Part II - Yes, we know where the puffins are...but we have to do what to see them? - Adventures in Wales
"So how does this work exactly? Do we buy boat tickets via an internet site or in person? Where do we buy the boat tickets and how much are they? And is the weather forecast predicted to cooperate?"
We have a lot of questions. They are centered around the elusive puffins of Skomer Island, Wales.
"We have to be where at what time?!," I do a double-take at our hostess at the Allenbrook B&B as she tells us the facts of life as it relates to seeing the puffins.
"You may want to do a dry run tonight to see where you will have to line up to get tickets tomorrow. This way you can just go there directly in the morning then come back for breakfast and then be on your way to Skomer," she suggests.
That sounds easy enough, doesn't it?
"What time does the hut open?," I ask, dreading the inevitable answer because anything before noon is just not my favorite part of the day.
"It opens at 8a.m. but people start lining up at 6a.m. because it is first come, first serve. " Limited amounts of tickets are sold per day. Although three boats are scheduled to go back and forth to Skomer on a given day that can change at a moment's notice depending on the whims of Mother Nature.
I find it very hard to believe that people are going to line up in the middle of nowhere, outside a closed hut at the crack of dawn just to get boat tickets to see a bunch of birds.
Note to self: I should not have found this hard to believe.
Mom and I do the dry run the night before. It takes about 20 minutes to drive from our B&B to the hut. Quite frankly, you know you drove too far if you end up in the ocean. No joke. Seriously.
Morning comes a little too soon but we are excited and wake up around 5a.m.-ish. We are ready to go by 6:20a.m. Most assuredly, we are guaranteed to be amongst the first in line.
Most assuredly - not.
I drop Mom off to secure our place in line. Imagine this!! There is a line already for the hut that does not open until 8a.m. If you think we are the only puffin enthusiasts around, you would be sadly mistaken.
The hut is located on a rocky outcrop. No protection from the elements. It is a tad chilly, a tad windy and the sun is not fully up yet. No one should ever have to be up before the sun is fully up!! I find myself thinking as I park the car, "This Skomer Island better have so many puffins that we lose count trying to count them all."
The hut personnel (sorry, but what does one call people who work inside a hut?) arrive early - yea!! We buy our boat tickets. We are numbers 7 and 8. It turns out the boat is going to leave early due to impending inclement weather later. So no going back for breakfast at the B&B (but to see puffins, I will gladly starve and catch up on sustenance later). Oh, did I forget to mention that Skomer Island has no vending facilities, no cafes, no coffee shops but it does have Port-A-Potties. Once again, Mom saves the day as she has a few Atkins shakes, some peanuts and some cheese in her knapsack. We will be fine.
It is a fine day for a boat ride. 75 passengers on the first boat over to Skomer. I am still in shock that people are inclined to get up this early for a chance - no guarantees - of a visit to Skomer. That is true dedication to a cause.
Approaching the island, we see lots of birds. People who know their birds are shouting out, "Look, there's a kittiwake and linnet and guillemot" as they click away on their very professional looking cameras. Mom and I are not taking many photos at this point because even with our 15 and 18 megapixel cameras, all the photos will look like is a whole lot of ocean, a whole lot of sky and some black dots. I am delighted that everyone is seeing all these birds but I do not hear them shouting out, "Ooooh, look, there are 5,000 puffins." I am mildly concerned because let it be said right now, we did not travel 6,000+ miles to see....whatever those other birds are that are not puffins. :)
As we get closer to Skomer, those black dots do become much more defined.
"Mom, look.....that's a puffin....and that's a ....puffin...and over there are a whole bunch of puffins and up on those rocks are more puffins."
Note to self: Thank God the puffins are here. I can not even imagine the alternative. There is a moment of truth to every travel adventure. Each of our trips always has a planned intention. Seeing puffins was the planned intention for this trip.
We have arrived at the mother lode of all things puffin. The rangers tell us about the wildlife to see on the island but we want them to stop talking so we can then be free to wander about the island for the next.... 5 hours.
"Five hours??!! How are we going to manage to kill 5 hours on an uninhabited island?"
We managed....and wish we had more time. It was simply not enough time to be amongst such beauty and all things puffin.
There is a sense of satisfaction when the planned intention of a trip becomes reality. "We did it. Mom!! We are here, seeing puffins." The idea started with an article my Mom read a year prior but we turned that article into our reality. How cool is that? So cool.
Exploring the islands as we walk around and through fields of bluebells as far as the eye can see and red campion and flowers that I never found out the names of, I thought, "It is no wonder puffins mate here. It is stunningly beautiful. Can not blame the puffins for picking Skomer as their playground."
The "Wick" with its abundance of craggy, rocky outcrops and cliffs seems to be a particularly preferred spot for the puffins to congregate. It also has one of the only benches to sit on around the whole island (one can not just sit on the ground because puffins like to burrow so one could end up crushing a burrow).
Mom breaks out the Atkins shakes - oh, and some coffee in a thermos and those snack packs of cheese and pepperoni (thank you forever Mom for being a Mom and having the foresight to bring provisions). We picnic on the sole bench in the blustery wind with puffins running here and there, puffins flying above, swimming and diving below. It is in this moment that Mom and I agree...best picnic ever!!
To think it started with, "Did you know they have puffins at this place called Skomer Island off the coast of Wales?"
