UKC

Hi all, heading to Lundy later in the month and wondering about luggage allowance. Is the 20kg per person strictly enforced or only if ferry is cancelled and helicopter is used instead? We're camping so is it best to put rack and ropes in backpacks and head off to the crag and leave another bag in hold to be taken to the campsite or is it just one bag per person?

Secondly, are the timings for the Oldenburg realistic or do they vary depending on conditions etc.

Any advice gratefully received, thanks in advance.

K

Hi there, 

I don't think that the 20kg is strictly enforced, I think that they just eyeball your bag and how you are carrying it and make an educated guess. You're allowed day bags as well as 'bigger' bags.

The big bags going in the hold, the day bags to be carried onboard. The bigger bags with camping gear etc are typically dropped off at the campsite a couple of hours later on - time to be unloaded etc. 

I think though that with climbing gear, strictly speaking, you are supposed to declare it if you are wanting to climb. See: https://www.landmarktrust.org.uk/lundyisland/staying/staying-on-lundy/usefu... 

You are also supposed to check in your climbing equipment into the hold of the ship. See: https://www.landmarktrust.org.uk/globalassets/1-aa-new-responsive-site-imag... (page 2). 

The last time I went (May this year) they were being quite on the ball with asking people if they had climbing gear and enforcing the checking it into the hold, I didn't have any but I saw it happen to a few people. 

Another option, is to check the climbing gear in and, depending on the size and weight of your tent, stick that in the day bag instead. That way, you can pitch up straight away. Claiming the best (read flattest) pitch and then go have lunch at the pub for an hour or so before the climbing gear arrives. 

I hope that this helps. 

Took the chopper recently. We weren't climbing so less of an issue, but they didn't seem to be weighing the bags. The vibe was very relaxed - if the bags had been overweight I'm sure they would have allowed us to use the allowance of other passengers. The shed where they keep all the bags is by the tavern, so you might also be able to dip in earlier than advertised.

To set the scene Hartland heliport is really just a couple of wooden sheds. Friendly people who you suspect are primarily enthusiasts rather than hardened airline employees. Nothing like Ryanair. 

There have been checks when sea conditions prevent the ferry and everyone needs to be helicoptered out. 

Definitely a good idea to split camping and climbing gear so you can take advantage of the first day.  It can take several hours for the hold bags to be dropped off at the camp site.  

We went to Lundy 56 years ago and on that occasion took our climbing gear as hand luggage.  Not ideal as it clogged up boat seats and passages ( there were several other climbing groups doing teh same thing!)

We went again to Lundy in Sep 2020.   That time they allowed us to put climbing gear separately from the main luggage into a container that was unloaded directly on the quay when we arrived.   Much better arrangement all round.  I suggest you check with the Lundy shore office, they were very helpful. 

I didn't see any enforcement of the 20 kg allowance but was told it would be a problem if we had to go by helicopter due to bad weather. 

We have been 3 times now and in all cases the Oldenberg timings were pretty spot on ( apart from a delay returning due to a "no show" passenger).  Do check with the shore office the night before though. 

Have a great time, it is a lovely place, 

Hey

We went over last summer and had no issues with kit weight on the ferry. Between 4 of us I think we had 5 or 6 bags in the hold + 3 climbing bags, they just gave us the number of bag tags that we asked for and didn't really take much notice of quantity or weight so much. 

They don't let you carry your kit on to the ferry as hand luggage but they will keep it to the side and put it in last in a big net with all the other climbers kit, we got this fairly quickly after arriving so could have climbed that day if it wasn't awful weather. 

Top tip that we wish we new before leaving, take a tarp and some basics with you so you can cover you kit over on the campsite before the rest of the kit arrives, especially if it is raining. This took many hours last year and they seemed to do the campsite last for some reason. As others have said you can stake a claim to the nicest bit of the campsite then too.

The outgoing timing was pretty good, we had an extended stay by 3 days as the boat would not sail due to bad weather on the way back. Mega winds and the campsite evacuating and sleeping in the church...

Do what has been said above with your climbing kit, hand luggage if possible, if not last in hold.

Climbing wise, take a big orange poly survival bag. Start climbing at the north of the island, at the end of the day stash your kit in the bag at the next location South and collect the next morning, repeat until end of stay. Your kit will end up closer to your accomodation on the last day. This approach saves a lot of effort. 

Unlike other posters, I've been on a Lundy trip when a couple of members of the party got charged extra for having bags over the 20k limit. This was on a normal sea crossing. Only time it's happened on a number of trips, but there clearly are occasions when they check.

Only other thing I'd add: given its flat hull and token keel, the Oldenberg sails like a brick so if you're a bad sailor I'd have some seasickness pills in case there's a swell running.

take plenty of hand sanitizer for use on the boat

Great idea this..it's a long walk from the campsite back to north of island everyday. I was knackered (but probably very fit!) by then end of our stay.

