Lundy: the tiny car-free UK island where electricity is cut at midnight and puffins outnumber people

Lundy, a three-and-a-half-mile island in the Bristol Channel off the coast of North Devon, offers visitors a rare mix of maritime wildlife, minimal modern infrastructure and a small, close-knit community. The island is car-free, has a permanent population of about 28 people and is not connected to the National Grid; power is supplied by a generator that is switched off at midnight each day.

Accessible by a regular ferry, the MS Oldenburg, between April and October, the crossing typically takes about two hours from Bideford or Ilfracombe. During the winter months, when sea conditions are less predictable, the island is reachable by helicopter only. Visitors can stay overnight in one of 23 self-catering properties, a campsite, or make use of a small shop that stocks essentials.

The island attracts wildlife enthusiasts: puffins are reported to outnumber the human population by roughly 15 to one, and visitors commonly spot seals along the shore. Historic sites include a 13th-century castle and the Old Lighthouse, which draw day-trippers and those staying longer.

Lundy’s social centre is the Marisco Tavern, the island’s only pub. The tavern enforces a strict no-phones rule, with patrons required to pay £1 if they break it, and it is reported to be the only building on the island regularly lit after dark. Mobile phone service on Lundy is generally intermittent, and there is a pay phone at the tavern for those who need to make calls.

High-speed internet arrived on Lundy in 2023 via a satellite link. Rosemary Ellis, warden of Lundy Island, said the connection has eased administrative tasks and improved the island’s ability to engage with researchers and students. "I was able to upload an hour-long talk on our conservation success stories in just a few minutes, when it had previously failed to send multiple times," she said. Ellis, who also serves as a coastguard rescue officer and community first responder, said video calls to the mainland provide greater access to medical advice when needed.

Local producers sometimes supply ingredients to the tavern; menus have featured island-sourced items such as Lundy lamb. The island’s accommodation and visitor services are geared toward low-impact tourism, and many visitors come for wildlife watching, walking and to experience the island’s remoteness.

Lundy’s transportation and power arrangements reflect its isolation and conservation priorities. The seasonal ferry service concentrates visitor numbers during calmer months, while winter access by helicopter and the nightly shutdown of the generator limit continuous habitation and commercial activity. The recent satellite internet installation has begun to change that balance by reducing the time residents spend on administrative tasks and by improving links with mainland researchers, but the island remains a place where modern conveniences are curtailed by design and circumstance.

Authorities and island managers continue conservation and community work to balance tourism with protection of wildlife and heritage assets. Visitors are advised to check vessel schedules and weather conditions before planning travel, and to respect local rules intended to preserve Lundy’s environment and way of life.