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<\/p>\nITS rugged beauty and promise of solitude has been a draw for those seeking a simpler life since the Bronze Age.<\/p>\n
Across the centuries, tiny Flat Holm island off the south Wales coast has been home to a hermit saint, monks, smugglers, artists, writers and, more recently, those wanting to escape the breakneck pace of modern life.<\/p>\n
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And, thousands and thousands of gulls.<\/p>\n
The island has a significant breeding colony of more than 4,000 pairs of lesser black-headed gulls, 400 pairs of herring gulls and two\u00a0pairs of great black-headed gulls.<\/p>\n
The sound of their screeching day and night is a constant feature of life on Flat Holm. Little wonder then, that the island\u2019s only pub is called the Gull and Leek.<\/p>\n
Visit Wales describes the island – four miles off the Welsh coast – as \u201ca hidden jewel in the Bristol Channel\u201d, which promises \u201ca sense of wilderness, remoteness and isolation to anyone who visits\u201d.<\/p>\n
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On an unseasonably hot late-summer afternoon, the boat-load of visitors taking the trip to the island agreed.<\/p>\n
Keen photographer Adrian Faulkner, 61, from Swansea, had decided to make the trip to Flat Holm to capture images of the island\u2019s natural beauty – and enjoy a pint at one of the UK\u2019s remotest boozers.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cMy daughter bought me a voucher to come to the island at Christmas as a gift.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was hoping the weather would be nice so I could take plenty of photos and I think I chose the perfect day to come.<\/p>\n
<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got some great pictures. But now I\u2019m ready for a pint.\u201d<\/p>\n As he sipped his frothing pint in the Gull and Leek, he declared: \u201cThis is the best pint I\u2019ve ever had. Maybe it\u2019s just the effect of the fresh air.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a beautiful little pub too, easily the smallest I\u2019ve ever been in.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really quaint and I like that. Unfortunately, it\u2019s a bot too far from home for me to make it my regular, but I\u2019ll definitely be back again soon.\u201d<\/p>\n Jan, who is Danish, made the trek from his home in London, where he has lived for the past three years. He was visiting Flat Holm \u201cout of curiosity\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been curious about the history and isolation of this island for a long time. It hasn\u2019t disappointed me. I love its remoteness and how beautiful it is. It is just as nature wanted it to be.\u201d<\/p>\n Jan too has fallen for the allure of the quiet pub before taking the boat back to the mainland after three hours on the island.<\/p>\n \u201cThe beer is almost the best I\u2019ve ever had,\u201d said Jan. \u201cI\u2019ve never been a pub as small as this before, but the atmosphere in here alone is worth coming here for. I might very well come back.\u201d<\/p>\n His beer has been poured by the island\u2019s sole inhabitant, its warden Simon Parker, who also has the role of boatman ferrying the visitors to and from Flat Holm.<\/p>\n The island host is a former Royal Navy helicopter engineer, originally from Grimsby. After being made redundant in 2016, he wanted to use the money to "do something crazy\u201d, he later told Wales Online.<\/p>\n Earlier this year, he successfully applied for the post of Flat Holm warden and is loving his new role.<\/p>\n He said: \u201dI knew what I was getting into. I knew that the island is very unique. It's difficult to describe fully how it feels to live here. It's so cut off, but also so close – I can see Cardiff out of my window.<\/p>\n "There's always something going on on the island. The wildlife is always up to something. I've felt lonelier in cities and in towns where I feel there's a big disconnect in people's lives."<\/p>\n The island is fully self-autonomous, so he is always busy. He has to collect his own water, make sure power supplies – including solar power and generators – are in good working order, and take care of heating.<\/p>\n Food is delivered to the island, and Simon says they have a good stock of tins of beans and tomatoes, as well as pasta. "It's a treat if somebody brings something crazy like, I don't know, a loaf of bread," he joked.<\/p>\n The island has a water catchment area dating back to the Victorian times that Simon uses to collect water. Rainwater is funneled to an underground tank, which is pumped and filtered before being fed throughout the island. The water is sterilised so it is safe to drink and is tested regularly.<\/p>\n Another day boat-tripper to the island, care worker Angela, 44, was bowled over by the "gentle pace of life". <\/p>\n \u201cWhat a wonderful, inspiring place to visit. I hear they offer retreats for people to come and spend a few days here painting, or writing," she said.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that would be an interesting holiday. A few hours like we have today doesn\u2019t really feel like long enough.<\/p>\n \u201cThe place is absolutely beautiful. The warden is a very lucky man.\u201d<\/p>\n Will, 62, from Bridgend, said: \u201cThis is my third time here and I love it. It\u2019s so peaceful – apart from the gulls – and I feel like I\u2019m melting into nature.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are very places you can go to in the modern world where you feel like you\u2019re truly getting away from it all, but this is one of them.\u201d<\/p>\n Will, who lives and works in Cardiff as an engineer, added: \u201cI\u2019m not sure I could live here because I\u2019d feel too cut off, but I could certainly manage a few weeks away from it all.<\/p>\n \u201cThat said, it must get pretty bleak out here in the middle of the Bristol Channel in the depths of winter.<\/p>\n \u201cI bet it\u2019s sent a few people mad over the centuries."<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/panoramic-view-dune-beach-baltic-840991660-1.jpg\")
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