Thousand Islands Expeditions

01/11/2026

Season’s End 2026 — Thank You!

As we wrap up our 2026 season, Thousand Islands Expeditions is now closed for the winter.

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us on the water this year. Your support, enthusiasm, and spirit of adventure made every trip truly memorable.

What a season it's been! From exploring the stunning Pembrokeshire coastline to sharing unforgettable wildlife encounters and island adventures, we've loved welcoming so many of you aboard.

As we look ahead to 2027, we're excited about what's to come and are already planning another fantastic season of trips and experiences.

If you're looking to get ahead and book your adventures for next year, keep an eye on our website and social media channels. We'll be releasing our 2027 schedule soon, along with details of some exciting new trips we have in the works.

Until then, stay warm, stay wild, and thank you once again for being part of our journey.

Team TIEX ❤️

23/10/2026

October Half Term Boat Trips

We're pleased to let everyone know that we are planning to run our boat trips throughout the October Half Term holidays, weather and sea conditions permitting.

Unfortunately, the forecast is currently showing some very strong winds over the next few days, which may affect our ability to operate safely. As always, the safety and comfort of our passengers comes first.

We will be reassessing conditions next week and will provide a further update once we have a clearer picture of the weather outlook.

We hope to welcome you aboard and share the beauty of the Pembrokeshire coast and islands with you over the half-term break! 🌊⚓

📞 01437 721721

✉ [email protected]

🖥 https://thousandislands.co.uk/boat-trips

20/10/2026

01/10/2026

🍁 Autumn at Ramsey Island... and seal pup season is in full swing!

💙 There's something truly special about Ramsey Island at this time of year.

🍁 The autumn colours are beginning to appear, the air feels fresher, the sea takes on those beautiful autumn tones, and the island's beaches become home to one of nature's most heartwarming spectacles... grey seal pups.

🦭 If you've ever visited Ramsey Island in autumn, you may have spotted what look like little fluffy white marshmallows scattered along the beaches. These are Atlantic grey seal pups, and that gorgeous white coat has a special name: lanugo.

🍁 Unlike an adult seal's fur, lanugo isn't waterproof. Instead, it acts like a cosy winter duvet, trapping air and keeping pups warm while they stay safely on land with their mums. During these first few weeks, mum's rich milk helps them pile on the pounds, and a pup can even triple its birth weight.

💙 Then comes one of nature's cutest makeovers...

🦭 As the pup grows a thick layer of blubber, it starts to shed its fluffy white coat and reveal a darker, waterproof coat underneath. This scruffy, in-between stage is known as the "ragged jacket".

🍁 The pup might look a bit untidy, with tufts of white fur hanging off and patches of grey showing through, but it's actually a sign that everything is going to plan. A ragged jacket means the pup is growing up, building strength, and getting ready for life at sea.

🦭So next time you spot a white fluffy pup or a scruffy little ragged jacket on Ramsey Island, you're witnessing an incredible stage in the life of one of Britain's most charismatic marine mammals.


🦭 Fun Fact:

In 2025, Ramsey island saw a record 912 pups born at the Island.

Keep an eye out for this years seal pup numbers once RSPB have collected all their data.

22/09/2026

Meet the Bonxie — the North Atlantic’s Fearless Skua

We’ve had a few brilliant bonxie sightings this season — the Great Skua (Stercorarius skua) — both around Ramsey and in Ramsey Sound. They’re not common visitors, so seeing a bonxie here always feels like a surprise cameo from one of the North Atlantic’s true heavyweights.

The name bonxie comes from old Shetland dialect, probably rooted in Norse, and it fits perfectly: short, punchy and a little wild. These birds are famous for their piratical tactics — chasing other seabirds mid‑air and forcing them to drop their hard‑won fish. It’s bold, it’s brash, and it works.

In summer, bonxies head north to breed across Shetland, Orkney, Iceland and the Faroes, raising their chicks on open moorland with sweeping views of the sea. But once autumn arrives, they lift off and melt into the Atlantic. Many travel south towards Spain, northwest Africa and even Brazil, following rich feeding grounds and the great ocean currents.

Bonxies move because the ocean demands it. The North Atlantic is a seasonal world, and these birds are built to chase opportunity wherever it appears. Most of their lives are spent far from land — riding winds, shadowing fishing boats and carving huge arcs across open water. For a bird that looks so grounded and muscular, they’re astonishingly global.

Why we’d see a Bonxie in Ramsey Sound?

Although bonxies breed far to the north, they spend most of their lives roaming the open Atlantic. Every so often, one will drift down the Welsh coast and cut through Ramsey Sound, drawn by the same things that make the Sound so lively for us: fast tides, concentrated fish, and lots of seabirds. It’s a natural hotspot — a place where gulls, gannets, kittiwakes and shearwaters gather to feed, and a bonxie knows exactly how to take advantage of that.

