwise, admiring the incredibly clear, blue water that had decided to bless our visit in the middle of July. Just look at the detail you can see in those feet! Getting to Skomer Island. Mike, Claire & Alistair, Great day out but dangerous unsignposted cliff edges in some areas, Skomer island is a great day out for all. Skomer Island, lying less than a mile off the beautiful Pembrokeshire coast, is a world renowned wildlife paradise. This short guide gives you all the information needed to visit this island to see the puffins and other wildlife. Your email address will not be published. Sleeping in Skomer Island’s self-catering accommodation gives guests a unique opportunity to watch the sunset behind the cliffs and see the Manx Shearwaters returning to their burrows after dark. I’ll keep you on. The island … West Coast Tours for the Treshinish Isles: Over two hours will be spent on Lunga where you can visit the puffin colony, then time on Staffa and two hours on Iona to explore and seek out the rare corncrake. So even as you leave, Skomer Island will continue to surprise you! I wanted to see puffin birds and Skomer Island did not disappoint! If you want to see the Atlantic Puffins on Skomer Island, visit between April and July. Sorry, there are no tours or activities available to book online for the date(s) you selected. Unfortunately Skomer Island was closed because of Covid 19 but we managed to get very close to the island's shore line and saw thousands of Puffins as well as many other seabirds. We didn’t know this, so we showed up at 8am on a Saturday morning expecting to be the first in the queue, only to find at least 50 people ahead of us! While the rest of the world’s puffin population is in decline, the number of puffins seen on Skomer Island is actually increasing! 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