Ramsey Island

                                                        

                                             Ramsey Island, Pembrokeshire
                                                         5th April 2017

 

We’d booked 2 nights in a friendly B and B in St. David’s. Only a week before, we were expecting to go to Ireland but it looked better for the weather further south and it was less travelling overall.

We had also booked our boat trip from St. Justinian’s, 2½ miles away, with Thousand Island expeditions. There are other companies but only this one has landing rights, the others just sail around Ramsey. The crossing was £12 each return and £6 each for the landing fee. The island is run by the RSPB and landing is free for their members.

We built our tandem- it had travelled in the back of our car- and rode the pretty route past the ancient Cathedral to the layby nearest to the boat. We took hardly any space at all!  You pass a car park charging £3 on the approach to St Justinian’s, but nearer the ferry there are some parking places marked out at a layby with no parking charges, a prime spot if you are there early enough to get a space.

 

We had checked at the office at Cross Square in the town that the boat was running today. The sun was shining and it didn’t seem too windy so we were in luck.

We arrived dutifully 15 minutes before the boat’s departure from St. Justinian’s Lifeboat Station at 10 o’clock. We were met by an RSPB official who checked our names off a list- Twenty of us in all. There are 3 buildings here, the modern station, and 2 defunct ones. In front of the oldest building were steps leading up to an iron platform and the old housing for the lifeboat. Above the stairs is a sign saying private so we were very surprised to be told to, one at a time, make an ascent. We had to keep to one side, and to stop immediately when instructed to. It all seemed very dramatic! The building is no longer maintained so we can see why there may be some paranoia. At the top of the platform you could see through to the beach, then sea below. This gave me wobbly legs. We walked down the steep slipway holding onto the side rail, towards the place where the boat was “docked”. At least it wasn’t slippery today.

We were helped onto the boat. It left the station slowly and the sea seemed choppy but as soon as it picked up speed it felt quite smooth until we reached Ramsey. About 10 minutes after leaving the mainland we were bobbing up and down in the swell just off the island. We had to jump off one at a time when the boat steadied after a wave, but no one fell in!!

We were met by an assistant warden who told us where we could walk, sticking to the paths. Ramsey is 2 miles from top to tail and ½ mile at its narrowest. We decided to walk as far round the island as we could, taking in the hills. This seemed further than the 3 1/2 miles it was supposed to be. There was a boat at 12 Noon and another at 4pm and we decided to go for the latter to give us time to finish. 6 hours was a little too long for the walk, we would recommend getting the 12Noon ferry to the Island and return at 4pm.

There is a little shop open for a short while when the boat gets in. This sells crisps, fruit juice, flapjacks and other snacky bits. They also hire out binoculars for £3 a day.

We were pleased to see choughs, with their red beaks and legs, busily collecting nesting material on the northern part of the island. It was here on the hill we could expect to see red deer- introduced via a net beneath an RAF helicopter some years back. We were told they are used to humans, but the fast- moving heavy footed teenager, who wanted to do the 3 hour tour in just over an hour, probably scared them away. We kept seeing deer poo though and cloven hoof prints. There are several pairs of antlers outside the shop.

We were surprised to see horse prints until just before we’d completed the circuit we saw 3 beautiful white ponies. The prints had been in most inaccessible places steep and rocky with drops to the sea but then these are hardy Welsh Mountain ponies.

 

This shows the rocks from both sides

We watched inflatable boat tours giving thrills through the turbulent waters round the Bitches, a reef of rocks stretching into Ramsey Sound. The whirlpools and eddies create white water, a favourite for kayakers.

There are no trees but plenty of heather which will be lovely later, but the gorse is out and smelling like coconut. Tiny blue flowers are pushing through the close- cropped grass. Sheep are kept here to control the undergrowth and clear the way for ground nesting birds. We couldn't get close to them though. Lambing will start soon and the RSPB wardens are there to look after the sheep as well as the birds One lady arrived, on the boat we would take back to the mainland, with large packets of tick and worming powder.

There are compost toilets, one for sitting and one for standing, in a wooden hut near the shop. I can’t work out why they are up- stairs, except maybe for ease of emptying. These are the only ones on the island for the public’s use. As was pointed out there are a lot of birders with binoculars so it’s best not to go au natural.

We saw a lot of bones-of rabbits and birds which we tried to identify. We spent a while seal watching. There were 15 at the haul out area though there can be a hundred we were told. Later we saw 2 seals ambush a large fish, sending it towards rocks and the shore where it manged to get back in the water only to face its attackers. We think they caught it but they didn’t emerge after.

 

This is a varied and pretty island. The rocks are lichen covered with cairns marking paths which seem to have been mowed, the grass is so close to the ground. There are tiny primrose, violets and celandine just coming through. The views are spectacular!

We got back early for the boat so bought a cup of tea when the shop reopened at 3.15(on the dot) and we sat in the sun on one of the picnic benches. We hadn’t had time to buy ourselves lunch before we came, though we had brought bananas, crisps and water. It was good that we’d eaten cooked breakfast that morning so thank you Orla for giving me black pudding- we needed the calories.

The boat arrived at 4 and in no time at all we were climbing the slipway to the old lifeboat station and standing in the little cove of black rock as another group are leaving for a tour. It’s a busy little place!