52 WEEKEND ESCAPES

1 WALES

COMMUNING WITH PUFFINS ON SKOMER ISLAND

For anyone who assumes you need to travel overseas to enjoy a full-on wildlife experience, the Pembrokeshire island and bird reserve of Skomer is a revelation

The James Bonds of the British bird world, puffins are charismatic, mysterious and devastatingly handsome in black and white tuxedos. They almost feel like exotic friends, adored from afar but rarely seen. For much of the year, they’re out at sea, on their top-secret puffin missions (in reality, hunting fish on the open water).

When they crowd onto islands to breed, however, it’s easy enough to encounter them if you get the timing right. On the beautiful Pembrokeshire island of Skomer, a bird reserve since 1959, the puffins begin arriving in early April. At first, they come and go, gathering the confidence to settle in earnest. Then, come August, once the breeding season is over, the last few depart.

During the busy summer months in between, day-tripping visitors scud across from the mainland in open-decked boats to see them. The trip takes just 10 minutes and there’s a good chance you’ll spot your first puffins before you arrive. Once you’ve found a colony, you’ll want to settle down to take it all in. Puffins nest in abandoned rabbit burrows on clifftops. In midsummer, there are always birds pottering about. Others swoop in from afar, their beaks crammed with sandeels.

If you book an overnight stay at the island field station of the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales, you can commune with puffins from dawn to dusk — long after the day-trippers depart.

HOW TO DO IT: The meeting point for trips to Skomer is Lockley Lodge, Martin’s Haven, Pembrokeshire. Day trips can’t be reserved in advance and often fill up. For overnight stays, it’s best to book several months ahead. welshwildlife.org

TOP TIP: Membership of the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales helps support vital conservation work and brings multiple benefits, including the waiving of your landing fees on certain visits to Skomer.

2 ENGLAND

Releasing your inner artist on a Devon painting retreat

“Creativity takes courage” insist the tutors at Brambles, north of Plymouth, quoting French painter Henri Matisse. If you haven’t dabbed at an easel since your primary school days, it can be daunting to pick up a brush — but, with gentle encouragement amid inspiring surroundings, who knows what you’ll achieve. bramblesartretreat.com

3 IRELAND

Nipping across to Dublin for the perfect pint of Guinness

Guinness is brewed all over the world, but St James’s Gate Brewery is its true home. With the ferry from Holyhead taking a little over two