First Tour Guide Trip

 Did my first solo tour guide trip to Flat Holm. Two guys interested in photography and a father and nine year old daughter were the paying passengers on the BIV boat. Rosie (star of Susan Calman's Grand Day out to the Bay) filled us in on details about the Bay and warned us we might not be able to land due to the brisk NE wind.

The nine year old girl was terrified on the way out as it was definitely a very wet roller coaster ride. We did get to land and hand out life vests over to the Woody's Lodge guys who were leaving. Simon did let on to me that if there had been more life vests on board, we wouldn't have stayed!

The photographers were no problem on the tour but Dad, having been given permission to ask questions, did nothing but ask, but didn't seem interested in any of the answers. His daughter was equally afraid of the gulls so I had to keep the tour short and sweet.

When it came time to go home the rib took two attempts to tie up at the jetty and we had to board at the front as the back was awash with water. Made it back OK through.

2023 Gull Count

Was one of the 2023 Flat Holm Gull counters. It was really tough going with the wild turnip having taken over large swathes of the island. Walking through it trying not to stand on nests, whilst being dive bombed by the gulls was the order of the day.

First 12 hour trip to the island and it was weird seeing the tide out and Castle Rock's gap capable of being walked through.

I did over 13,000 and was totally knackered when we finished.

The numbers were down on last year but that may have been because of the difficulty in counting. The drone couldn't fly because of the wind, so the number comparison couldn't be done. So this years count will not be last after all.
 

Flat Holm Tour Guide Trip

We organised a trip to Flat Holm for the newbie tour guides. We were the second of the two BIV boats going over to the island. We were collected at Barrage South, and went over to the island in convoy. It was a bit bumpy and quite wet even though we were in the wake of the first BIV boat.

Simon took us and the paying customers on his island tour. There was wild turnip all over the place. It looks like rape, which is part of the same family. The Wild peony, which grows in one small fenced off section of the island was in bloom. The area by the farmhouse was covered in bluebells. Most were British but the invasive Spanish have reached the island and hybridisation is happening. The birds were quite feisty as they had started laying eggs, but not too feisty.

Decided that I was ready to do a tour guide trip on my own.