It was 1970 when I was a young boy on a family holiday to Ilfracombe that my family visited Lundy, There are some things I recall of that holiday, one of which was the trip to Lundy. I can recall the crossing, the boat, probably the same one used today, being followed by Gannets and being taken in by the size of these magnificent birds. I know we never saw Puffins, the nearest being queuing for the "Lundy" stamp on the island. But the memory has for some reason stuck with me for 52 years and so it was Helen and I were standing on the quay side at Ilfracombe waiting to board the MS Oldenburg. The journey from Okehampton had been in rain, but now the skies were clearing and while there was a stiff breeze at foresaw a bumpy crossing it looked very good for a lovely day to be on a piece of granite about five kilometres long and one kilometre at its widest.
As we stood on the quay the statue of "Verity" a 20 metre bronze statue loomed over us. The statue is is the product of the world's richest and arguably most controversial artist, Damien Hirst.
The name of the piece refers to "truth" and
Hirst describes his work as a "modern allegory of truth and justice". The statue depicts a pregnant woman holding
aloft a sword while carrying the scales of justice and standing on a
pile of law books. Half of the sculpture shows the internal anatomy of
the pregnant woman, with the foetus clearly visible.
On Hirst's website it says: "Verity stands on a base of
scattered legal books and holds the traditional symbols of Justice – a sword
and scales.
"Representing truth, her scales are hidden and off-balance behind her back, whilst her sword is held confidently in her upstretched arm.
The Island has been inhabited for at least 3,000 years -
archaeological investigations have discovered considerable traces of Bronze and
Iron Age settlements. The Dark Ages, following the fall of the Roman
Empire, left Lundy shrouded in myth and legend.
Marauding Vikings around the 9th century AD contributed the
name – Lund-ey, meaning Puffin Island.
Historical records began following the Norman Conquest.
For well over a hundred years Lundy became home to the troublesome de
Marisco family whose favour with the reigning monarchs waxed and waned, the low
point being when William de Marisco was hung, drawn and quartered for treason
in 1242.
For the next 600 years the Island was variously a base for
marauders (including allegedly the Barbary Pirates), a fortified outpost loyal
to King Charles I, a retreat for disgraced nobility and the centre of an ingenious
smuggling operation.
In 1833 the estimated population of Lundy was 10 people, a
single family living in a cottage and the four keepers of the lighthouse which
had been built in 1819 by Trinity House. The Island was owned at the time
by two “gentlemen”, Messrs Matravers and Striffe who purportedly won it in a
card game.
William Hudson Heaven was a Gloucestershire businessman
whose wealth came from the plantations worked by enslaved people in Jamaica
that he inherited from his godfather. Heaven’s ambition had always been to own
an island. When in 1834 he received £11,711 in government compensation for the
emancipation of his enslaved workers, he bought Lundy for £9,870. Over
the family’s 85 years of ownership the Beach Road, Millcombe House and St Helen’s
Church were built.
In 1863 the newly-formed Lundy Granite Company agreed to lease the Island for an annual rent of £500 plus royalties for the granite quarried. The family kept possession of their southeast corner and the quarrying company, which employed over 200 men, embarked on an extensive building programme. However it wasn’t to last. In 1868 the company went into liquidation.
The next important character was Martin Coles Harman who in
1925 paid just over £25,000 for the Island, along with its livestock and supply
ship, the Lerina. He was responsible for introducing many of the animals,
the establishment of the private postal system and the single issue of Puffin
coinage.
After his death in 1954 the Harman family continued to run
Lundy until the death of Albion Harman, Martin Coles’ son, in 1968 which left
his wife and two sisters with joint ownership. The Island was put up for
sale with the proviso that “Whoever takes over Lundy must love it as we do.”
The National Trust launched an appeal to raise the necessary
£150,000 after the conservation charity, The Landmark Trust, offered to
underwrite it. No sooner had the appeal been launched when the
philanthropic businessman Jack Hayward stepped in with a gift of the purchase
price.
The Landmark Trust, agreed to lease Lundy for 60 years and
to restore, maintain and run the Island and to keep it as a tranquil and
unaffected place for the Islanders and visitors to share and enjoy.
One should not under estimate the climb from the landing beach to the top of the cliffs
But with some wonderful views along the east coast in the sunshine.
One last look at the MS Oldenburg before we reached the top of the path.
You can stay on the island either in accommodation or camping and to support this there is a very well stocked stores and a pub. I can't recall if these were there back in 1970, I know there was a Post Office though.
After collecting lunch we headed along a track through a series of very well stock farm buildings and then out into the open. It was clear skies and plenty of sunshine but a very fresh south west wind took the edge off the temperatures. The Highland Cows didn't seem to mind though.
So where were the famous Lundy Puffins? Well I eventually found some sitting on the water many metres below us.
You can tell from the image quality that these were a long way away and many of the day trippers without optics were going to struggle to see them.
Having finished lunch we set off, you get 4 hours from arriving and leaving and that time is whittled down with the disembarkment, we definitely did not want o be stuck on the island. That was going to happen but you have to leave time in case something distracts you. I took some time to take in the rugged coastline here on the west side, formed by the mighty Atlantic Ocean.
Just a round the corner of the cove I decided to look back and from here you were actually able to get a distant view of the Puffins around their burrows about half way down the cliff.
Also Auks on the water.
It was also possible to see Kittiwake and Fulmar but again low over the water. There was some sound but nothing like the experience we had last year on the Treshnish Island. All in all I was a little disappointed, I was expecting something more.
We started to make our way back, continuing to follow the path at the top of the cliffs. I picked up what I thought initially was another Peregrine, but then realised that it was too small and realised it was a Merlin and I watched as it twisted and turned in a pointless chase of a Swallow.
Wild Goats could be seen all around the island
There was time for an ice cream and drink in the Tavern before setting off to the Landing Beach. There was quite a line already and the local wildlife in the form of Grey Seals had turned up to ensure we al got of the island.
Another sea bird I had expected to see a lot of was the Shag, but one on the rocks near the Puffins and these two on the water by the ship were the only ones I saw.
The trip back was a calm gentle experience, we were going back with the benefit of a rising tide and the engine was not feeling like it was pushing up hill as it was on the crossing earlier. As a result the ship was pretty stable, however the bird life not as prolific.
Here are the best of the return crossing.
Kittiwakes, an adult
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