Skomer Island, Wales: Britain's best job?

by Gareth Scurlock - 11/01/2010

"Noisy birds and meagre pay: the job of warden on the Pembrokeshire island is no match for Queensland's PR stunt but it's a beautiful place to visit."

My first visit to Skomer Island was at the age of ten.

As a treat to those of us about to leave for the large local comprehensive, Broad Haven Primary School took my class on a day trip to the island a few miles down the coast.

The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park is the only coastal park in the UK, a testament to it having an unfair proportion of the best beaches in the country, along with the Preseli Hills, beautiful countryside and a clutch of islands that are important habitats for many species of seabirds.

It also has a 186-mile coastal path that, along with the beaches, hills, castles and cliffs, make it one of the UK's most popular summer holiday destinations.

In primary and secondary school we used to race each other in sports days as members of one of four teams, named after the largest and most famous islands, Skomer, Ramsey, Caldey and Grassholm.

Caldey, near the coastal resort of Tenby, is unique for being inhabited by monks that produce a fine line of chocolate. It also has some decent beaches and is a popular short boat trip from the town.

The other three, along with Skomer's neighbour Skokholm, are inhabited only by seabirds and small wild animals, save for the lonely occupants of Skomer and Ramsey - a warden and assistant on each with temporary volunteers.

The job of warden has come up for the first time in six years. It has been compared to the Queensland Tourist Board's competition to be caretaker of Hamilton Island, won by Briton Ben Southall, whose tenure came to an end last week shortly after he was stung by a highly venomous irukandji jellyfish.

Both jobs are as wardens of islands but that, I'm afraid, is where the similarity ends.

Hamilton Island is, by all accounts, a tropical paradise drenched in sun. The winner bagged a whopping £83,000 for six months' work and his duties involved little more than sunbathing, enjoying watersports, sightseeing and and general fun. The only downside is potential encounters with deadly animals.

What's more, the Hamilton Island publicity stunt was a massive marketing success for the tourist board, and judging by the blog the only suffering encountered by the winner was that jellyfish sting.

The rest was a PR exercise, with Southall being taken around the islands to stay in luxurious hotels and properties and experience high end internal flights and activities - big plugs all round for those companies providing the freebies.

The job of warden on Skomer Island is a full-time position paying a mere £14,000-16,000 and it is a labour of love. They have to look after the 14,000 annual visitors, protect the natural habitat and rule the roost over up to six volunteers at a time (see an account of volunteering on the island below).

Those who take up the challenge don't have a quiet life - there are noisy birds to contend with for much of the day and night. In winter and during windy weather the treeless island presents the kind of bracing weather that is definitely not relaxing or suitable for sunbathing.

What's more, even getting supplies is not easy with the short boat ride regularly cancelled in windy and stormy weather - it has to travel across an infamous stretch of water known as Jack Sound.

But there are plenty of upsides - there are few better places to experience the invigourating best of the great British outdoors, while in spring the island begins to sprout blankets of brightly coloured bluebells and other wild flowers.

It is large enough to explore as a tourist on a day trip, being careful not to step on the bird burrows. The island boasts the largest concentration of Manx Shearwater in the world, along with one of the largest populations of puffin in Britain.

More Details: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/destinations/wales/article6976702.ece