The Flat Holm Trip, 'Sailing Around Steepholm,' Part 5, May 2012.wmv

This is just one of 17 videos created during the trip to Flat Holm and back-to Weston Super Mare in Somerset---The day was spent exploring Flat Holm, partially with a guided tour and then alone to do my own thing.The sail around Steephom was brilliant and I intend actually landing on Steepholm very soon to explore the island and capture many images---this time of the year is 'red alert' for the thousands and thousands of gulls who nest here. So Steepholm is definately on the cards for a day's visit. Like the trip to Flat Holm we leave Weston Super Mare Quay side with the tide and return with the tide which means loads of time on the island to explore---both islands are full of history from early history and geology.Pirates have been here and the caves used for smuggling, the vikings, the Normans have been buried here and in our more recent history we have used them as defence battlements in case of invasion by Napoleon or Hitler and in other times of conflict. More info will be given with each video. The sail around Steepholm was great although I have done this on 2 occasions in the past --I can't wait to land soon. The Holms were once a part of the Mendip Hills in Somerset and evolved into islands which are now recognised as places of Special Scientific Interest with some unique geological features.The islands are manned by voluteers who help maintain and preserve the islands by helping to repair dry stone walls, scrub clearance, wildlife monitoring including counting all the gulls and other useful things like the guided tours and of course opeing the island pub 'The Gull and Leek' on Flat Holm--they even have survival skills courses here and willow weaving. One of the differences between the islands is where they are managed from---Flatholm comes under Cardiff in Wales and Steepholm Weston- Super -Mare in England.The leaflets on Flat Holm are printed in English and Welsh.
These videos all form part of 'My Beautiful Somerset' project that I have been creating for several years as I explore Somerset and its coastal islands--it is part of a wider project which I call ' My Living Family Tree' which is integrated into the Ancestral tree work where I have gone back over 1000 years and have links here in Somerset /Wessex all those years ago and all information, references and citations are recorded on my family tree database.