Steep Holm Island

26/08/2026

We were very happy to welcome Duncan, from The Palmerston Forts Society and Portsdown Artillery Volunteers on our last trip.
He very kindly presented us with an amazing hand sewn flag, which proudly adourns our reinstated flag pole, on the exact spot it was originally placed in the 1800's.
We will also soon be displaying some Uniforms from the 1860's in our Island Barracks, these were also gifted to us and we are truly grateful.
THANK YOU very much! Come visit us again soon!

20/08/2026

Last week we hosted some very special visitors! Mark and Steve were happy to have Skomer Islands' Warden, Leighton, their Visitor Officer, Rob and Martin P who is also one of our Volunteers, come to spend the day.
Also from Flat Holm, Care and Maintenance Manager, Lee, Flat Holm Societys' Vernon and from Cardiff Council, Natalie, who own the Island and oversee the running of it.
It has been a fantastic effort made by the three Islands, to have this cross Island co-operation, visiting each others reserves and sharing knowledge and ideas.
We thank ALL involved and look forward to continuing this special and very productive relationship.

16/08/2026

A lot to catch up on over this week!
Firstly we want to acknowledge a situation Saturday morning, one we have not encountered before.
We had a wonderful full trip planned, with guests coming from Cardiff and from Weston.
Mark accompanied the Cardiff guests and then the two boats came to Weston to collect the first 24 passengers.
Not forecast was the change in wind direction, coupled with the known, extremely high tide!
To say everyone was wet, would be an understatement! But spirits remained high and all knew the sunshine would soon dry clothing and boots!
On arriving back to Weston, the other 24 passengers boarded and headed out on the extremely wild ride to the Island.
By which time the unexpected tide had fully covered the landing beach and even with all the expertise of the boat crews and our amazing crew, it soon became obvious, landing was IMPOSSIBLE! We praise Bay Island Voyages for all their efforts to try to get everyone onto the Island, sometimes it is not humanly possible!
SAFETY HAS TO BE PRIORITY... and it was not safe.
Disappointing for everyone involved.
A trip around the island, was not compensation, but hopefully helped just a little. We know those on the boats, realised how the weather controls everything!
To our guests and our volunteers who remained behind for the last trip.. we THANK YOU, for your patience and understanding. We hope you will rebook and not be discouraged by this very unfortunate scenario!
We can't wait to welcome you!

13/08/2026

An early sunrise with boats heading off for a glorious day on the Island! A full trip, bringing special visitors from both Weston and Cardiff.
Stay tuned for our updates later 😀

07/08/2026

We were delighted to know that the 'Steepholmers' shanty group have a new song dedicated to our wonderful Island! Was a pleasant surprise at the Sea Shanty Festival.
Let us know what you think?

04/08/2026

As you can imagine, getting large equipment and stock to and from the Island is a huge challenge.
Today we want to say a HUGE THANK YOU, to Bay Island Voyages and their skipper Craig. Without this team, we could not continue to run Visitor trips or maintain this Nature Reserve like we do!
After bringing back old or redundant equipment on Saturday for us, they again today, put on a special boat for us to take over a very important new flail, as part of our 'Windfarm Scrub Clearance Program'
Protecting the boat with sheeting and carpets, a successful van full of equipment is on it's way!
Special shout out to Mark and our volunteers too!
A lot of planning, but without your dedication and teamwork, none of this would be possible.
Respect and gratitude is hopefully evident in this post!

03/08/2026

Did anyone see the 'water spout' on Saturday morning?
Whilst we were on land at the Sea Shanty Festival and despite us having a crew and over 50 guests on the Island, we did not hear about this!
Would be great if anybody managed to get photos from the Island ......

The narrow, spinning column of air is a tornado which forms over water during showery weather conditions.

02/08/2026

Just a taster of the Weston-Super-Mare Sea Shanty festival. It’s the last day today to enjoy live entertainment in this free event and as a bonus, you can pop along to our stand and chat to some of our amazing volunteers to find out what’s in store on the island for your visit.

01/08/2026

25/07/2026

Hoping to see you at Penarth Pier today!