"No, Mom. I did not know that."
....but I am so happy and blessed to say we sure do know it now.
We have a lot of questions. They are centered around the elusive puffins of Skomer Island, Wales.
"We have to be where at what time?!," I do a double-take at our hostess at the Allenbrook B&B as she tells us the facts of life as it relates to seeing the puffins.
"You may want to do a dry run tonight to see where you will have to line up to get tickets tomorrow. This way you can just go there directly in the morning then come back for breakfast and then be on your way to Skomer," she suggests.
That sounds easy enough, doesn't it?
"What time does the hut open?," I ask, dreading the inevitable answer because anything before noon is just not my favorite part of the day.
"It opens at 8a.m. but people start lining up at 6a.m. because it is first come, first serve. " Limited amounts of tickets are sold per day. Although three boats are scheduled to go back and forth to Skomer on a given day that can change at a moment's notice depending on the whims of Mother Nature.
I find it very hard to believe that people are going to line up in the middle of nowhere, outside a closed hut at the crack of dawn just to get boat tickets to see a bunch of birds.
Note to self: I should not have found this hard to believe.
Mom and I do the dry run the night before. It takes about 20 minutes to drive from our B&B to the hut. Quite frankly, you know you drove too far if you end up in the ocean. No joke. Seriously.
Morning comes a little too soon but we are excited and wake up around 5a.m.-ish. We are ready to go by 6:20a.m. Most assuredly, we are guaranteed to be amongst the first in line.
Most assuredly - not.
I drop Mom off to secure our place in line. Imagine this!! There is a line already for the hut that does not open until 8a.m. If you think we are the only puffin enthusiasts around, you would be sadly mistaken.
The hut is located on a rocky outcrop. No protection from the elements. It is a tad chilly, a tad windy and the sun is not fully up yet. No one should ever have to be up before the sun is fully up!! I find myself thinking as I park the car, "This Skomer Island better have so many puffins that we lose count trying to count them all."
The hut personnel (sorry, but what does one call people who work inside a hut?) arrive early - yea!! We buy our boat tickets. We are numbers 7 and 8. It turns out the boat is going to leave early due to impending inclement weather later. So no going back for breakfast at the B&B (but to see puffins, I will gladly starve and catch up on sustenance later). Oh, did I forget to mention that Skomer Island has no vending facilities, no cafes, no coffee shops but it does have Port-A-Potties. Once again, Mom saves the day as she has a few Atkins shakes, some peanuts and some cheese in her knapsack. We will be fine.
It is a fine day for a boat ride. 75 passengers on the first boat over to Skomer. I am still in shock that people are inclined to get up this early for a chance - no guarantees - of a visit to Skomer. That is true dedication to a cause.
Approaching the island, we see lots of birds. People who know their birds are shouting out, "Look, there's a kittiwake and linnet and guillemot" as they click away on their very professional looking cameras. Mom and I are not taking many photos at this point because even with our 15 and 18 megapixel cameras, all the photos will look like is a whole lot of ocean, a whole lot of sky and some black dots. I am delighted that everyone is seeing all these birds but I do not hear them shouting out, "Ooooh, look, there are 5,000 puffins." I am mildly concerned because let it be said right now, we did not travel 6,000+ miles to see....whatever those other birds are that are not puffins. :)
As we get closer to Skomer, those black dots do become much more defined.
"Mom, look.....that's a puffin....and that's a ....puffin...and over there are a whole bunch of puffins and up on those rocks are more puffins."
Note to self: Thank God the puffins are here. I can not even imagine the alternative. There is a moment of truth to every travel adventure. Each of our trips always has a planned intention. Seeing puffins was the planned intention for this trip.
We have arrived at the mother lode of all things puffin. The rangers tell us about the wildlife to see on the island but we want them to stop talking so we can then be free to wander about the island for the next.... 5 hours.
"Five hours??!! How are we going to manage to kill 5 hours on an uninhabited island?"
We managed....and wish we had more time. It was simply not enough time to be amongst such beauty and all things puffin.
There is a sense of satisfaction when the planned intention of a trip becomes reality. "We did it. Mom!! We are here, seeing puffins." The idea started with an article my Mom read a year prior but we turned that article into our reality. How cool is that? So cool.
Exploring the islands as we walk around and through fields of bluebells as far as the eye can see and red campion and flowers that I never found out the names of, I thought, "It is no wonder puffins mate here. It is stunningly beautiful. Can not blame the puffins for picking Skomer as their playground."
The "Wick" with its abundance of craggy, rocky outcrops and cliffs seems to be a particularly preferred spot for the puffins to congregate. It also has one of the only benches to sit on around the whole island (one can not just sit on the ground because puffins like to burrow so one could end up crushing a burrow).
Mom breaks out the Atkins shakes - oh, and some coffee in a thermos and those snack packs of cheese and pepperoni (thank you forever Mom for being a Mom and having the foresight to bring provisions). We picnic on the sole bench in the blustery wind with puffins running here and there, puffins flying above, swimming and diving below. It is in this moment that Mom and I agree...best picnic ever!!
To think it started with, "Did you know they have puffins at this place called Skomer Island off the coast of Wales?"
"No, Mom. I did not know that."
....but I am so happy and blessed to say we sure do know it now.
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