For a totally unique experience, visit magical Lundy Island. It is a startlingly beautiful place, nestled like a jewel in the Atlantic, three and a half miles long and half a mile wide, just 12 miles from the mainland off the North Devon coast.
Wild and dramatic on the western side, sheltered and gentle on the eastern, the entire island and the waters all around it are a haven for an incredible variety of wild flora and fauna. Watch for dolphins, different varieties of seals breeding in Lundy's sea caves, basking sharks and puffins. There are birds so rare here that they bring bird watchers to Lundy from all over Britain. At different times of the year Lundy is awash in brilliant colour, as its 300 different types of flowering plants put on their show. The whole island is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and the seas around Lundy are England's only Marine Nature Reserve owing to the rich array of sea life and coral beds. Lundy has its own Conservation Warden who organises a variety of different events throughout the year to help visitors discover, enjoy and appreciate the wonderful wildlife on Lundy.
Walking, wildlife watching, diving, climbing, kayaking, snorkelling, fishing, photography, painting and stargazing are the most popular activities here. So is exploring Lundy's intriguing past: visitors can enter a cave once used to hold prisoners, see the remains of an ancient burial chamber, climb to the highest lighthouse in Britain, identify the first tee of what was once Lundy’s golf course, inspect the Georgian cannons which fired every ten minutes in fog, find the chasm created by tremors from the Lisbon earthquake of 1755, find debris from the German Heinkel that crashed landed in 1941, follow the track of the quarry railway...and so much more.
It is the ultimate get-away-from-it-all: incredible scenery all around you, nothing between you and the horizon, no cars (except a few service vehicles), no streetlights and just one (well stocked) shop. After a day of immense peace and tranquility, round off the feeling of total wellbeing with a visit to the lively, 13th Century Marisco Tavern, the hub of island life, which offers fantastic food (including Lundy's own lamb), drink and company.
Getting to Lundy
The MS Oldenberg sails to Lundy from Bideford or Ilfracombe, carrying day return and period passengers from when the clocks go forward in March until they go back in October. Prices can be found on the website www.lundyisland.co.uk.
During the winter months, Lundy is reached by helicopter departing from Hartland Point. This exhilarating flight provides spectacular aerial views of Lundy and the North Devon Coast.
You may of course travel to Lundy via a charter or in your own boat, there is a fee to land at the island.
Staying on Lundy
For a holiday or short break you will never forget, stay on magical Lundy Island in one of the 23 very special, and very diverse, self-catering Landmark properties. Every property is sensitively restored and furnished. There are no televisions, radios or telephones but spectacular views, scenery, walking and wildlife right from the front door. Every building is totally individual, and there is a place to stay for every taste and budget: The Old Lighthouse, the Castle, The Radio Room, Milcombe House (a gentleman's residence) or Tibbets, which is so remote that it doesn't even have electricity, to name just a few. There's even a campsite. Explore them all in the main accommodation entry here.
More about Lundy
You can read much more about Lundy, and download a range of brochures, at the Lundy website www.lundyisland.co.uk.
To speak to someone contact the Lundy Shore Office: 01271 863636
