Spring, summer and autumn (until late November) are dry and sunny, although the July heat can be overwhelming.Bulgarian Tourist Board (020-7589 8402; ).. Lying on my soft grassy rock I could just make out the packed beaches of Barry Island and Penarth in South Wales. And if I rolled over the other way I could see the crowded resorts of North Somerset and Devon. I’d discovered an unspoilt oasis right in the middle of one of Britain’s most popular seaside areas.

This was my reward for finding how to get on to the get-away-from-it-all islands of Flatholm and Steepholm in the middle of the Bristol Channel.Thousands gaze from those busy coasts wondering how to reach the two mysterious islands standing a few miles offshore. Boat trips are rarely advertised; visitor numbers are limited and no one can just turn up and hop aboard.Despite their enviable location on our coast, Flatholm and Steepholm are not holiday islands. They are designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest and Nature Reserves. One is owned by a council, one by a charitable conservation trust and all development is strictly controlled.It is, in fact, easy to take a trip to either island, but not both in the same day. The Holms are only three miles apart but the Flatholm boat leaves from Barry in South Wales while the Steepholm boat goes from Weston-super-Mare, 100 miles away by road.That’s partly because the main shipping channel runs between the two islands.

Also, Flatholm is considered part of Wales, while Steepholm is administered from England.The key to getting out there lies in two phone numbers. For Flatholm call 01446 747661; for Steepholm ring 01934 632307. There are regular day-return boats, although extreme tidal ranges and unruly waters mean trips are often cancelled I waited weeks for my trip to Steepholm to get the go-ahead. Flatholm’s service is more reliable; Steepholm is more expensive but more memorable.Once you get on either of the boats you realise a real adventure is beginning. Vital supplies are loaded on board to be ferried to the island’s resident wardens, and detailed safety instructions have to be given to all passengers. For safety reasons children under five are not allowed.It takes an hour to cross from Weston to Steepholm, 40 minutes from Barry to Flatholm.

The Channel that looks so calm from the shore gets pretty choppy. The tidal flow out there is one of the world’s most extreme, rising and falling by 47 feet. Currents are stronger than any swimmer, so neither island allows any bathing.Indeed, some trips get all the way to the islands only to find it is too rough to land And visitors have often been stranded. Flatholm warden Natalie Taylor was stranded on the island when she went for her job interview. “I had to stay for an extra day – it was no problem,” she shrugs with a nonchalance that probably guaranteed her success in landing the job.The trip to Steepholm is usually taken in the 100-seater Bristol Queen. Landing involves simply charging the boat full pelt into the steep beach, then walking along a wobbling gangplank to shore.Stumbling up that pebble slope I suddenly felt stupidly intrepid.