A day spent on Lundy Island during your holiday will be a day well spent. Escape to this magical island by ferry from Ilfracombe or Bideford. It is the ultimate get-away-from-it-all – incredible scenery all around you, nothing between you and the horizon, a place of immense peace and tranquillity.
Wild and dramatic on the western side, sheltered and gentle on the eastern, the entire island and the waters all around it are a haven for an incredible variety of wild flora and fauna. Watch for dolphins, different varieties of seals breeding in Lundy’s sea caves, basking sharks and puffins. The name ‘Lundy’ means ‘Puffin’ in Norse, but the real success story for sea birds is the Manx Shearwater whose numbers were dwindling. They are ground nesting birds and rats were eating their eggs and chicks. So, in 2002 a campaign was started to reduce the rat population. It worked and there are now 1000s of shearwaters nesting on Lundy.
At different times of the year Lundy Island is awash with brilliant colour, as its 300 different types of flowering plants put on their show. The whole island is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and the seas around Lundy are England’s only Marine Nature Reserve owing to the rich array of sea life and coral beds. Lundy has its own Conservation Warden who organises a variety of different events throughout the year to help visitors discover, enjoy and appreciate the wonderful wildlife on Lundy.
Ferries run from mid-March to October. It’s a good idea to check sailings in advance to ensure you get the maximum amount of time on the island but do make sure you enjoy the sail over too when you might see seals, dolphins and basking sharks.
Saunton is dog friendly throughout the year too, so a great destination for dog walking where they can run free. There is also a dog free area for those who prefer not to have our four legged friends flying across their picnic rug!
Why not hire a traditional seaside beach hut for the day or a few days? It’s a great base for all your gear and if the weather isn’t so good then you’ve a bolt hole to slip into and sip tea (or a glass of wine!).
Our blog photo shows Jim and wonderful Workawayer, Elle building a duckling run last May. The ducklings and Mother Duck lasted in that run less than one day before they found a way out and ran from there to the ponds – just one day old! Three surviving ducks (three quarters wild mallard and just one quarter runner duck) are now fully grown and live wild on the ponds.
We are a traditional, mixed family farm which is run by three generations of the Maynard family, so everyone gradually became involved.
Well, finally it is completed and we are delighted with the finished result. We truly feel it expresses how proud we are of our corner of Devon and we love sharing it with the guests who decide to come and stay in our holiday cottage.
The habitat here at Little Comfort has been identified as a possible breeding site. As they are not easy birds to identify accurately it will be done with sound recordings, as well as visually, as their call is very distinctive. Roger and I think that we have identified them in the valley and on the bird table, but as identification is so difficult we are reluctant to say so with certainty. It would be so good if all the hard work that Roger has carried out on the farm to enhance the wildlife habitat has provided a safe haven for these dear little birds.
The town is medieval in origin, as is still evident in the original layout of the town, particularly in Fore Street. However, by the seventeenth century most of the properties had been rebuilt. During the Industrial Revolution it transformed from a sleepy market town, filled with pilgrims, to a hive of activity driven by woollen, paper and corn mills, as well as a tannery. These were supported by the rivers Dart, Mardle and the Dean Burn – water being an essential natural resource used in the manufacturing of wool and other products. .
And a couple of pubs with great reviews!
At weekends and during school holidays you can enjoy some very hands-on animal encounters and there are twice daily animal feeding sessions. There is also a gift shop and indoor children’s craft and reptile centre on site.