Facing the St Davids peninsula across the waters of Ramsey Sound, this is a scenically spectacular island and probably Pembrokeshire’s best site for watching grey seals and porpoises.

A number of Operators run daily Wildlife and Dive trips in the area. All of these operators are active members of the Pembrokeshire Marine Code group. As such they adhere to the codes of conduct developed to protect the marine wildlife of Pembrokeshire whilst providing patrons with knowledge of the species being observed.

 

Operator	Wise Accredited?
Aquaphobia	No
Ramsey Islands Cruises	Yes
Thousand Island Expeditions	Yes
Venture Jet	Yes
Voyages of Discovery	Yes

if you are planning your own boat trip around the island please be sure to adhere to agreed access restrictions.

 

Kayaking - if you have enough experience / with a little coaching you can be guided round the island in a kayak:

Company	Wise Accredited?
Nige Robinson	Yes
TYF Adventure	Yes

                                   

if you are planning your own kayak trip around the island please be sure to adhere to agreed access / landing restrictions and the new Marine Code for Kayakers

 

More About Ramsey

The name Ramsey is thought to come from the Norse personal name Hrafn, and so means “Hrafn’s island”. In Welsh the island is Ynys Dewi, which means “St David’s island”.

The twin peaks of Carn Ysgubor and Carn Llundain give Ramsey a distinctive outline. It was a landmark for early seafaring pilgrims on their way to St Davids. The island had two early Christian chapels and a holy well famous for its healing powers. Ramsey was last farmed in the late 1960s and is now a nature reserve owned by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

Ramsey is a breeding stronghold for the chough, a rare member of the crow family. It’s also the only site in Pembrokeshire where lapwings are trying to breed. Corn is grown in the central fields to attract migrant seed-eating birds during the late summer and autumn. There is a large seabird cliff on the west side of the island, and gannets can be seen diving for fish offshore.

Ramsey hosts the largest colony of grey seals in southern Britain. They are most visible from late August to October when the females come in to the breeding beaches to give birth. Over 600 pups are born here each year. Harbour porpoises abound in the waters around Ramsey, while common, bottle-nosed and Risso’s dolphins are seen every year.

On land, there are red deer that were introduced to the island when it was farmed, and bank voles.

There are both locally and nationally rare plants on Ramsey. From early spring the cliffs are sprinkled with flowers of many colours and in August the purple heather is the best example of maritime heathland on our offshore islands.

South of the main island are three steep islets: Ynys Gwelltog, Cantwr and Bery. These are breeding sites for lesser black-backed gulls and in spring are dusted with pale blue squill.

© Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority 2002

 

 

 

For more information on where to go and what to see in Pembrokeshire visit: www.pembrokeshirecoast.org.uk