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Island Bagging

Of course, having your own boat with a
lifting keel helps, as well as the knowledge of
tides and charts that goes with it. Hence, we
are one of the few to have visited Gull island.
Anchoring and then drying on sand by St
Michael’s Mount, Cornwall will be familiar to
many. Its high point, by the way is some
natural rock embedded in the chapel wall.
You can beach a Southerly in Bigbury Bay
near Burgh island. There’s a cluster around
Portsmouth: Portsea ( good for a rainy day);
Horsea; Hayling, Thorney and Whale islands.

The most challenging and fun approaches to
islands have been via kayak. So, I can warn you about the strong currents
between St Margaret’s island, Pembrokeshire (next to Caldey island with
monastery) and have tasted the saltwater ignominiously departing from
Godrevy Island, Cornwall. And if you want to learn about mud, try the
Norfolk saltmarshes.
Scottish west coast islands can be particularly stunning with white sandy
beaches, swaying green marram grass, sea otters and the occasional ghost
of former residents. The exhilaration of reaching the high point after
detailed planning and several false starts is quite addictive!

At time of writing I have bagged 142 of 589 British Sibs, though the leader
has bagged more than 500.
If I have inspired you, you can find the list (with recognised high points)
here: www.hill-bagging.co.uk/SIBs.php - and can start logging your own
island visits for free.
So, to return to the Sunday Times, it appeared that I was the female who
had bagged the most islands- unknown up until that point to me- hence
my new royal assignation- Queen of Island Bagging.

Denise & Richard

S100 Lady Jo

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