Skomer Island

Of the spots I’ve covered in this notebook, Skomer Island is the one I most often recommend to people who ask where to go with a week and a camera.

Getting there is straightforward if you plan around the road access and the weather window for the season.

You can spend three days at Skomer Island and only scratch the surface of the maritime cliff and burrow-nesting seabird colony.

My default advice is to go late april through mid july. Outside that window there are still good days here, but the baseline quality drops.

Food and water: stock up before the last town, and do not rely on the visitor center for anything outside weekday hours.

On my first visit I missed the best light because I drove past the turnoff twice. I don’t anymore.

Honest assessment: Skomer Island is good but not magic. On a bad day you’ll still have a bad day here.

If you go, take nothing, leave nothing, and be quieter than you think you need to be.