Skomer
If you want to experience Wales at its wildest, forget the cities and head for Skomer Island, just off the Pembrokeshire coast. There are no roads, no cars and no shops — just cliffs, grassland, sea and an astonishing number of seabirds.
Skomer is particularly famous for its puffins, which arrive in spring to breed in their thousands. Watching these wonderfully comical little birds waddling around the island, often with beaks full of sand eels, is one of those wildlife experiences that is difficult to forget. They are remarkably tolerant of visitors, although they are rather less interested in having their photographs taken than visitors are in taking them.Puffins aren't the only attraction. Manx shearwaters are present in huge numbers, along with guillemots, razorbills, fulmars and countless other seabirds. The island is also home to Atlantic grey seals, while the surrounding waters can produce sightings of dolphins and porpoises.
The island's wildflowers and colourful vegetation add another dimension, particularly in spring and early summer. At times the sheer number of birds makes the place feel less like a nature reserve and more like a very well-organised avian city.
Getting there is part of the adventure. Boats leave from Martin's Haven near Marloes, and the crossing is short but can be lively if the sea is having one of its moods. Once ashore, you have a network of footpaths to explore, with spectacular views across the island and surrounding coastline.There is one important point to remember: Skomer is not a conventional day out. Access is limited, boats are weather-dependent and places are understandably restricted. It pays to plan ahead rather than simply turning up expecting to be whisked across to an island full of puffins.
But that limited access is also part of what makes Skomer so special. It remains genuinely wild, and despite its popularity it has avoided becoming a theme park for wildlife.
For me, Skomer's greatest appeal is the sense of being somewhere properly remote. Stand on the cliffs with seabirds wheeling overhead, seals playing in the water below and the Atlantic stretching away into the distance, and the modern world seems remarkably far away.
Skomer isn't Wales's biggest island, but when it comes to wildlife, it certainly punches above its weight. And if you've never seen a puffin close up, this is one Welsh trip you really should put on the list.
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