Wild Skokholm: Puffins, Storms & soul healing silence - April 2024
Skokholm island
After months of anticipation, the day had finally come, my trip to Skokholm Island.
The 5-hour drive to Pembrokeshire was filled with equal parts excitement and anxiety as we waited for the all-important phone call to confirm whether the boat crossing would go ahead. Just as we crossed into Wales, the call came: we were good to go.
Martins haven dock
We stayed the night at a lovely little B&B just two minutes from Martin’s Haven dock, perfectly placed for the early start ahead. First thing the next morning, we boarded the small boat bound for Skokholm, the lesser-known neighbour of Skomer Island. As the island came into view, my heart skipped a beat. Hundreds of puffins darted through the air and bobbed in the sea below us, my first ever sighting of these iconic little birds. It was magical.
The first day was spent exploring this beautiful, peaceful haven. Skokholm is wild and remote, and within minutes I felt the outside world begin to fall away. It's a place that draws you in with its quiet power.
The next morning, news came that a storm was approaching. We were given the choice to leave that evening or stay on for a few extra days. Having only just arrived, the decision was easy, we stayed. Those “extra couple of days” turned into five as the sea swell made it impossible to leave. And honestly? I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
The weather was wild: cold, wet, stormy one minute, then calm and sunny the next. But the changing conditions only enhanced the island’s beauty. The red and purple hues of the rocky cliffs looked even more dramatic under grey skies and crashing waves. Despite the chill, we spent our days exploring every inch of the island, photographing puffins, razorbills, guillemots, and helping identify the returning wheatears as they flitted across the windswept landscape.
Evenings were cosy and communal. We'd gather in the living room by the fire, sharing stories of the day's sightings, birds returning, new behaviours spotted, wildlife encounters.
After dark, we’d head out again, guided only by red torchlight and the sounds of Manx shearwaters calling as they returned to their burrows. They’d crash land around us in the pitch black, chaotic, mysterious, unforgettable.
One night we sat in silence at the base of a cliff, watching storm petrels arrive while the sea thundered beneath us and rest in their nesting cambers on thermal cameras. Overhead, stars filled the sky and shearwaters wheeled in the dark. It felt like being on the edge of the world.
Photographing Puffins in the Wild
From a photography point of view, the puffins were fairly obliging, although a little shy, it was early in the season and they’d only just returned to their nesting sites. Most of the time, I relied on my 500mm lens to keep a respectful distance while still getting close enough for detailed shots.
In flight, puffins are lightning fast, and capturing them was a real challenge. I still shoot with a DSLR, so no fancy eye-tracking here, which meant a fair share of blurred wings and missed focus points (and a lot of laughter at my own expense).
One of few in flight shots I managed to capture
Puffin also being battered by the weather
The ever-changing weather brought its own challenges too: rain added a moody beauty to some of my images, while strong winds made stability and composition tricky at times. But every challenge only made the successes more satisfying.
Final thoughts
Skokholm is, without doubt, the most peaceful, soul-healing place I have ever visited. Yes, it’s cold. Yes, the accommodation is simple. Yes, you’re cut off from the outside world. But that’s the beauty of it. You live completely with nature. You slow down. You listen. You see.
And the wardens? I think they might be the luckiest people alive.
