Wales Skomer or Skokholm?

zicklurky

zicklurky

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Chris
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I'm determined to head to Skomer or Skokholm next year, and was wondering if one is better than the other for photography? Do they have the same wildlife being so close?
 
I'm surprised no one has answered this yet someone must have been to both, I have been to Skomer twice and it is a lovely place, I started out with a long lens but quickly changed to a standard zoom (28-70) as the Puffins were so close and there was hundreds of them
this was quite a few years ago and of course things can change, the island was run by the RSPB but owned by the National Trust I believe ( if my memory serves me well but it often plays tricks on me so don't take that as gospel ) so you could try their respective web sites.
Good luck

Cheers Bob
 
Hi Chris, I've been to both a few times and have to say I prefer Skokholm of the two. The fact that you have the island to yourself (and the other nineteen guests) with no day visitors just makes it seem more remote and exclusive. From a photography point of view it doesn't make a great deal of difference with great locations on both islands.
 
Chris, I have been to both islands twice and as Andy said I like the fact that there are no day visitors to Skokholm.
As for the photography there's not a lot in it, but I would say Skomer has the edge especially with the angle of the sun at The WIck.
 
Big Andy said:
Just to add to @gramps post above, you will have priority on the first boat if staying on either of the islands rather than just being a day visitor. Or that was the case when I've stayed there in the past.
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That was the case last year :)
 
Thanks so much for the responses! I think I'm going to go to Skokholm, I like the idea of a quiet island.

Is it easy enough to get a booking , or should I become a member of the wildlife trust to get the week-earlier booking?

Thanks
 
Skomer is good for staying on, day trippers pose no problems as you wont be out when they are there between 10am-4pm. I haven't been to skokholm but I gather there are less boats so less choice on dates and more chance of being storm bound by the wind being from the wrong direction. The best weeks (ie sand eel weeks) are booked up fast by members. Boat wise on skomer guests go on an earlier boat than the day trippers so there is no clashing, this is good considering the amount of gear there was between 12 photographers when we went this year). You have to be at the quayside on time otherwise its likely you won't get across. We stayed over close by to ensure we were there on time. You have to take all food, bedding, clothes in need and may need to carry them in the tractor is not working.
 
You've not got much chance of booking unless you're a member. I've been a few times and you can spend all morning trying to get through and still miss out on your preferred dates
 
Hmmm ok I'll become a member then, thanks! Would be nice to see the puffins with the sand eels, but not the end of the world if I can't get those dates. I've never seen a puffin, so I'll be stoked either way :)
 
zicklurky said:
Hmmm ok I'll become a member then, thanks! Would be nice to see the puffins with the sand eels, but not the end of the world if I can't get those dates. I've never seen a puffin, so I'll be stoked either way :)
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You will get the sand eel pictures any time from mid May to mid July with June being the best bet. On the other side of the coin if you get there in April to mid May you will find the Islands covered in wild flowers giving a great back ground to any image. For seal pups you need to be there in the Autumn. It's worth getting membership when looking for dates in May-June but may not be needed for dates outside of that period.
 
Cheers Andy! I'll see what dates I can get when booking opens.
 
1st week in July, Pufflings & flowers, what more do you need :)

puff2.jpg
 
Skomer for me, I couldn't believe how close the puffins were, actually walking past the photographers. I was able to get close up head shots no problems.
 
I went to Skomer this year, at the same time Dave Kiddle went to Skokholm. When comparing notes afterwards, there were more puffins on Skomer (although less than the previous year) and no storm petrels, Skokholm had lots of storm petrels - I guess you've got to decide what birds you're more interested in seeing.
The puffins really are adorable!
 
I'm lucky as they are local to me (20 mins from my house to the boat) so I go there often. Not sure which I'd choose but maybe Skomer. One thing to remember is the boat transfers depend on the weather, the day may look nice but of the wind is in an awkward direction the boat may not run.
 
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If Puffins, Razorbills and guillemots are your target then Skomer is the place to go. It has significantly higher populations of these birds than Skokholm. In general Skomer has a larger variety of species.

Skomer is also the easiest to get to as Skokholm is more weather dependent for landing. Skomer tends to have problems when the wind comes from the North and day visitor trips and trips for those staying on the island do get cancelled.

Generally those staying on Skomer have the first boat to themselves to take them over with their gear. 16 people can bring a lot of equipment especially if you're on the island at the same time as some of the workshops that are very popular there now.

Getting a booking in the peak time at end of June beginning of July can be difficult. The growing number of pro photographers that run workshops on the island generally target these times. Becoming a member of the trust is worth while. If you plan to try and book to stay on the island have some fall back dates if you can't get what you want. As an example it took me 90minutes to get through when the bookings for 2015 opened. That was starting when the office opened and just hitting redial for the whole time. Even then I had to move my dates a day or two to get a booking. I think in future I would go to the office and be there when it opened.

Everyone, including the pro workshops is supposed to go through the same routine but I wonder whether the workshops get some priority as they are filling the accomodation. It seems odd how they can advertise dates well in advance and then get these dates booked if they are going through the same channels as everyone else.

Some people take mountains of kit with them. You have to haul your own kit up the steps from the landing area and then hopefully the tractor will be there to take it to the farm. It may have to make 2 or 3 trips. When I went last year I took 2 bodies, a 100-400, 100 macro and a wide angle and a 1.4 converter. I didn't take a tripod but would take a lightweight one next time.

Clothing and food wise I travelled as light as possible. I only stayed for 2 nights so clothing was minimal. Take food for at least an extra day to cover delays. Cooking facilities on Skomer are quite decent. I had my main meal at lunchtime as I didn't want to miss the light in the evening. The kitchen was quieter then also.

Duvets are supplied but your need your own cover and sheet. I took a sleeping bag which was bulky. Next time I think I would take a duvet cover and sheet.

I managed to get all my food, clothing etc into a small hold-all and my camera gear into a small rucksack. I've seen people go with two big primes and a huge amount of kit. Remember you might have to carry it to the farm and back to the boat. It's not for me.

One downside of Skomer is that there is very little in the way of sockets for charging batteries. It really isn't designed for photographers staying for several days. When I was there the sockets were always taken up with mobile phones charging. Extension leads are not allowed. Before going I bought a EC technology battery that can be used for charging mobiles, iPads, kindles etc. I also had 4 batteries for one body and 3 for the other so didn't need to charge any. I wouldn't recommend going with just one battery and relying on being able to charge it whenever you need. They do have a generator but it is only used as a back up to the solar power. Showers were ok and I never had to wait when I wanted a shower.

When the day trippers have gone the island is a wonderful place. Sitting on the Wick with the sun behind you gives wonderful light for photographing the puffins coming in. There are more birds about also and they seem far more relaxed around you. I can remember sitting on the path with puffins sitting right up against my legs quite happily.

Anyway, these are my thoughts on staying on Skomer. I would like to go to Skokholm but not sure if I would enjoy it as much it but I can see the attraction of no day visitors although I avoided the popular places during the day on Skomer as the midday light can be very harsh if the suns out and make for difficult shooting conditions.
 
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