Flat Holm
Flat Holm / Ynys Echni
A small island nature reserve in the Bristol Channel, with a lighthouse, a Victorian gun battery and remains linked to Marconi's wireless experiments.
Flat Holm lies in the Bristol Channel, about 6 km south of Cardiff Bay. It is the southernmost land in Wales and is managed by Cardiff Council as a nature reserve. The island has a lighthouse built in 1737, a 19th-century Palmerston fort with its guns, and the ruins of an old cholera isolation hospital. In 1897, Marconi completed the first wireless communication across open sea from here. In spring and summer, large numbers of herring gulls and lesser black-backed gulls nest here, and you can also see wildflowers and sea views. Boats leave from Cardiff Bay roughly from April to October, and a trip with a landing takes about 3–4 hours. Sailings depend on tides and weather, so book in advance; fares are several dozen pounds. The island has simple facilities, so bring water and windproof clothing, and wear a hat during nesting season to protect your head from gulls.
Opening hours
Approx. April–Oct, per boat schedule (subject to tides and weather)
Nearby sights
- Penarth Pier
- Cardiff Bay Barrage
- Norwegian Church Arts Centre
- Senedd
- Cardiff Bay & Mermaid Quay
- Pierhead Building
- Wales Millennium Centre
- Techniquest