AROUND PUFFIN ISLAND...

Here’s a short history: Puffin Island (Ynys Seiriol in Welsh) is an uninhabited island off the eastern tip of Anglesey, Wales. It was formerly known as Priestholm in English and Ynys Lannog in Welsh. Puffin Island is the ninth largest island off the coast of Wales. It is Carboniferous limestone, 58m above sea level at its highest point and has steep cliffs on all sides. It has an area of 0.28 km. The island is privately owned by the Baron Hill estate and landing is not allowed without special permission. The island is a Special Protection Area (SPA), particularly because of the Great Cormorant colony of over 750 pairs, making it one of the largest colonies in the British Isles. It also has good numbers of Guillemot, Razorbill, Shag and Kittiwake nesting, and in recent years small numbers of Common Eider and Black Guillemot. The Puffins from which the island gets its modern English name bred in considerable numbers at one time, with up to 2,000 pairs recorded. The Brown Rat was introduced accidentally to the island, probably in the late 19th century, and reduced this population to a very few pairs. A programme of poisoning these rats started in 1998 by the Countryside Council for Wales appears to have eradicated them, and the Puffin population has shown an increase since that date. At one time the island was heavily grazed by rabbits, but these were wiped out by an outbreak of myxomatosis, leading to the growth of dense vegetation, particularly Common Elder (Sambucus nigra). The strong currents around the island provide for an abundance of marine life, particularly on the north coast where the depths reach 15 metres, and many people enjoy fishing trips departing from Beaumaris in these waters, catching mainly mackerel, but many other species are caught.

The Trip:
Setting of from Trwyn y Penrhyn to paddle the short distance to Trwyn Penmon where you cross over to the island. With a stiff breeze blowing and plenty of moving water coming through the channel, it became quite choppy and I needed all my concentration to keep myself upright and moving in a straight line. It was good to know that some of the other paddlers around me would be finding this a walk in the park, but this being only my second trip out this year, I was still getting the feel for the boat. Eight of us in total, out for a few hours of leisurely paddling; or so we thought.
As we made our way around the island in a clockwise direction we were greeted by a small colony of seals curiously watching us as we bounced around on the bubbling water.
At the far end of the island we took shelter in a small cove to take on liquid and snacks and to rest some tired limbs. Then around the end of the island and on to it’s Western side only to be confronted by a strong southerly wind blowing directly into our faces.
(Force 4 to 5 was our calculations) This was getting to be hard work. If you eased off for just a few seconds you’d find yourself drifting backwards. This was not the place or time to have a capsize. What felt like an age we eventually made it to the other end of the island and pulled onto a shingle beach to take another well-earned rest. At the far end of the beach a family of seals were making their way down to the waters edge and the sun came out to warm my tired limbs. Then back across the channel and onto a small sheltered beach for lunch. It’s interesting how food tastes so much better when you’ve really had to work hard for it.
Then another short paddle into the wind to arrive back at our put-in. Some 3 hours out on the water and some great company to share it with. What a great way to spend some quality time on a Saturday afternoon.
The question now is, where to next?