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Back to Lundy

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Voykit pocket guide · United Kingdom

Lundy

Go for 2 nights, not a day return: the day boat gives you about 4 hours ashore, and the island's quiet is the point.

Lundy is a 5 km granite island in the Bristol Channel, 20 km off North Devon, owned by the National Trust and run by the Landmark Trust. About 28 people live here. There are no cars, no TVs and one pub. Access is by the MS Oldenburg from late March to late October, or by helicopter from Hartland Point in winter. Most visitors come for walking, seabirds and the cliffs; two nights lets you see the whole island without rushing the boat.

LondonAbbots LangleyAberdeenAberdyfiAberfeldyAbergavennyAberystwythAbingdon-on-ThamesAccringtonAchiltibuieAcleAldeburghAlnmouthAlnwickLundy200 kmdots: other places in this guide
Sketch, not to navigate by: shapes follow this guide’s areas and places, not official boundaries. North is up.
Country
United Kingdom
Best months
Apr–Jul for puffins and nesting seabirds; May–Sep for the best chance of calm crossings
Avoid
Nov–Mar (few sailings, helicopter only, storms); gale days any month can cancel the boat
Stay
2 nights

Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.

Essentials

Currency
GBP
Money
Currency is the pound sterling (GBP, £). Cards and contactless work almost everywhere; some places are card-only.
Daily spend
Budget £35–60 excl. bed (camping, self-catering, one pub meal) · Mid £60–100 excl. bed (cottage share, pub meals, a few drinks) · High £100+ excl. bed (larger cottage, eating in the tavern daily) (estimate; check)
SIM and data
EE, Vodafone (merged with Three in 2025) and O2 run the networks; prepaid SIMs sell in supermarkets, phone shops and airport vending machines, no registration needed.
Emergency
Emergency (police, fire, ambulance, coastguard) 999 or 112 · NHS non-urgent 111 · Police non-urgent 101
Plugs
Types G · 230 V · 50 Hz · Three-pin Type G only; European, US and Australian plugs need an adapter. Bathrooms have two-pin shaver sockets only.
Tipping
Restaurant with table service: 10–12.5% if no service charge is on the bill; check before adding more.; Pub or bar: Not expected; 'and one for yourself' offers the bartender a drink.; Taxi: Round up or 10%.; Hotel porter: £1–2 per bag.; Tour guide: £5–10 per person for a day tour; free walking tours expect £10–15.
Water
Tap water is safe everywhere. Free refills are common; restaurants will bring tap water if you ask.
Toilets
Public toilets are scarce and some charge 50p–£1 or are card-only. Stations, museums, department stores and pubs (if you buy a drink) are the fallback.

What things cost

ItemPrice
MS Oldenburg day return, adult£40
MS Oldenburg return for a stay of more than a day, adult£70
Helicopter from Hartland Point, adult£125
Campsite, four nightsfrom £32
Pub main meal at the Marisco Tavernabout the same as a mainland pub meal
Beer or wine in the Marisco Tavernmainland pub prices
Landing fee if you arrive by private boatsmall fee

Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.

Get in

By air

EXT · Exeter
Nearest useful airport; about 1 h 30 min by road to Ilfracombe or Bideford
BRS · Bristol
About 2 h 30 min by road to Ilfracombe

Typical fares

Ilfracombe or Bideford → Lundy, MS Oldenburg
about 2 h; day return £40 adult, stay return £70 adult
Hartland Point → Lundy, helicopter
winter only; £125 adult
Landing fee, private boat
small fee

Get around

On foot only. No vehicles are allowed except the farmer's and the Landmark Trust's. The island is about 5 km long and 0.8 km wide; a full circuit takes a few hours with stops. Bring water, sun cream and proper boots — the paths are rough and the cliffs are unfenced.

See and do

Known for

  • Puffins and seabird colonies
  • Granite cliffs and the Earthquake chasm
  • Old Light and two working lighthouses
  • Marisco Castle and St Helen's Church
  • No cars, no roads, no TV

Day trips

WhereHowTime
IlfracombeMS Oldenburg from Lundy landing beach, about 2 hAbout 2 h 30 min
BidefordMS Oldenburg from Lundy landing beach, about 2 hAbout 2 h 30 min
ClovellyRoad from Bideford or Ilfracombe, about 30–50 minAbout 1 h
WoolacombeRoad from Ilfracombe, about 25 minAbout 40 min
Lynton and LynmouthRoad from Ilfracombe, about 1 hAbout 1 h 15 min
Westward Ho!Road from Bideford, about 20 minAbout 30 min

Sleep

Landmark Trust cottages and houses
23 self-catering properties in restored island buildings; the only beds on Lundy. Book months ahead for summer.
Lundy campsite
Space for about 40 people, open summer only while the MS Oldenburg runs; the cheapest way to stay.
Marisco Tavern area
The pub, shop and most cottages cluster mid-island, a short walk from the landing beach.

Phrase card

EnglishSay or show
Where is the Marisco Tavern?Where is the Marisco Tavern?
What time does the boat leave?What time does the boat leave?
Is the path to the north end safe today?Is the path to the north end safe today?
Can I pay by card?Can I pay by card?
Where can I fill a water bottle?Where can I fill a water bottle?

Etiquette, safety and scams

Etiquette

  • Greeting: Handshake at first meeting; 'hi' and first names quickly; avoid: Cheek kisses with strangers
  • Conversation: Weather is a safe opener; understatement and self-deprecating humour; avoid: Asking about salary or class
  • Queues: Join at the back; avoid: Pushing onto buses or trains before others get off
  • Apologies: 'Sorry' is said constantly, even when not at fault; avoid: Taking it as an admission of blame
  • Pubs: Buy rounds in a group; wait at the bar without waving money; avoid: Clicking fingers at staff
  • Nations: Call Scots Scottish and Welsh Welsh; avoid: Calling the whole UK 'England'

Scams and watch-outs

  • The MS Oldenburg sails from Ilfracombe or Bideford and sometimes returns to the other port: check your sailing the day before.
  • Crossings are weather-dependent and can be cancelled at short notice; build a spare day into your plans.
  • Cliff edges are unguarded and the ground is uneven: keep back from the edge, especially in wind.
  • There is no cash machine, no pharmacy and no doctor on the island; bring any medication you need.
  • Mobile signal is patchy and accommodation has no phones, radios or TVs.

Crime is effectively nil on Lundy. The real risks are the weather and the cliffs: Force 10–11 storms in winter, unguarded edges, and no doctor or pharmacy on the island.

One and two days

No timed day plan for Lundy yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.

  • Puffins and seabird colonies
  • Granite cliffs and the Earthquake chasm
  • Old Light and two working lighthouses
  • Marisco Castle and St Helen's Church
  • No cars, no roads, no TV

Sources

Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.

Pocket card

Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.

Lundy

To this address, please

To this address, please

My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)

  • Emergency (police, fire, ambulance, coastguard)999 or 112
  • NHS non-urgent111
  • Police non-urgent101

No embassies on Lundy. For consular help, contact your embassy in London; the nearest police and hospital are on the North Devon mainland.

Print this before you sail: signal on the island is patchy.

Voykit · checked 2026-09

Printed from Voykit (/lundy). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.