ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT VISITING LUNDY ISLAND…
Spring in North Devon is everything good about spring, amplified. As the waves start to wind down from their winter highs, they become that bit more manageable, as do other warm-weather pursuits and adventures. .
One for the explorers is Lundy Island. Lundy lies 10 miles off the coast of North Devon, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Bristol Channel with nothing between it and America. Just setting sail for Lundy feels like an adventure.
How to get to Lundy Island
You take MS Oldenburg* – a 1950s supply ship decked out in brass and wood. You’ll board in either Ilfracombe or Bideford (both just a short drive from Woolacombe). Some two hours of often surging seas later, and you’ll reach Lundy. If it’s a castaway, get-away-from-it-all bolthole you crave, you have found your mecca.
Wildlife on Lundy Island
A granite outcrop, three miles long and half a mile wide, the island is never crowded, even in the height of summer. In the hubbub of the modern world, it is a place apart, peaceful and unspoiled. Lundy is a magnet for migrating birds and birdwatchers alike and, thanks to over five decades of dedicated conservation, it is considered one of Britain’s most important wildlife havens.
Fittingly for an island that means “puffin” in Norse, Lundy is now home to the biggest seabird colony in the southwest and puffins still breed here in small – but currently increasing – numbers. A coast walk in early spring will definitely deliver, revealing countless guillemot, kittiwake and razorbill, and some of the 5500 pairs of Manx shearwater and 375 puffins. For the land lovers, there are Sika deer, Soay sheep, wild ponies, feral goats, and rare fungi!
What to do on Lundy Island
Simple pleasures aplenty, the landscape is unmarred by roads and the wardens lead sustainable snorkelling safaris. The mobile phone signal is sketchy but you can climb, swim, kayak, rockpool, dive, snorkel, birdwatch and hike to your heart’s content! Swimming or diving here might give glimpses of basking sharks, spiny lobster, and one of the island’s 200-odd grey seals.
Fall in love in love with Lundy…
Once you have visited Lundy once, you’ll want to return time and again. When life is busy, hectic and crowded, exploring a new destination where the sea is clear, the landscape spectacular, and the pleasures simple, certainly soothes the soul. The fresh sea air will definitely work up a good appetite too…be sure to book a table in Doyle’s before you head out!
If you would like any advice or information about planning your visit to Lundy Island, our helpful team are always happy to answer your questions and make recommendations. Please call us on 01271 870388.