Lundy (‘Puffin Island’) lies in the Bristol Channel. It is three miles long, a 400 foot granite outcrop with tremendous views of sea and mainland. Its cliffs and hanging valleys are rich in wildlife and wildflowers. Lundy was taken on by the National Trust in 1969 through the generosity of Sir Jack Hayward, when the Landmark Trust agreed to run the island and restore its buildings under a 99 year lease. Most of these buildings are clustered at the south end of the island: they include a castle, cottages, a working farm and several foursquare houses. You can stay at various levels of comfort, from camping to the former Governor’s House and everything in between.

Lundy is small and far enough away to be a world apart and undefaced. It offers the pleasures both of pure escape and of participation in the island community: walks high amid the breezes and wheeling seabirds, looking out across the sea to the Devon coast or across the wide Atlantic, and sociable visits to tavern and shop. Everyone has free run of the whole island, and for those interested, there are field studies in flora and fauna, rock climbing, diving and snorkelling.

Getting to Lundy is also part of the adventure. You leave your car on the mainland and between March and November, day and staying visitors cross to the island on our handsome supply ship the MS Oldenburg. Through the winter months, there is a helicopter service from Hartland Point for those staying on the island. To view the Lundy transport timetable please click here. It is also possible to make your  way over to the island using your own transport.

All those who experience the light and natural beauty of Lundy leave with something in common which they treasure. Many return again and again.

The Castle was built by Henry III in about 1250, and paid for by the sale of rabbits. High up on the south-east point of the island, it replaced the earlier castle of the unruly Mariscos, which stood in Bull’s Paradise behind the farm. In the Civil War Lundy was held for the Royalists to the very end by Thomas Bushell, who rebuilt the castle. He owned a silver mine and tradition says he minted coins here.

By 1787 cottages had been built round the small courtyard inside the Keep. These have decayed and been rebuilt several times, most recently by us, as three Castle Keep Cottages. They are snug and sociable, inward-looking except for one or two windows in the outer walls which have spectacular marine views.

Sleeps: 2