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It must be something to do with the fact that we are a race of island dwellers that there lies within us such a deep fascination with islands. Many of us harbour Robinson Crusoe yearnings. Whether these would survive the test of harsh reality or loneliness is questionable, but for those bitten by the island bug, or with an eye for the landscape, then west Pembrokeshire should be high on your list of favoured places.

Pembrokeshire is blessed with a full spectrum of 'islands' which add flavour to the coastal scenery. Moving from the limestone stacks, the range includes the many other small islands such as The Bishop and his Clerks, as well as those that to many will be very familiar names - for example Ramsey, Skomer, Caldey. There is not the time or space available in this edition of the magazine to do them all justice so here I will concentrate on the larger islands of west Pembrokeshire which have been recognised as internationally important. I hope to give you a feel for this but would urge you to visit and enjoy them for yourself.

Owned and managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) the island provides a home for nesting chough, peregrine falcons and several species of seabirds. Its vegetation includes important stretches of heathland and maritime grassland which are among the few truly unmodified semi-natural habitats in Britain. Little surprise that associated with these habitats are many species of plant and invertebrate that are national rarities. The breeding colony of grey sears is the largest in south west Britain, with up to 300 seal pups being born each year at the back of the cave systems and on the small beaches around the shore. It is an island rich in legend dating back to the establishment of early Christian cells or chapels, first in AD 186 by Devanus or St Tyfanog as he was also known, and later by St Justinian. The existence of Bronze Age cairns and probable iron Age field systems dates the influence of farming back some 5000 years.

Skomer

Skomer Island is separated from the mainland of the Marloes Peninsula by the narrow tidal race of Jack Sound. The main plateau is rather flat and slightly larger than Ramsey, but both islands are surrounded by steep cliffs broken by inlets, sea caves and stacks. The island is owned by the Countryside Council for Wales but leased and managed by the Wildlife Trust West Wales.

The island is home to some quarter of a million seabirds, by far the most numerous being some 100,000 pairs of Manx shearwater. One of nature's wonders, these elusive seabirds glide the oceans with effortless ease, returning to the island at night where they nest in burrows. Only on land do they become awkward and ungainly. During the winter months they head down to the South Atlantic, off the coasts of Brazil, Uruguay and even as far as Argentina, returning the next spring to breed again on the island.

©Sid Howells

Puffins, guillemots and razorbills all nest on Skomer in large numbers as well, as do chough and peregrine falcons. It is also home to a unique race of bank voles, the Skomer vole, and has the second largest breeding population of grey seals in Wales, behind Ramsey.

Most of Skomer has been scheduled an Ancient Monument by Cadw, and the completeness of the archaeological records make the island exceptional. There are remains of Iron age communities around the edges of the island which indicate a numerous prehistoric population and date the influence of farming back to a similar period to that on Ramsey.

Skokholm

Skokholm Island, lower lying and some two miles south of Skomer is also leased and managed by the Wildlife Trust West Wales. Another important seabird island it also provides burrows for nesting Manx shearwaters. These three islands (along with Middleholm, which is close to Skomer) can boast over one hundred and fifty thousand pairs, which is in excess of half the world's population of Manx shearwaters. Skokholm also has a population of some 6,000 pairs of storm petrels.

©Sid Howells

The island became Britain's first bird observatory and is well known as the late Ronald Lockley's island refuge. As a result, there is probably be no more written-about island anywhere. Although lacking the extensive archaeological record of its near neighbour, the duration of occupation has been similar and it has been subject to the same farming influence. Unfortunately the lighthouse is no longer manned but it does possess a unique red filter modification to assist the Manx shearwaters by reducing night light impacts.

Grassholm

Grassholm is the smallest and most remote of the Pembrokeshire islands, being some 8 miles west of Skomer. This lump of basalt provides nesting space for some 30,000 pairs of gannets. On bright clear days in the summer it appears as a white dome which seems to buzz like a hornets' nest with the activity of these magnificent seabirds. This is the largest colony of gannets in the North Atlantic and the fourth largest in the world.

©Sid Howells

Whilst this island has never been inhabited by humans for more than short periods, it is known to have been visited by fishermen for centuries, collecting meat and eggs as well as pursuing their normal activities. The island is now owned and managed by the RSPB, and recent surveys have found the gannet colony to be expanding.

All these islands lie within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, the only truly coastal national park in the UK, and form part of a Heritage Coast. They are all Sites of Special Scientific Interest and therefore, of national importance. Skomer, Ramsey and Skokholm are important for their geology as well as biology, and Skomer, Ramsey and Grassholm are designated National Nature Reserves. These islands form part of two Special Protection Areas under the EC Birds Directive, making them internationally important. They also lie within the Pembrokeshire Marine candidate Special Area of Conservation under the EC Habitats Directive, as mentioned in Adam Cole-King's article in this edition of Rural Wales. Skomer is surrounded by Wales' only Marine Nature Reserve which gives the underwater conservation interest as high a value as the neighbouring dry land. Finally, to take you back to the previous edition of this magazine, in which Richard Kelly explained the Register of Landscapes of Historic Landscapes in Wales, both Ramsey and Skomer are included in the Register.

Nowhere in Britain is such a relatively small area the subject of such high levels of recognition. Whilst some might see this as 'designation overload", it can, and should, be seen more positively as highlighting an environment of the highest quality. No words of mine can describe adequately the special qualities of these magical places.

In addition to the international conservation importance, the landscapes and seascapes of the west Pembrokeshire Coast, in and around these islands and St Bride's Bay surely compare favourably with those to be found anywhere in the UK and Ireland. Perhaps it is time to consider that an area that rates so highly should be put forward for World Heritage Status?

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