A visit to Lundy Island: Part 2

It was a "why haven't we done this before" occasion when we went to Lundy Island recently. It lies just off the coast of North Devon and, as such, cannot be classed as remote and inaccessible. Perhaps it's a good example of never visiting places that are on your own doorstep. If you haven't been, do go. And we'll be going back to complete our circumnavigation. I've already posted the best of the IR photos I took (here) so here are some full spectrum images.

Lundy Island is about 8 miles off the coast of North Devon and lies in the Bristol Channel. It's around 3 miles long and 1/2 mile wide and has a chequered history of human habitation that stretches back some 4000 years. After many years in private ownership, it is presently owned by the National Trust, with most of the buildings being managed by the Landmark Trust. There are 23 holiday rental properties there if you are interested in staying. The regular/irregular ferry service departs from Bideford or Ilfracombe depending on the tides in the summer months. Over the winter, there is a helicopter service for those who can afford it. The trip takes 2 hours each way. In our case, it was a very smooth and pleasurable voyage but it could be oh so different when the water is rough.

The landing jetty on Lundy, with Rat Island just to the 'back' of it. The MV Oldenberg, the usual means of getting to the island, is tied up alongside the jetty.

Sheep's Bit Scabious, although it is not strictly speaking a scabious but a bellflower. At this time of year, there is lots of it around the coast. The flowers are rich in nectar and are very attractive to bees and butterflies. Sheep allegedly enjoy eating it, hence its name. It is also known as ‘blue buttons’ due to the shape of its flower heads.

The Lundy Cabbage, Coincya wrightii, is a species of primitive brassica growing only on Lundy and nowhere else in the world. Its nearest relative grows in southern Spain and North Africa. It is likely that Lundy is far enough away from the mainland to have allowed the plant to evolve into a separate species.It is one of about a dozen endemic plants in the British Isles. However, even amongst this select company, it stands out. It is unique in having its own endemic insects. There is a Bronze Lundy Cabbage Flea Beetle, Psylliodes luridipennis, and the Lundy cabbage weevil Ceutorhynchus contractus pallipes, which live only on this plant. If all the areas of growth on the Island were put together, it would cover a square of about 100m, which, for the total world population of a plant, is miniscule. Wow, fancy that. Rare it may be but it's a cabbage in name only as it is considered to be inedible by many. I tasted a leaf and it's not that bad. Mind you, my hair fell out soon after so that probably wasn't a good idea.

Lunch at South West Point, with Great Shutter and Little Shutter Rocks in the mid-ground. In the far distance is Cornwall and I'm inclined to think that the farthest westerly point we can see is Pentire Head. Coincidentally, that could be where we next walk a stretch of the Coastal Footpath.

The rocks at Jenny's Cove where you can just about make out the colonies of nesting puffins, razorbills and guillemots. Too far down for a decent photograph. Due to the success of the rat clearance programme, the numbers of ground nesting birds, and the puffins in particular, are increasing. And why the name 'Jenny'? Named after a three-masted schooner that was wrecked here in 1797 and which carried a cargo of ivory and gold dust.

For those who want a puffin-fix, here's a group we encountered on the Isle of Lungha off Mull in 2017.

In the 1860s, granite quarries were opened on the island but they were short lived, lasting for less than a decade. These are the remains of the hospital that was built then.

The Old Light which was built in 1819. It turned out that the elevation for this was too high to be effective and it was eventually abandoned when lighthouses were built at the north and south ends of the island.

The remains of the cottages associated with the managers and administration of the quarry. When we first came upon them we were impressed with how sturdy they were and thought that they really knew how to look after their workers. Wrong! The workers' cottages were demolished long ago.

 It is thought that the original feral goats died out and a new herd was brought to the island by farmers, lighthouse keepers and quarrymen during the 19th century. This has since been supplemented with new additions and this mixed ancestry can be seen in the population as there is a mixture of coat colours, horn growth and coat length. 

In 1928 a herd of fifty ponies was introduced to the island in an attempt to establish a new breed of pony. This herd mainly consisted of New Forest ponies, a breed which were readily available from the local area, however, Welsh Mountain ponies were also used to give the breed “style and height”. The Lundy pony is now an officially recognised breed, with a herd of approximately twenty ponies being kept on the island. The ponies remain in the Pondsbury area between Quarter and Halfway walls. As we can attest they are used to people and took a keen interest in what we were eating.

A Whinchat, migratory rather than resident. The 'whin' part of the name reflects that they like using gorse (whin) as a habitat. Its close relative, the Stonechat, is more likely to be seen hopping on rocks. Both of them have an almost metallic call, that sounds like stones being hit together. Mmm, that doesn't make complete sense, does it? But you know what I mean. Or maybe you don't.

Another Whinchat and, if you look closely at its legs, you can see that both of them carry ring bands. I think I can make out two on each leg. I've failed to find out what the colours mean.

A pipit of some sort - Meadow or Rock? I'm not very good at discerning the various types of pipit. Except when I'm in the middle of Dartmoor and it's only the meadow variety that you'll see. 

Just a stone wall with seasonal flora, including a lot of Stonecrop (Sedum anglicum).

The stained glass window in St Helen's church, a Victorian structure built from the local granite.

Lots of jellyfish were drifting just off the quay. This one is, I think, a Moon Jellyfish.

A day boat returning to the fish harbour in Appledore, with an accompanying flock of seagulls feasting off the entrails being thrown overboard as the fish are gutted.

And with Lundy receding in the distance, we come to the end of a delightful day. We will return.