You’ll know Lundy if you’ve ever stood on a beach in North Devon. Far away in the Bristol Channel, the island disappears in and out of passing cloud banks, giving you a five minute warning before another mighty squall hits. It also lends its name to the shipping area called Lundy; connecting it to that wistful, almost romantic British institution, The Shipping Forecast. The feeling that you are stepping into a bygone era becomes incredibly strong when you disembark the ferry and at last step ashore…but first, let’s rewind a little bit. I’d been invited for a day paddle at Lundy by Marc Hambidge and Nick Thorn from supsouthwest.com to check out the unique tours they are running on the island. Marc was busy on the mainland on the day we went but Nick, his wife Keida, and their friend Fred were waiting to meet me on the MS Oldenburg ferry moored at Ilfracombe harbour. As in, they were all on the boat, waiting, to leave and for me to arrive. I was late. So late that the crew were waiting quayside for me to help bundle my gear out of the van and onto the packed boat. The crew even had to sort out my car park ticket time was that tight, for if the tide dropped much lower the boat would have been unable to get away and everyone’s day would be ruined.
