Skomer Island

Skomer is about three hundred hectares of clifftop plateau off the Pembrokeshire coast, riddled with burrows. Around forty-two thousand puffins breed here, and the island is unusual in that they nest right beside the paths and largely ignore people, so no hide or distance is needed. Underground, in the same burrow systems, is the world's largest colony of Manx shearwaters, estimated at over three hundred and fifty thousand pairs, roughly half the global population; they are entirely nocturnal on land, because gulls would take them in daylight, so the island is silent by day and full of their calls at night. Ancient field boundaries and hut circles cross the plateau, an Iron Age farmed landscape preserved because nobody has ploughed since. Bluebells cover the island in May.

What you actually see

• The puffins - around forty-two thousand, nesting beside the footpaths.
• The shearwater burrows - the world's largest colony, silent by day.
• The Iron Age field system - unploughed boundaries and hut circles across the plateau.
• The May bluebells - a full carpet across the treeless island.

When to go

April to July for puffins, which leave by early August; May for bluebells. Landings are limited in number and pre-booked, and boats cancel frequently for swell. Overnight stays in the island accommodation allow the shearwater night, which is the more extraordinary experience.

Honest expectations

Crossings cancel often and there are no refunds for weather in some arrangements. Landing numbers are capped and day tickets sell out weeks ahead. The landing steps are steep, and the island has no shop and minimal facilities. Straying off the paths collapses burrows and is prohibited.

Nearby

Skokholm lies south; Marloes and the Pembrokeshire coast path are on the mainland.