Sunset over Skomer Island, Pembrokeshire, Wales

The orange light of the setting sun illuminating the ocean cloudscape above Skomer Island off the Pembrokeshire coast of Wales, UK. Image © fotoVoyager 2008.

As usual, this beautiful, tranquil scene of calming, zen-like nature at its most spectacular belies the frantic truth of its taking. Late, weighed down by equipment and having to bribe, cajole and keep a close eye on my companion to make sure she didn’t fall off the steep cliffs of this rugged coastline (more on her in the next post), I just managed to get set up as the sun dipped below the cloud layer, washing the surf and shore in a warm glow of golden light. Phew. Here, have a biscuit. Don’t go to close the edge! No, I won’t be long, I promise. Yes, you can watch television when we get back. Here, take my coat if you’re cold… NOT NOW! If you’ve got kids you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.

Anyway, back to the subject at hand. Skomer Island, a dramatic rocky outcrop separated from the mainland by Jack Sound, a thrashing race of treacherous water full of ship wrecks and seals, is a bird spotter’s paradise with Puffins, Shearwaters and Kittiwakes nesting on its remote cliffs. You can catch a boat from Martin’s Haven and roam over the unspoilt landscape looking for wildlife and signs of its prehistoric inhabitants. Just don’t miss the last boat back.

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1/125, f6.7, ISO200 28mm

7500 × 2312 pixels. Please don’t steal this image, it’s how I make my living.