Visit Steep Holm, island custodians have urged

The Kenneth Allsop Memorial Trust are now urging people to visit Steep Holm for the summer as spaces are extremely limited due to seasonal hide tides for boarding and landing.

Packed with history mystery, Steep Holm lies in a busy shipping channel six miles offshore from Weston. Different to her sister island Flat Holm, it's only accessible for around four or five sailings each month between May and October.

To safely land on the island from Weston, boats must travel with high tide either side which means there are only specific dates and times that permit venture.

A boat ferrying passengers onto the island. (Image: Kenneth Allsop Memorial Trust)

This year there are only 24 agreed dates for travel, so the trust has urged people to book to avoid disappointment.

This makes a visit all the more exciting however, as visitors typically spend around 10 to 12 hours on the island to match with the tide.

The voyage sets sail from Knightstone at around 6.30am to 8am, so packing a picnic or lunch is essential.

How to book a visit

Trips are operated by Bay Island Voyages and depart from Knightsone slipway.

To book a trip to Steep Holm, visit the website at www.steepholm.online where you can view sailing times and learn about the work of the trust.

The Charity is also seeking to recruit two new trustees - a treasurer and social media officer. These can be applied for on the website by contacting the membership secretary via email at steepholmcompanysecretary1@gmail.com.

You can take a boat trip to Steep Holm from Weston. (Image: Archant)

History of Steep Holm

From the old Norse word for 'island in the estuary', Steep Holm got its name.

The islet, formed of Carboniferous Limestone, stands at 78 metres at its highest point above water and would have formed part of the mainland before rising sea levels cut it off from the coast.

Its journey with humans is believed to have begun when Mesolithic and Neolithic man first inhabited the island more than 10,000 years ago.

Evidence of pottery and a possible watchtower also points to its use by the Romans. And the Vikings may have used Steep Holm as a base from which to raid Watchet and Porlock, too.

Around 900 years ago, the Augustinian Priory of St Michael was established there but was subsequently abandoned in around 1260.

Steep Holm was a hub for smuggling in the mid to late 18th century when casks of tobacco, teas and spirits could all be hidden away in its many coves and caves.

Probably the most well known landmark on the island is the old inn which was built in the mid 1800s and now lies mostly in ruins. The mariners inn was used to provide much-needed drink and kip to sailors and most probably pirates too.

Steep Holm has changed hands many times over the years, those include the 5th Earl of Ormonda, James Butler, who in 1453 was a relative of Thomas de Beauchamp - the famed English commander in the Hundred Years' War, and one of the founders of the Order of the Garter.

Ruins of the old Inn. (Image: Kenneth Allsop Memorial Trust)

In the 1860s a Palmerston Fort and barracks was erected to fortify both Bristol Channel islands after a brief spell of alarmism in the British Establishment of a French invasion.

Six gun emplacements and canons were then installed - these batteries and fortifications can still be seen today.

In 1931, Steep Holm had found peace as a bird sanctuary created by island warden Harry Cox.

This didn't last long though as during both World War's, further fortifications were placed and upgraded on the island.

The barracks on the island. (Image: Kenneth Allsop Memorial Trust)

These included using Steep Holm as a coastguard station and in fear of a German invasion, massive gun batteries, searchlights and rocket launcher posts became prominent features.

Steep Holm was bought by the Kenneth Allsop Memorial Trust in 1976 in memory of the veteran BBC broadcaster and naturalist, to maintain the island as a nature reserve and bird sanctuary.