Lundy, First Part.

We are finally back from a wonderful week on Lundy. Not only did we have a great week but we were met by Vicky, Romas and their friend Alex and driven home to find that the sitting room, which we had left looking like a construction site with dust sheets, dust, plaster chippings and mess everywhere after Fred's smoothing out of the walls, was now fully repainted, the furniture put back and the main mess cleared up. A lot of things need washing down and I fully intend to get rid of as much stuff as possible but the place looks civilised and so much better with smooth white walls. They have also taken up the old stair carpet which was threadbare, painted the skirting boards and laid the new carpet pieces which I bought very cheaply in the remnant warehouse. Today we have taken them for a giant Sunday dinner at the Station Inn carvery as a thank-you.

Now for our trip.......

We left on Saturday afternoon on the Oldenburg from Ilfracombe harbour. Most of the bags were put in the big wooden boxes (campers' stuff was put in the cargo nets), but there was still a certain amount of squashing down of bags which were thrown in on top of each other so I was glad I had decided to put all bottles, jars and squeezable containers in a bag which we carried on by hand. The sea was moderate, with a couple of rain showers during the 2 hour journey so we togged up in our waterproofs and stood in the open near the bow thus avoiding any possibility of getting sea-sick.
As we pulled into Landing Bay there were a few boats moored there including this brig. Sadly when they left a few days later they went out with a motor and not under sail which would have been great to see. Once docked there was the long walk up the hill, sans luggage thank goodness as this gets driven up, and we settled ourselves into Little St John's, our home for the week.

Although it looks like a converted shed from the outside, inside LSJ is beautifully decorated with period furniture, is spotlessly clean and has a well appointed kitchen with top quality utensils and crockery. The shower room was clean but tiny and as there is a general water shortage we were fairly thrifty with our water usage. The bedroom had twin beds facing away from the window but it didn't take long to move things around so that we had a double bed with views over the bay. Indeed the views were just the best you could hope for. We could see down Millcombe Valley to the Landing Bay and we could watch the rabbits and birds on the hillside in front or look down to the bay to watch the sea birds and the boats. I had many happy moments sitting on the front doorstep or on a handy wooden bench with a cup of tea in my hand enjoying the views and the wildlife.

We had varied weather, sometimes sunny and at other times overcast or even showery but we were able to spend most of our days outside walking the many paths in this peaceful setting.

On Sunday we walked along the east coast as the winds were blowing from the west. We were sheltered and it was beautifully sunny. This side of the island is the only place you can find any trees at all and the cliffs are gentler and covered with bushes. It is here that you are more likely to see the wild Sika deer but we didn't see any this time.

There are a couple of magically beautiful quarries on this coast including the VC Quarry where there is a bronze plaque dedicated to a son of the last owner of the island. Further along we heard and saw a peregrine falcon youngster atop a stone crag screeching for food.

Everywhere we looked there were beautiful views and wildlife all about. The island is only 3 1/2 miles long and 1/2 mile wide so it is impossible to get lost but there is so much to see and do that even a week is not long enough. The special charm of the island is the peace and quiet, no roads, no cars (apart from the farm vehicles), no tv or radio ( we decided not to bring a radio), no Internet and little phone coverage. The tavern is open all day for shelter, food and company should you want it but phones and laptops are not allowed. We spent most of our evenings there, sometimes eating the excellent and reasonably priced food and always playing 1 or 2 games of Scrabble. Peter generally went up a bit earlier to bag a window seat and the better of the 2 Scrabble sets. (Next time we will bring our own set.) We usually chatted a little to other people but most people tended to stay in their own groups. The only downside to the tavern were what we now call 'the donkeys' due to their braying voices. These were generally climbers with upper class extremely loud voices who would regale each other, and indeed the whole place, with every detail of each handhold and belay of the day's climbs along with details of previous climbs and proposed future holidays. It got very annoying and I wish I could have overcome my British reserve to go over and ask them to moderate their voices. (There does seem to be a certain class of person who has no consideration for people around them and who often consider themselves better than everyone around.) For utter peace and quiet we would retire to our little cottage and read or watch the views. For the first few days I was engrossed in reading the log book in which previous visitors had written comments/diaries of their stays. Everyone loved the island, some were brief while other entries like my own, were full of detail. Some were very specialised with details of birds seen, climbs scaled or bell peals rung. The church has a unique set of 10 bells and is a popular destination for bell ringers. The staff told us that they did get fed up with continuous bell ringing from dawn till dusk for up to 3 weeks at a time so now any bell ringing has to stop at 6.00 or an hour before dusk, whichever is earlier.

On Monday we walked to The Battery, another first for Peter (last year his ankle was quite painful). The Battery is a stone building with 2 18lbs cannon which were fired out to sea every 10 minutes in times of fog. On one occasion they were fired continuously for 72 hours. Lundy lies at the entrance to the Bristol Channel and the sea around is littered with shipwrecks. Along with the buildings to house the equipment for the cannon there are also the ruins of 2 stone cottages and various outbuildings which housed the coastguards and their families. At one time there were 13 people living here at the bottom of this steep windswept cliff. The way down is by a solidly built set of steps protected by a low stone wall.

While lovely to visit on a summer's day with only moderate winds it would have been a harsh place to live in during the winter with sheer cliffs, force 10 winds and stormy seas battering at the walls.

On Monday afternoon we went on a small fishing boat for a trip around the island but the seas were so rough at both ends we could only go up to the North and South points before turning back along the east coast again. It was exciting in the rough water but it was only a small boat. It gave us a different view of the east coast and the boat's skipper told us about the wildlife and some of the wrecks. I was a little disappointed not to see any dolphins or basking sharks which were a possibility but no luck. It was already up on the notice board that the puffins and many of the sea birds had left the island so I didn't have to hang off cliffs looking for them.

As well as walking with Peter I took many walks by myself as I simply couldn't be confined indoors when there was such beautiful scenery. Every morning I climbed up to the top of the old light house for a view across the island.

On Tuesday it was more overcast and the wind was easterly. We walked the length of the island to the North Lighthouse (now fully automated), and from there we climbed down some steep steps to the tiny rock (in the centre of the picture) about 10ft by 20ft. This was where I had my seal encounter last year. This time there were fewer seals around but we managed to attract 2 seals who stayed watching us for a while. This used to be the alternate landing site when conditions were too rough in Landing Bay (the jetty and the road there are recent improvements). Boats would tie up to this rock and cargo would be winched up with a steel hawser. Very hazardous.

Peter's knee and ankle joints have improved so much since last year and he was able to walk down & up the 400 ft of steps without too much difficulty.

More of our Lundy adventures tomorrow.