They’re opportunists. If there’s food, movement and other birds to chase, a bonxie will happily swing through, rest, feed, or simply pass by on its way south. That’s why your few sightings this season make perfect sense.

05/09/2026

As we look back at the summer, we’re feeling incredibly grateful. It’s been a season full of support, sunshine and unforgettable moments on the water.

We were lucky to spend time around Ramsey, Skomer and Grassholm during the early season — three islands, each offering its own unforgettable wildlife experience. Ramsey greeted us with its rugged cliffs, wheeling choughs and the steady presence of grey seals tucked into quiet coves. Skomer gave us those bright, busy moments among puffins, razorbills and guillemots. And Grassholm, wild and remote, surrounded us with the sheer scale of its gannet colony — tens of thousands of birds turning the island into a living, breathing white‑capped world. Sharing all of that with so many of you made the start of the season feel truly special.

Although summer has come to an end, the season certainly hasn’t. Autumn is one of the most beautiful times to explore the Pembrokeshire coast — golden light, calmer days and wildlife at its most memorable. Seal pups are now the big draw, tucked into Ramsey’s sheltered bays and growing fast.

We’re still running day visits to Ramsey Island until 31 October, along with our wildlife trips around the island. There’s plenty of time to join us for an autumn adventure and experience this incredible coastline as it settles into its quieter, more atmospheric season.

04/09/2026

MANX SHEARWATER RESCUE

📢 Please help us spread the word about how to report a stranded Manx Shearwater in Pembrokeshire or neighbouring areas using our hotline. Share this post with you contacts now and help us save as many stranded Manxies as possible this season.

☎️ The volunteer operated hotline is now live 24/7 although will go to answerphone during the night and messages will be picked up and replied to in the morning.

🦆 Please note that it’s only rescue and release Manx Shearwaters and not other seabirds or wildlife. If you find other injured seabirds please contact the RSPCA or local wildlife rescue centres.

Please Call - 01437 723193

Manx Shearwater Rescue

27/08/2026

📣 The 2026 fledging season is upon us and our posters will be appearing across Pembrokeshire over the next few days as we promote our Manx Shearwater Rescue hotline.

👀 Please do keep your eyes peeled over the next month or so for young Manxies that might become stranded on land.

💡 Please help us encourage anyone living near the cost to ensure their curtains are closed when it's dark outside and if possible to switch off outside lights to help reduce artificial light attracting young birds landwards.

🤝 We really hope local businesses, community councils and organisations will support us again this year, especially in areas like Newgale, Broad Haven, Solva, Little Haven, St Davids but also in Haverfordwest, Milford, Pembroke Dock and elsewhere around the county.

💨 ⛈️We've got some cheeky weather inbound soon so please do help us spread the word!

Follow us on Facebook to hear how the season goes and the amazing work of our volunteers.

Huge thanks to Eco Dewi , The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales - WTSWW & RSPB Cymru for their continued support this year.

12/08/2026

This evening’s Sole Eclipse trip at 18:00 is set to be a special event, and we are delighted to welcome guests aboard for such a rare spectacle. Experiencing an eclipse from the boat provides an unparalleled vantage point, with the surrounding seascape adding to the atmosphere.

Wherever you are watching the eclipse from, please remember to wear sunglasses.

We look forward to sharing an exceptional evening with you on the water.

Happy Solar Eclipse! 🌒🌒🌒🌒

31/07/2026

Out to sea - Puffins

The puffins have now departed Skomer for the year, leaving the cliffs quiet after another spectacular summer. Once their chicks have fledged, these brilliant little seabirds lift off and head straight for the open Atlantic, beginning one of the most remarkable migrations of any UK seabird.

Skomer’s puffins don’t stay close to home. As a west‑coast colony, they scatter far and wide across the ocean once the breeding season ends. Many travel deep into the Atlantic, roaming thousands of kilometres from Wales. Some push west towards Greenland, Iceland, and Newfoundland, riding the rich feeding grounds of the cold northern waters. Others head south, spending winter in the Bay of Biscay off France and Spain, or even slipping into the Western Mediterranean.

These journeys can reach 1,500 km or more, with puffins living entirely at sea — feeding, resting, and surviving on the waves until spring calls them back to Skomer’s burrows.

It’s been an exceptional season on Skomer, with over 52,000 puffins recorded at peak count this year. Their numbers remain strong, and every visit helps support the conservation work that keeps this globally important colony thriving.

For now, the puffins are gone… but they’ll be back next spring, and we can’t wait to welcome them — and you — again.

Photo Credit: