Devon's Heaven - Lundy Island

Lundy Island is an enjoyable place, a Devon venuehire and maintenance). Of course, donations to the
a million miles away from the "busyness" ofLundy Fund will always be very warmly
everyday life; a place to relax and sit back,welcomed! (As the island is privately owned.)!
although you can also enjoy walking, church-bellThe diverse flora and fauna on Lundy is so rich
ringing, diving, birdwatching, canoeing,that the Island has been labelled as a Site of
climbing,fishing, snorkeling, photography, andSpecial Scientific Interest. Indeed Lundy is often
painting!referred to as one of Britain's greatest natural
Lundy Island is essentially a granite outcropwonders, having gained this accolade in a BBC
approximately three and a half miles long by halfRadio Times vote in 2005. The clear seas
a miles wide, rising some four hundred feet out ofsurrounding the island make up England's only
the sea, 12 miles off the coast of Devon wherestatutory Marine Nature Reserve.
the Bristol Channel meets the Atlantic. With itsWhether you are bird spotting - puffins, without
West Side being hit by the prevailingdoubt being the most popular species to see - or
south-westerly winds and the East Side beingwhether you wish to see basking sharks, seals,
much more sheltered, there is a profoundthe Lundy pony or even corals and seaweeds,
difference between the flora that grows on thethen Lundy is where you're going to see them.
two opposite sides of Lundy.Lundy Island offers the visitor a variety of
But Lundy Island is a unique place for otheraccommodation in which to stay - 23 properties in
reasons, too. Visitors tend to come back for itstotal - including a 13th century castle, a late
clear seas, spectacular land and clarity of the nightGeorgian gentleman's villa, a fisherman's chalet and
sky, a vision which remains clear and unobscuredeven a lighthouse. There is also a campsite at the
to all, since there are no city and street lights.southern end of the island.
And visitors come to Lundy from all over theMost of the island's buildings have been built from
world: perhaps just to relax and enjoy the peacethe local, lightly-coloured granite, and many have
and tranquility; maybe to watch the wildlife, or tobeen adapted from previous use, or made from
paint, or to take photographs, or even to ring thestone reclaimed from redundant buildings. All
Church Bells. Active types who come to Lundy toproperties offer heating: some have open fires as
generate more energy by walking, canoeing orwell. There are baths or showers with running hot
diving, climbing.and cold water, mains drainage, and gas and
To enhance your enjoyment of this beautifulelectricity. So that you need bring the minimum of
place, there are various walks, talks and activitiesequipment, most Lundy properties include sheets,
organised by the Island's warden. There arepillowcases and towels in the rental price. And
"rocky shore rambles", "Lundy by land and sea"most unusually, each building comes with a library
lectures, wildlife and seabird walks and snorkelingof relevant reference books.
trips.You can get to Lundy Island either by timetabled
The great thing is that all these events are freesteamer from April to October, or by helicopter
of charge and open to all (except snorkelling,from Hartland Point.
which has a nominal charge to cover equipment