|
This little, windswept, granite island lies at the mouth of the Bristol Channel where it meets the Atlantic . Only 5 kilometres (3 miles) long by 0.8 kilometre (1/2 mile) wide, with an area of just over 405 hectares (1,000 acres), it has fewer than 20 permanent residents, employed by the Landmark Trust, which manages the island for the National Trust. There are three lighthouses (two in use), one pub (the hub of island life), a well stocked shop and no cars.
The Island is flanked by towering cliffs up to 122 metres (390 feet) high along the north, west and south coasts. The east coast, facing the mainland, has steep slopes with small valleys, covered by bracken and introduced Rhododendron. The only relatively sheltered landing place lies in the south east corner.
The flat central plateau is covered by grass and heather, with farmed land in the south and wild moorland to the north. It is grazed by rabbits, sheep (domestic sheep and Soay Sheep, an ancient breed introduced to the island in 1944), feral goats, Ponies and Sika Deer, originally from Japan and introduced in the 1920s. The deer live mainly among Rhododendron thickets on the east side, but can often be seen at dusk as they move towards the fields to feed. Black Rats, almost vanished from the British mainland, live on the appropriately named Rat Island off the south east tip of Lundy.
Much scientific research into Lundy wildlife and its conservation is organized by the Lundy Field Society; students and staff from Exeter University's School of Psychology visit the island to study animal behaviour. History Lundy has a long and chequered past. Archaeologists have unearthed evidence of ancient settlements dating back to Neolithic or early Bronze Age times. Early Christians arrived during the Dark Ages, and Vikings raided the island.
Next came the Normans, including the piratical de Marisco family, who built Marisco Castle and challenged the English King Henry III until Sir William de Marisco was captured and executed in 1242. The King reinforced Marisco Castle in an attempt to protect the island; the work was paid for by the sale of rabbits, for Lundy was one of the royal warrens. Despite this, the island continued as a hideaway for pirates, smugglers, convicts and plunderers of the many ships wrecked in the area.
During the English Civil War (1642-9) it was a Royalist refuge, the last part of Britain to surrender to Cromwell's Roundheads.
Since then, Lundy has had a succession of owners. From 1836-1917 it was owned by the Heaven family, and became jokingly known as the `Kingdom of Heaven'. More recently, Martin Coles Harman called himself `King of Lundy', proclaimed the island a self-governing Dominion of the British Empire, and issued Lundy currency (`puffins') and postage stamps: stamps are still issued today, and are collectors' items. In 1969, the National Trust bought the island.
A Special Cabbage
Lundy is home to a variety of plants, including glorious pink Thrift, which carpets the clifftops in early spring. But the most special is the Cabbage, which along with two species of beetles that live only on it is found nowhere else in the world. The best place to look for this unique plant is around Millcombe House.
The First Marine Reserve
Lundy is one of only two Marine Nature Reserves in Britain, and its clear waters and more than 200 wrecks are a magnet for divers and snorkellers.
Administered by English Nature, the reserve extends from high-water mark to 1 kilometre (0.6 mile) offshore and features an underwater nature trail for scuba divers. Thanks to the great variety of underwater habitats ranging from sheer cliffs to large areas of sand and gravel, it is particularly rich in marine life, with many rare invertebrates. This undersea world resembles an aquatic garden, with brightly coloured seaweeds, sponges, cup corals, sea fans, jewel anemones and sea slugs, including many species more characteristic of the Mediterranean. This island is one of the few sites where all five native British species of corals can be found. Fish include Pollack, various wrasses and Red Bandfish, which spends much of its time buried in mud.
There is a small resident population of Grey Seals. They can be seen in the water or hauled out on the rocks, and breed in coves, such as Seal Hole on the south coast and at the foot of Puffin Gulley in the north. It is important to avoid disturbing them during their breeding season (September to November). Dolphins and Basking Sharks are regularly seen offshore in summer.
Rich Birdlife
Over 400 species of birds have been recorded. About 40 of these breed inland, including Peregrine Falcons, a few pairs of Lapwings and Curlews, Skylarks, Meadow and Rock Pipits, and Ravens. The main seabird colonies are along the west coast, especially at Battery Point, and on the northern tip. You can usually see Shags, Fulmars, Herring, Lesser Black-backed and Great Black-backed Gulls, Kittiwakes, and several hundred auks, mainly Guillemots and Razorbills.
The island was named by Norse raiders: Lunde-eye means `Puffin Island'. These engaging birds have sadly now declined to just a few pairs, though non breeders can be seen offshore. Large flocks (or `rafts') of Manx Shearwaters gather offshore in summer, at night: most come from the breeding colonies on the Pembrokeshire islands, but some still breed on Island.
Most birdwatchers visit the Island in spring and autumn to see migrants such as Merlins, Ring Ouzels, Short-eared Owls, Black Redstarts and other chats, a variety of warblers, and an impressive list of rarities. One or two Hoopoes and Golden Orioles are likely most years, particularly after light winds; Dotterels are recorded annually. Good sites for passerine migrants are the shrubs and overgrown quarries of the east side, and especially sheltered Millcombe Valley.
This Island has claimed several `firsts' for the British Isles. Most remarkable was the Ancient Murrelet that was first sighted in Jenny's Cove on 27 May 1990 by an astonished pair of birders on an RSPB trip, and which normally lives along the North Pacific coast. It probably crossed North America and then, finding itself in the wrong ocean, followed nesting auks to the Island. It staved until 26 June and amazingly, returned the neat two years.
Extract from The National Parks and other wild places of Britain & Ireland, Jonathan Elphick. David Tipling. Published by New Holland Publishers(UK) 2002 . |
