​

Skomer: Half the World's Manx Shearwaters

South Wales, Wales

medium
wildlife

Badge Unlock

Shearwater Island

Complete this challenge to add this badge to your collection.

300

XP

1 day

Skomer: Half the World's Manx Shearwaters

medium
wildlife

300 XP

Skomer, off the Pembrokeshire coast, holds around half the world's population of Manx shearwaters, the largest Atlantic puffin colony in southern Britain, and the Skomer vole, which is found nowhere else. The boat goes from Martin's Haven when the sea allows, and much of the island is a scheduled ancient monument of Iron Age fields and hut circles. The shearwaters come and go from their burrows only at night, so day visitors see the burrows rather than the birds; the puffins are gone by the end of July.

Required Activities

1

of 4

Take the boat from Martin's Haven and land at North Haven

2

of 4

Walk the island circuit past the puffin burrows

3

of 4

Find the Iron Age field banks and hut circles

4

of 4

Look for the Skomer vole, found nowhere else on earth

  • Take the boat from Martin's Haven and land at North Haven

  • Walk the island circuit past the puffin burrows

  • Find the Iron Age field banks and hut circles

  • Look for the Skomer vole, found nowhere else on earth

Before you go

Day boats land from April to September, and the puffins are on the island until the end of July.

Landings depend on the weather and boats are often cancelled; there is no shop or café on the island, so bring all your food and water. Boats run from April to September and not on Mondays, except the Whitsun bank holiday.

Finding nearby campsites...

About South Wales

Loading region info…

Explore more about South Wales:

WikipediaWikivoyageFlickrYoutubeINaturalistOpenStreetMap

Challenge Location

XP Breakdown

Challenge XP

300 XP


Potential total

300 XP

Stop 2 of 5 · Marloes and Skomer

Pembrokeshire from Fishguard

6 nights · 9 things to do · Wales, South Wales

Six nights in a loop from Fishguard round Pembrokeshire: St Davids and the Blue Lagoon, puffins on Skomer, St Govan's Chapel and Tenby's walls, then Pentre Ifan and the Teifi coracles.

Stop 2 of 4 · Marloes and Skomer

Pembrokeshire: Tenby to St Davids and the Teifi

9 nights · 11 things to do · Wales, South Wales

Nine nights on the Pembrokeshire coast from Tenby to Cardigan: Caldey's monks and St Govan's cliff chapel, Skomer's puffins and shearwaters, the coast path from St Davids to Solva, and the Neolithic dolmen at Pentre Ifan.

More challenges nearby

within 100km

nature
300 XP

St Davids: Britain's Smallest City by Population, and Ramsey Island

Wales · South Wales

nature

medium

1d

16 km away

active
300 XP

Coasteering at St Davids: Where Guided Coasteering Began

Wales · South Wales

active

medium

1d

17 km away

nature
350 XP

Pembrokeshire Coast Path: Abereiddy's Blue Lagoon and the Path to Porthgain

Wales · South Wales

nature

medium

1d

23 km away

history
250 XP

Pembroke Castle: Where Henry VII Was Born

Wales · South Wales

history

easy

1d

27 km away

scenic
250 XP

St Govan's Chapel and Stackpole: The Chapel in the Cliff

Wales · South Wales

scenic

easy

1d

29 km away

history
225 XP

Carew: A Castle, a Tidal Mill and a Welsh Princess

Wales · South Wales

history

easy

1d

32 km away

About AVANDRA

Your ultimate trip planner for adventurous getaways.

Quick Links

Trips

Connect With Us

© 2026 AVANDRA. All rights reserved.