Skomer Island

Pembrokeshire, Wales


The trail:

  • Location: Pembrokeshire, Wales
  • Categories: Spring / Summer / Marine west coast / Tundra / Coastal / Islands / Rural / Sea
  • Duration: 4-6 hours
  • Distance: 4 miles

Walking the trail:

  • Summary: Surrounded by shaded inlets, offshore rocks, sheltered coves, Skomer Island is a unique island full of mystery and discovery waiting to be explored.



Last weekend I was in Wales trail running along the rather beautiful Pembrokeshire coastline. Luckily I managed some quick overnight recovery (god bless salt tablets) so decided to take advantage of the great scenery and head over to the stunning Skomer Island which is home to a variety of fantastic wildlife including Puffins, Razorbills, Rabbits and Seals.

The island has been on my radar for about a year now so it was perfect timing. My good friend Emma joined me for the trip having participated in the Trail event also, so it was nice to hike again as she had joined me in a few previous multiday hikes such as Isle of Skye and Swedens Kungsleden a few years back.

 The small boat (carries 50 people) leaves Martins Haven from 10am, 11am and 12noon (car park £5 cash required) and returns from 3pm onwards. You can’t pre-book the boat so its first come first served. Prices are £11 for boat fee and £11 for landing fee, so £22 per adult which is well worth the money!

 Once loaded onto the rather cosy boat it’s a fairly short 10/15 minute trip across to the Island , lovely when the sea is calm which we had in the morning but get ready to hold onto the ropes if the waves are up as we had on the return trip, quite a few times I thought the boat could tip over! Let’s just say the boat was very quiet with many worried faces!

 Once over to the island you have a 10 minute briefing by an expert of the Island and get a chance to buy some small snacks and hire binoculars. You are then free to explore the Island at your own leisure. You have to stay on the paths at all times as the Island is literally full of burrows all over so there’s a high risk of damaging a home and trapping an animal inside. Its not a massive island but still a good 4 miles if you walk around its full perimeter and you certainly want as many hours as you can spare as there’s a lot to see! A note is to make sure you come prepared in case of bad weather as the island is very exposed!

 Well I must say I absolutely loved this trip. The weather was great, the island is just beautifully rugged and seeing the Puffins was just awesome. You can literally just watch them for ages getting up to whatever mischief they are causing. They have no fear of us either so they get really close which was great for my camera shots. I will definitely be returning in the near future, possibly to stay in the old farm in the centre of the island which does self-catering and night wildlife trips. Honestly get there NOW!

 Hope you enjoy the photos, feel free to message.

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