Lundy: A Great Little Island!
Archaeological digs have unearthed evidence of human habitation as far back as the Neolithic or early Bronze Age. Since then, Lundy has been the haunt of Viking raiders, Pirates, Royalists, and refugees from justice (ironically it was also proposed as a site for a prison in the middle of the 19th century.) The island is mentioned in the Orkneyinga Saga and the name, Lundy, derives from the Norse 'Lund-Ey', meaning 'Puffin Island'. Unfortunately, the puffin colony was decimated by rats some years ago. In the past few years a concerted effort has been made to get rid of the rats and hopes are high that puffins will return to the island in large numbers.
Unless you have your own boat, the only way to get there is as a foot passenger on the boat during summer when day trips are organised from Boscastle and Clovelly. In winter the only means of transport that will get you there is by helicopter. Approximately 15 people live on the island permanently, in a small village with an inn, one shop and a Victorian church (built by Rev. Heaven!.) There is also a working farm: the lambs in their flock of sheep are born and reared on the island without the pressures of modern intensive methods, on a diet of their mother's milk and pastures of traditional grasses and herbs such as yarrow, vetches, meddick and clover which all improves the taste. An organisation called the Landmark Trust maintains a number of properties on the island and rents them out for holidays. Lundy is the first Marine Conservation Area in the UK and there are also great opportunities for diving and rock climbing.
We took a gamble on the weather and visited Lundy for a few days in early December. We arrived by helicopter on a cold, windy morning and as we got to our accommodation the rain started to come down. However, the gamble did pay off in the end: apart from a few showers the weather was fantastic and there were only 3 other guests on the whole island. To enjoy Lundy you need to be able to leave behind the hustle and bustle of modern urban living. There are no cars on the island, no Starbucks, no TV, and the electricity goes off at 23:00. I preferred the quiet of the winter season, but in summer you can visit the island for the day by boat from Bideford or Ilfracombe.
To view my pictures of Lundy you can click here. You can find out more about this little gem and how to stay there on this website: www.lundyisland.co.uk.
