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Ocean Home : 
Places,
Towns & Cities : Flatholm IslandFlat Holm Island lies in the Bristol Channel, off Penarth.
Sailings are Between April & October.
The island is a site of Special Scientific Interest (SSI) and a nature reserve. It is, like Steep Holm, a bird sanctuary and during the breeding season, some 10,000 gulls are resident. Out of five species of gulls common to the British Isles three types inhabit the island.
Visitors can enjoy a two-hour guided tour, with the warden and staff. Bookings, to visit or stay on the island, can be made via the Flatholm Project Office at Cardiff. Flatholm is administered by Cardiff City Council.
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About Flatholm
Flatholm takes its name from the Danish word that means, ‘river island’. The Danes used it originally as a raiding base, before some of these raiders then settled and traded, in and around South Wales and the West Country.
St. Cadoc and St. Baruch used Flatholm as a 'retreat’ (See 'Barry' regarding St. Baruch). There is evidence that the Anglo-Saxons also visited Flatholm. Silver mining has taken place here and it was also an ideal hideaway for smugglers.
The island was farmed from the 12th century until the mid 1900’s.
During the Napoleonic wars, Flat Holm was used as a cholera hospital.
In 1897, Marconi sent the first radio message, from Lavernock Point near Penarth to the island some 3 miles away.(See 'Lavernock Point'.)
Some of Palmerston’s follies were put on the Island during Victorian times; large gun emplacements to counter the perceived threat of a French invasion. More modern gun positions were put on the Island during the Great War of 1914 –1918, to combat another expected invasion. During the Second World War, anti-aircraft batteries, co-ordinating with others at Lavernock, and Brean Down on the Somerset coast, were installed to try to deter enemy aircraft from flying over the Bristol Channel towards the major towns and cities in the area.
Why not visit Flatholm Island on the Lewis Alexander?
Cardiff Harbour Authority
Queen Alexandra House
Cargo Road
Cardiff Bay
CF10 4LY
Tel: 029 20 877912
2010 Prices:
Adults £16.50
Children £8.00 (4-17 years)
Family Ticket (2 Adults 2 Children) £41.50
Departure point: Channel View, River Taff, Grangetown, Cardiff CF11 7HB
Things to do & see
A unique island with a fascinating history, sea-birds, isolation.
Telephone:
(029) 20 353 917 (April to October)
Additional Contact:
Fax: 029 20 877 901
Parking:
at the departure point in Channel View, Grangetown, Cardiff CF11 7HB
Additional Transport:
Boat
