An updated version of this profile is online at nationalcharacterareas.co.uk. This pdf is retained for historical and completeness purposes.
Lundy is a flat-topped granite island surrounded by steep cliffs, up to 100 m high, plunging into the Bristol Channel. The shore has caves, stacks and huge granitic blocks along the rugged western coastline, which has always presented a danger to shipping. The east coast is much more sheltered from prevailing winds and waves, and the vegetated slopes extend further towards sea level. The cliffs are topped by a bleak, open and windswept heathland plateau, grazed by a range of feral animals including Soay sheep and goats and by domestic stock. Wide views over what appears an apparently endless sea give a strong sense of isolation. Lundy’s coastal links to Ilfracombe and Bideford in the Culm are vitally important – all food and supplies; save some meat are imported to the island, and the MS Oldenburg carries island staff and visitors to and from the mainland.
The granite that forms the bulk of Lundy was emplaced into Devonian Morte Slates during the Tertiary Period. Lundy’s granite is unique because it is the southernmost British granite associated with the opening of the Atlantic Ocean. Lundy’s small settlement, which includes a church and the Marisco Tavern, is built in locally quarried granite with slate roofs.
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