Puffin Spotting!

The combination of light winds, blue skies and bank holiday weekend all lent themselves nicely to escaping the crowds and setting out to sea in a kayak! Not only that, but we were both very keen to see if we could spot some of the Puffins, that we had been told are starting to return to Puffin Island off the East Coast of Anglesey.

Just as we were about to set off from Pen Mon, a bank of sea mist threatened to envelop us, but thankfully vanished almost as quickly as it appeared from the side of Puffin Island. The water at the beach, like the sky, was crystal clear.

But once out in Puffin Sound, the water was filled with swarms of Jelly Fish!

We'd timed our crossing of the sound, with the slack tide, to avoid a bumpy crossing and we were soon alongside the island and on the lookout for seals.

There were plenty of birds, but we were pretty sure the Puffins, would be on the Northern side of the Island.

Before long, a few inquisitive heads popped up to say hello. You can just make out Llandudno and the Great Orme in the distance.

We bobbed around with the seals for a while. In close to the island, we were sheltered enough to be able to watch them swim under our boats as the water was now jellyfish free and clear again.

Being in a sea kayak meant that we could get much closer to the wildlife than the various tour boats that came and went.

You can't see them in the photos, but around on the cliffs on the North side of the island, we finally saw some Puffins! I was pretty sure one had flown overhead, but we had to wait a few minutes until we saw plenty of them on a ledge; confirming what I thought I'd seen. They were great to watch, along with the Guillemots, as they jumped off the ledges like base jumpers and just got going before hitting the water!

Back on the mainland, we found a little secluded bay to stop for an afternoon snack and sunbath.

Then bobbed our way back along the coast, south to Pen Mon.

On the drive back to The Cottage, we stopped for an ice cream in Beaumaris. Having only ever really been there in 'off-season', when the town is virtually deserted, we were amazed to find the place overrun with thousands of people enjoying the summer seaside vibe. There was even a huge Ferris wheel by the pier and we felt like we'd been transported somewhere else completely!