Islands Booking FAQs

Our guide to booking an overnight stay on Skomer and Skokholm.  

What changes have you made to the booking system this year?  

We’ve listened to your feedback and have made some changes to improve how you book stays on Skomer and Skokholm. We will no longer be allowing commercial operators to book stays in the hostel meaning there are more spaces for our members and the public. To improve the efficiency of the booking process, we won’t be taking new memberships in the height of booking season.  

When can I book my stay? 

You can book stays on Skomer from October and stays on Skokholm from November. Please see dates for the 2026 season below.  

Skomer  

• Monday 6^th October 2025 – open to members
• Monday 20^th October 2025 – open to non-members 

Skokholm 

• Monday 3^rd November 2025  – members can book 7 night stays
• Monday 10^th November 2025  – members can book 3/4 night stays
• Monday 17^th November 2025 – open to non-members 

Who has priority booking? 

Members of The Wildlife Trust of South & West Wales have the first opportunity to book overnight stays on Skomer and Skokholm. Please note, membership doesn’t guarantee you a booking as demand is high and spaces are limited. Priority booking doesn’t apply to members of other Wildlife Trusts.  

How do I become a member?  

To improve the efficiency of the booking process, we won’t be taking new memberships from Monday 22^nd September to Friday 17^th October 2025. If you’d like to become a member to have access to priority island bookings, you can click here. 

How do I book?  

To book, please ring 01656 724100 Monday to Thursday between 9am-12pm and 1pm-4pm. Please don’t try to book by email*, in person or by calling other phone numbers or members of staff as they will not be able to process your booking.  

*If you are deaf or hard of hearing, you can email islands@welshwildlife.org once bookings are open. If you email before bookings open, we will be unable to process your booking.  

What do I need to book? 

When you call to book please be prepared with:

• Preferred and alternative dates
• Payment details
• Membership number (if applicable).

What happens when I book?  

When you call the booking line, you may be added to the queue, where you will hear hold music. Please continue to wait until you get through to our bookings team – the queue can hold you for up to an hour at a time. If the queue is full, a recorded message will tell you to please try again later and end the call. If this happens, please keep redialling until you can join the queue. If you’re in the queue from 12-1pm and after 4pm please hang up as we will not be taking bookings then. Please note, you may not be successful in your first attempt and may need to keep ringing and waiting in the queue before you get through. 

When you get through, a member of staff will take your membership details (if applicable), then pass you to another member of staff who will process your booking and then finally you'll be passed to a member of staff who will take payment for the deposit. You'll then receive your booking confirmation via email.   

How likely it is that I’ll get a space? 

We have just 16 beds in our Skomer hostel and 20 beds on Skokholm. We receive thousands of calls each year, and unfortunately not everyone gets a place or their preferred dates due to the extremely high demand – especially in Puffin season. Rooms on Skomer for April and July are normally fully booked in the first week.  

Am I allowed to book more than one trip?  

Yes, you are allowed to book more than one stay – some people do this to account for trips potentially being cancelled due to poor weather conditions.  

When can you stay on the islands?  

Skomer and Skokholm’s accommodation is open from the start of April to end of September 2026. On Skokholm, changeover days are on Mondays and Fridays, meaning you can stay for a minimum of 3 or 4 nights. Between mid-May and July there is just one boat on Mondays so you can stay for a minimum of 7 nights. 

When is the best time to visit?  

Each month has different wildlife highlights, from spring flowers in May to seal pups in September. The best time to see Puffins is from mid-April to July, but there are plenty of species to see all season long.  

How much does it cost to stay on Skomer and Skokholm? 

Skomer Island 2026: We have a selection of private rooms and a shared dorm room (Shearwater) available to book, see details below.  

• Curlew: sleeps 2 - two single beds
• Guillemot: sleeps 2 - two single beds
• Puffin: sleeps 3 - one single bed & a set of bunks
• Chough: sleeps 4 - two single beds & a set of bunk beds
• Shearwater: sleeps 5 - three single beds & a set of bunk bed

Skokholm Island 2026: There are three twin rooms and two double bedroom in the renovated farm buildings. In the cottage there are 4 single rooms and one twin room which can be converted into a double. There are further two twin rooms are in the Wheelhouse block.

When can I book events on Skomer?

You can book Skomer events from December 2025.  

Who manages the bookings? 

We have a small team of three people who work hard to process bookings as quickly as possible. Please be aware that rude or abusive customers will not be tolerated. 

When can I book a day trip to Skomer? 

You can book a day trip for the 2026 season from December 2025 with Pembrokeshire Islands.  

Are commercial operators allowed on Skomer? 

No, we won’t be allowing commercial operators to book stays in the hostel from 2026 meaning there are more spaces for our members and public. Any commercial operators found booking the hostel will have their trip cancelled.  

Why don’t you have an online booking system?  

We haven’t found an online booking system that would meet the requirements for island booking, but we are committed to improving the process to better the experience for our members and supporters.  

How do I send my feedback about the booking process?  

We always welcome feedback from members and supporters. Please send any feedback to info@welshwildlife.org.