Those who have read my book will know that Lundy Bay is an important location in the story. It is a truly beautiful bay on the North Cornwall coast very near to Polzeath. Some readers have asked if it really exists and if it is in anyway connected to Lundy Island in the Bristol Channel just off the North Devon coast. So, for those less familiar with the area or simply intrigued to know more, I thought it would be fun to include a few interesting and fun facts about this magical place…

 

1. Whereas Lundy Bay is in Cornwall, Lundy Island is c.80 miles away and part of the district of Torridge in the county of Devon
    

2. Lundy Island is owned by the National Trust and managed by the Landmark Trust who operate all the accommodation on the island.
    

3. There are twenty three self-catering properties available for visitors, including a 13th century castle, lighthouse, coastguard’s watch house and a fisherman’s chalet.
    

4. Lundy Island is three miles long and 5/8 mile wide. It is 12 miles off the North Devon coast.
    

5. The Marisco Tavern is Lundy’s only pub. It is also the only pub that never shuts, although alcohol can only be served during permitted hours. It is also the only building on the island to have lighting after the generators shut down for the night. 
    

6. The pub used to be the general stores as well but this are now in a separate building.
    

7. MS Oldenburg is Lundy Island’s own passenger ferry and link to the mainland. Built in 1958 it sails to and from Bideford and Ilfracombe but can be a rough crossing where it passes over the infamous sandbank called Bideford Bar, formed where the rivers Taw and Torridge converge as they meet the sea.
    

8. Lundy Island issues it own stamps, based on the currency of a puffinage. The earliest recorded date for any kind of postal service based on Lundy is 3rd March 1887, but it was not until 1929 that a private postal service was established on Lundy. Since 1929 over 350 Lundy stamps have been issued, many of them now very rare and highly collectible. Some 40,000 pieces of mail are sent from the island every year and Lundy is the oldest private postal service operating in the world today. Originally the stamps did not include any mainland postage but in 1979 this was incorporated so post can be sent anywhere in the U.K.
    

9. Lundy is renowned for amazing wildlife. Thousands of migrant birds pass through each spring and autumn. With around 140 different species of bird recorded on Lundy each year there is always something to see.
    

10. Lundy Bay is not thought to have been named after the island … it is more likely they are both named after the ancient Norse word for puffin, which was lundy.