Why a trip to the Saltee Islands in Wexford is one of Ireland's best day trips

"With a rise in popularity of birding as well the meteoric increase in tourists seeking Insta-friendly destinations, the area has become increasingly popular, with bumped-up services operated by Saltee Ferry"

A Puffin nests on Wexford's Saltee Islands. Pic: Michael Mac Sweeney/Provision

In Ireland, you have to seize the day during our precious yet capricious bolts of glorious weather. 

So with the recent spell of exam-season sunshine, I hastily popped online to nab the next available ticket for what I reckon to be one the country’s best excursions: The Saltee islands.

Offering the kind of blockbuster flora and fauna you might only expect to find off the coasts of Iceland or Maine, these stunning Wexford outposts are within day-tripping distance for many of us. 

After securing a ticket for five days later, I made the midweek migration to the sunny southeast.

The Saltees are an epic but somehow niche Irish natural wonder located 20 minutes south off the coast of Kilmore Quay. Both islands (Little and Great) are privately owned by the Neale family, who own the only residence on the island, but they are open to the public.

With a rise in the popularity of birding as well the meteoric increase in tourists seeking Insta-friendly destinations, the area has become increasingly popular, with bumped-up services operated by Saltee Ferry. 

The Saltee Islands, off the coast of Wexford

I headed there on a gorgeous afternoon joining a mix of some photography pros but largely a mix of Irish, US, and Ukrainian families enjoying Ireland at its finest.

There is no marina on the Great Saltee so the journey across involves a novelty transfer from our ferry to a dingy. The crew are excellent and after a few hops and jumps, I’d arrived on the island barefoot but exhilarated.

On the island itself, visitors have the bones of four hours to explore this stunning area of conservation. I wander through a forest of ferns and die-hard bluebells and it doesn’t take long for me to spot the island’s most beloved summer residents: Puffins. The birds nest and spend about three months on this outcrop before returning for a mysterious life on the high seas for the winter. They make for curious cliffside compatriots and quite obliging photography subjects; resist the urge to move too close to the birds as you’ll find patience will generally reward you a few close encounters on their terms.

Elsewhere, you can discover stunning razorbills, shags, and, at the tip of the island, a cacophonous home to a colony of gannets. This is a Nat Geo documentary playing out before your eyes in one of the most stunning picnic settings.

Back on the mainland come early evening, I made tracks for the Saltee Chipper, just across the pier in Kilmore Quay, where a quintessential fresh fish and chips supper capped the perfect coastal day. The Saltees truly is a world class excursion on our doorstep — pop it on the bucket list before another summer season takes flight.

• Details: The Saltee Ferry costs €30 return and typically departs the mainland hourly from 9am to 1pm, returning approximately four hours later. Summer weekends are booking up fast and just note that while there is plenty to enjoy in the island through the summer, the puffins typically hit the high seas by late July. 
• salteeferry.com
• visitwexford.ie

Ireland's only cable car and the only cable car that traverses open seawater in all of Europe, the Dursey cable car is strung above the Dursey Sound, which is a 150m wide passage between the island and Lambs' Head at the tip of the Beara Peninsula.

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