Skomer Island

Best time to visit and seasonal birds

January: Skomer has no ordinary day landings. Chough is a year-round island species, but The Wick and the island’s other viewpoints are outside a routine winter visitor itinerary. Use this month to select a spring sailing; read the operator reports without following staff-only winter routes.

February: public day landings remain outside the published programme. The operator’s wider island year can include returning birds, but North Haven is not a walk-in mainland viewpoint. Plan April for Guillemots and Razorbills there instead of assuming a February landing can be arranged.

March: Guillemots and Razorbills typically gather at North Haven while Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests can pass through North Valley Crossing. These are island ecological changes; the ordinary visitor programme starts in April. Do not treat a staff March report as permission to land early.

April: usually begin the booked island visit at North Haven for Guillemots and Razorbills, then follow the permitted path to The Wick for returning Puffins. The Wildlife Trust’s visitor timeline favours mid-April onwards for Puffins. Leave time for North Pond Public Hide and its Shelduck and Shoveler.

May: typically give The Wick a sustained Puffin watch and compare the Kittiwakes at High Cliff. The Farm’s public paths add Wheatear, Swallow and Meadow Pipit. Stay on the marked line throughout: apparently empty turf can conceal burrows, and a feeding bird needs room to pass.

June: usually choose the main seabird circuit for Puffins at The Wick and Guillemots and Razorbills at North Haven. Kittiwakes also use the South Stream coastal view. On the northern circuit, Garland Stone offers Gannets and Shags; binoculars are usually easier than a tripod on a busy path.

July: typically visit early in the month for Puffins at The Wick and auks at North Haven. The operator says auk departures begin during July and Puffins have gone by its end. North Pond Public Hide offers Mallard, Moorhen and Shoveler as the cliff colonies change.

August: usually switch from Puffins to Manx Shearwaters offshore from Skomer Head, gulls around the coastal circuit and passage birds near The Farm and North Valley Crossing. A scope can help with the offshore watch. Night-time shearwater activity requires an authorised overnight stay or operator event.

September: typically combine Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs along the North Valley Crossing route with Teal from North Pond Public Hide. Skomer Head can offer Common Scoters and Manx Shearwaters offshore. The day-boat schedule is reduced, so the confirmed return sailing determines the length of the circuit.

October: ordinary day landings have ended. Staff reports can describe Common Scoters from Skomer Head and Goldcrests at North Valley Crossing, but those reports do not extend visitor access. Keep the island watching places for a booked open-season trip and choose a safe mainland alternative now.

November: no ordinary island day trip is available. Late migrants such as Goldcrest and Chiffchaff can be part of the island reports, with North Valley Crossing a recording area rather than an accessible winter outing. Review the next year’s official programme before making travel commitments.

December: the public island circuit remains outside its season. Choughs are year-round island birds, while the visitor decision is when to return to The Wick for the summer seabirds. Match any new booking to the operator’s published year and keep flexibility for weather cancellations.

Opening times, entry and facilities

Pembrokeshire Islands Boat Trips is the only commercial boat operator that lands day visitors, as confirmed by the Wildlife Trust. Its landing ticket combines the crossing and island admission; use the dated fares in Boat access. The boat company requires check-in at Lockley Lodge, Martin’s Haven, one hour before departure. A cruise ticket is a different product and does not give island access. The National Trust manages mainland parking. The Wildlife Trust’s day-trip page checked on 18 October 2026 contains conflicting £8 and £7 daily tariffs; consult the National Trust’s current Martin’s Haven information and the displayed tariff before paying. National Trust members are described as parking free. Allow time for payment and the walk to the departure point. The published day-visitor limit is 250, reported by Visit Pembrokeshire and the boat operator’s Visit Wales listing; reserve a place rather than relying on a walk-up ticket.