When we sailed there was a fair swell running, plus there was some cookery show being filmed on the stern of the boat, some chef was frying up fish on several gas stoves....there were more than a few green looking people that day!

We strictly followed the 20kg limit. We spent our stay in lightweight 1 man tents. The rest of the campsite was people in giant tents with deckchairs and all sorts. The red faced man who took our bags wouldnt have cared if we had 1 bag each or 4, as long as it had a tag on it.

We also reported to the warden on arrival as instructed. The warden was very confused as to why we were there to talk to him.

One thing we didnt do is book parking in Ilfracombe. When we tried to pay for parking whilst collecting our ferry tickets, we were told this had to be done a week in advance.

The rules they dont tell you about, they enforce, and the ones they tell you about, they dont seem to bother.

We had one trip when one of the regular bouts of norovirus was enjoying a resurgence. Avoided it all week until one of the sufferers threw up on me on the crossing back. Had just arrived home when I felt the first stirrings.

 Not the best accommodation if the Atlantic gales start blowing. 

Taking a small lightweight mountain tent so hopefully will stay in place!

Thanks to everyone for all the advice, I'll be getting some motion sickness pills! 

This!  No matter how many times I have done it seems the mad dash around Ilfracombe/Bideford at 7.00 a.m. with clinking pound coins whilst trying to work out what the hell the parking signs actually mean, and hallucinating the boat sailing away without you, is an integral part of every Lundy trip.  Enjoy!

I'm sure a calm call to the Shore Office a week before you sail would nip this in the bud but hey, I like the excitement.

Estimate the wind direction and the boat direction and then plan to sit anywhere but down wind of the exhaust (midship IIRC)...

Since our trips involved a ride down from Yorkshire we used to book a B&B where the owner would let us leave the car on his drive for the week. Found people willing to do this in both Bideford and Ilfracombe.

I and a couple of mates did manage to turn the hallucination into reality one year. Got totally snarled up in BH motorway jams and missed the Saturday sailing. Normally this would have meant missing half our trip to wait for the next boat on Tuesday. But with undeserved good luck it was the weekend of the Lundy airshow and there was a special Sunday boat. The weather was so dire they cancelled the show but the boat sailed anyway. Arrived in the rain to find the bird ban had been extended and it was basically Landing Craft Bay plus esoterica. Rained for the next three days, which - since I was the organiser - was all my fault. Still had a great time and it just made us love the place all the more.

That's a classic Lundy story - I don't think I have climbed for more than a half day on my last three trips as they have all been family oriented, but still so much to love about the place and so many good memories : )

I was staying there one October when the wind direction made the normal landings impossible  one midweek day and  passengers and luggage had to be offloaded at Jenny's Quay. It was a very exciting occasion and the tractor lowered a trailer on a cable  as far as it could down the grassy slopes to pick up luggage and shop supplies, but the lower part of the procedure involved a lot of us forming a human chain and passing crates and boxes hand to hand up the rocks. Luckily there was a party of cadets staying on the island and they were organised very quickly and efficiently by their officer to form the biggest part of the chain, but several people commented on the fact that some open crates of fruit  and suchlike seemed a lot lighter when they reached the top of the chain than when first unloaded.

When it was our time to leave two days later the wind had not changed so we had to embark from the same site. This involved hopping from  one small inflatable into a bigger one which ferried us to the ship. It was a bit disconcerting to see that the crewman's idea of making fast the first inflatable involved just sitting on the line. Anyway no one got a dipping so it added a bit of spice to the journey back to Bideford.

Years back there was no landing jetty and you had to jump into the sea holding all your bags (no limit then either). Did have a brilliant week and no rain.

Remember someone has to man-handle the bags either end, so spread heavy items across more bags.

Don't underestimate how much effort it can take to find the bit of crag you are looking for. 

I've never had issues with baggage, but have spread it out and been part of a larger group. 

The biggest issue is getting on the helicopter with excess baggage. That costs. 

We took a two man folding kayak over one time. That weighed about 100kg, we did give instructions that it was to be left on the beach. Nice paddle around the island. 

Some good advice here, particularly regarding keeping your climbing gear with you as hand luggage, because you will waste much of the day waiting for the main kit to be unloaded and tractored up to the camping field which will be very frustrating if the weather is good. Also good advice about a cover for the main luggage, or pack it in waterproof bags as it will just be dumped in the field leaving you to sort it out and erect your tent(s) which won't be pleasant if it's raining.

If you are prone to sea sickness take medication before you sail because the ferry boat has quite an uncomfortable motion, and the sea may be rougher than it looks from land.