Ramsey Island: Choughs, Seals and the Tide Race Off St Davids

Ramsey sits a short way off the tip of the St Davids peninsula, and it is a different proposition from Skomer. Bigger cliffs, fewer puffins, far more drama in the water on the way over.

The island

Ramsey — Ynys Dewi in Welsh — is an RSPB reserve. The west side is a wall of cliff, some of the highest sea cliff in this part of Wales, and the island rises to two hills that give you the whole of St Brides Bay and, on a clear day, the mountains across Cardigan Bay.

Three things it's known for.

Choughs. The red-billed, red-legged crow that has vanished from most of Britain does very well here. Ramsey is one of the best places in the country to watch them working the short turf on the clifftops, and they're loud enough that you'll usually hear them first.

Grey seals. Ramsey holds one of the largest pupping colonies in southern Britain. From late August into autumn the coves below the path fill with white-coated pups, and the noise carries a long way. This is the reason to visit in September and October rather than July.

The cliffs. Peregrines, ravens, guillemots and razorbills on the ledges, and Manx shearwaters breeding again since rats were removed from the island. There's also a small herd of red deer, which surprises people who came for birds.

The crossing

Boats go from St Justinian's, a couple of miles west of St Davids down a narrow lane with limited parking. There is a steep descent to the water at the mainland end.

The route crosses Ramsey Sound, which contains the reef known as the Bitches. The tide funnels through the gap and piles up over the rocks, producing one of the fiercest tidal races in Britain — standing waves, whirlpools and a very obvious step in the sea surface at the right state of tide. Some operators run dedicated fast-boat trips into it as the trip itself.

Crossings are weather and tide dependent and are cancelled regularly. Landing numbers are limited, places book up, and schedules, seasons and costs change each year — check the reserve and the boat operator directly rather than trusting a printed timetable.

Landing versus not landing

Two kinds of trip leave from here and they suit different people.

A landing trip gives you several hours ashore on marked trails, with a climb from the landing and rough ground once you're up. Take food and water; there is nothing to buy.

A non-landing trip circles the island and often continues out towards Grassholm for the gannets. If you mainly want seals, cliffs and the tide race, this is arguably the better ticket, and it runs in conditions when landings can't.

Timing

Late spring for seabirds and flowers, autumn for seal pups. Ramsey never has the puffin density of Skomer, so if puffins are the whole point, book Skomer and treat Ramsey as the alternative.

Where to stay

St Davids puts you ten minutes from the boat and is the obvious base. Solva and Whitesands are close, and the St Davids Head walk from Whitesands covers the same coastline from land — on a cancelled sailing, that's the consolation prize, and a good one.

More on all the islands in our overview guide, or see what else is on the water in boat trips from Pembrokeshire.