Trails, hides and visit length

The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park describes a four-mile island walk taking about three hours. That is a walking estimate, not a promise that you can stop at every colony and still finish comfortably. Use the welcome briefing and current visitor map to choose between the signed branches. North Haven, the Wick, the Farm and the Garland Stone area help you orientate the day without treating every viewpoint as compulsory. Our suggested two-hour plan is a focused period within your booked landing visit, not a shorter boat ticket. Begin by getting your bearings at North Haven, follow the signed route towards the Wick if open, and give one colony viewpoint a proper watch. Compare Puffins arriving and departing with the more tightly packed auk ledges. Turn back with generous time for the walk to your allocated return. Add a Farm stop only when it fits that route and your pace. For a full-day plan, keep the whole visit within the sailing arrangement. After the briefing, select a longer marked circuit with time around the Wick and a second coastal viewpoint towards the Garland Stone if the current map and conditions permit. Take a picnic break, then retrace the return connection before you become tired. Spend spare time watching flight lines rather than adding an improvised detour. These are editorial itineraries, adjustable to weather, closures and the time available; the birding reward comes from patient observation, not completing a checklist of headlands.

Boat access and landing

Operator: Pembrokeshire Islands Boat Trips.

Booking opens: 2027 day trips go on sale in December 2026, confirmed by the Wildlife Trust; an exact day is not yet announced. Season: The published 2026 timetable covers April–August, with a reduced September service; closed days: Mondays except the advertised Whitsun bank-holiday sailing; September Fridays also have no day boats. Do not assume the 2026 exception fixes the 2027 calendar. Fares: 2026 boat-and-landing ticket: adult (12+) £42 on 1–15 April, £46 on 16 April–31 July, £32 on 1 August–30 September; child (2–11) £30, £30 and £24 respectively. Infants travel free on an adult’s lap.

Time ashore: The boat company describes approximately 4½ hours ashore within a five-hour trip. Keep the return departure allocated to your booking. Landing access: North Haven landing; read Accessibility before booking a landing rather than a round-island cruise. Weather policy: Adverse sea conditions can cancel sailings. The Wildlife Trust says cancellation emails trigger automatic full refunds; retain flexibility in mainland accommodation

Accessibility and step-free routes

The Wildlife Trust’s accessibility page confirms 87 steps after landing, narrow island paths and some steep, rough sections. It says wheelchair users cannot make the island visit and that day visitors cannot receive a vehicle lift to the Farm. Martin’s Haven jetty is also described as steep. Consider the combined demands of boarding, the climb and a return walk before buying a landing ticket; being able to manage one flight of steps at home does not establish suitability for the whole visit. Staff can adjust the welcome talk for people who need longer to climb, including giving a separate briefing. Printed welcome information and a hearing-loop system are available. Blind and partially sighted visitors can arrange a staff chaperone in advance with the Visitor Officer; assistance-animal rules are in Dogs below. Discuss the specific support you need before booking travel. A non-landing boat trip can be an alternative. The Trust describes accessible sailings from Dale jetty for wheelchair users and people with limited mobility, but these are separately arranged trips. Establish availability, boarding arrangements and suitability with the operator before choosing one; a standard Martin’s Haven cruise should not be assumed to have the same access.

Public transport and getting there

Martin’s Haven is the departure point; the sailing company’s Neyland address is not the boarding location. Haverfordwest and Milford Haven are the rail gateways identified by the Wildlife Trust. From either, arrange the final journey in advance and match it to the earlier check-in requirement, not simply the boat’s departure. Save the return connection as well as the outward journey. Richards Bros publishes the seasonal Puffin Shuttle 400 between St Davids and Martin’s Haven for 23 May–27 September 2026. That timetable is evidence for 2026, not a 2027 service promise. Before booking a 2027 trip, use the operator’s new timetable or arrange a taxi connection from the station. The Wildlife Trust also points to Transport for Wales fflecsi services in the area; book and confirm the actual pickup and arrival time rather than assuming an on-demand bus is waiting at the station. A missed last connection can make an otherwise short island outing difficult.