Welcome to Lundy Island Trivia Quiz

Answer: MV Oldenburg

The Motor Vessel Oldenburg was constructed in 1958 and originally operated in Germany, before being sold to the Lundy Company in 1985. In bad weather, the Oldenburg is sometimes unable to land on Lundy, and overnight visitors have been known to become stranded for several days until the weather improves.

A helicopter service has also been introduced which can function when the boat can't, thus removing some of the fun.

Answer: True

It is believed that the name comes from the words "Lundi", the Old Norse for "puffin", and "ey" for "island". There are indeed a few puffins that breed on Lundy Island, although the numbers drastically declined in the twentieth century when rats, escaped from visiting boats, ate their eggs and chicks.

In the twenty-first century, successful efforts were made to eliminate the rat population, and it is hoped that the numbers of puffins will rise again.

Answer: The Marisco Tavern

The Marisco Tavern is named after the Marisco family, who lived on Lundy in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. It serves excellent home-cooked food, using mainly local ingredients (including the island's own lamb and venison), and beer from the St Austell Brewery. One unusual feature is that it literally never locks its doors, so one can find shelter from the elements even in the middle of the night. Sadly you won't be able to get a beer, though, as its licensing hours are similar to those on the mainland.

Answer: St Helen or Helena

St Helena's church, funded by a legacy, was named in honour of an old twelfth century chapel dedicated to St Elena, which had become derelict by the 1600s. Between 1885 and the opening of the new church, the island was served by a corrugated iron chapel which could not be formally consecrated because it was regarded as a non-permanent structure. Sadly, regular services are no longer held there, although its bells (which were restored in 1994) are popular with visiting groups of ringers.

Answer: Rat Island and Mouse Island

At first sight, its steep sides make Rat Island look inaccessible from sea level. However, by scrambling round the base at low tide, a rocky ascent can be made from the east corner. There's not much there when you get to the top, but it is rich in wild flowers during the spring. Mouse Island is much smaller, being little more than a rocky outcrop sticking up out of the sea, and can only be reached by boat or swimming.

Answer: Hadrian's Wall

No, that wasn't a trick question, as I hope you realised. Walkers hoping to use the walls as a means of measuring their progress around the island should note that the distances between them are not particularly even. For example, it is only about half a mile from Halfway Wall to Three-Quarter Wall, for example, but a further mile-and-a-half from Three Quarter Wall to the north point of the island.

Answer: Be very careful - it is a 300-foot deep sheer-sided hole

The Devil's Limekiln was once a sea-cave, but the top has collapsed, leaving a very deep and dangerous littoral sinkhole. It is possible to circumnavigate the hole, but walkers should take extreme care on the seaward side, where only a narrow neck of land separates it from the sea. Only fully equipped and experienced climbers should contemplate a descent into it.

Answer: It has no electricity

The vast majority of visitor accommodation is situated in the southern quarter of Lundy, within easy reach of the pub and ferry. Tibbetts, however, is more than halfway towards the north end of the island, and sits in solitary splendour, enclosed by a low stone wall, on top of the cliffs. Originally a naval lookout post, it sleeps four, in two bunk beds; just remember to bring candles.

Answer: Lundy Cabbage

The Lundy cabbage (Coincya wrightii) is a protected species, and can only be found in the wild on the eastern cliffs of Lundy. Although it is a genuine brassica and thus a member of the cabbage family, it apparently tastes disgusting to humans.

Answer: Two

The South Lighthouse is one of the first landmarks that visitors see when arriving on Lundy, looking out as it does over the quay. The North Lighthouse is located on a low, narrow spit at the far end of the island, and can only be seen by those who take the trouble to walk there. Both are fully automatic, no longer having resident keepers.

There is a third lighthouse building, constructed in 1820, on the summit of Chapel Hill. It was abandoned in 1897 and replaced by the North and South Lights. It has now been converted into self-catering visitor accommodation, and anyone can climb to the top to admire the views across the island.