27-05-2025
Tiny UK island that is only open five months of the year with huge sharks
One volunteer compared working there to being on I'm A Celeb
ISLAND EXPLORER Tiny UK island 'feels like a sci-fi novel' with dolphins & 12m-long sharks – and it's only open for the next five months
THE Calf of Man is now open to visitors for the summer season - but for a limited time.
The remote island sits south of the Isle of Man with just two people living there from March to November.
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The Calf of Man is south of the Isle of Man and only 600 acres long
Credit: Alamy
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The island is completely uninhabited apart from a few volunteers
Credit: Alamy
Uninhabited outside of the season, it is owned by Manx National Heritage who manage the island that is primarily used as a nature reserve and bird observatory.
And the Calf of Man has opened up to holidaymakers who can visit the island from May to September, with small ferries leaving from the ports of St Mary or Port Erin from the Isle of Man.
Boat trips are available daily during the summer months with weather and tides permitting.
All trips depend on the weather, and the island can be cut off for weeks when it's bad because the journey can be dangerous - which is why there are shipwrecks surrounding it.
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Because of this, reaching the shores of the Calf of Man can take between 15 and 40 minutes.
On the island, you'll find two ruined lighthouses, but barely any people.
The 600 acres island is home to hundreds of birds, seals, dolphins, moths, butterflies and insects that you can spot on your visit.
Another popular animal you can find there during the summer is the basking shark.
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Basking sharks can grow up to 12 metres long and swim close to the shore of the island. In the summer, they can be seen feeding on plankton near the surface.
While most visitors opt for a day trip, it is possible to stay overnight on the island - in the one accommodation available.
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Basking sharks are regularly spotted during the summer months
Credit: Alamy
The Bird Observatory is a self-catered hostel, and on the Island Escapes website, it said that visitors need to 'bring their own food supplies and a sleeping bag'.
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It also adds that 'a stay on the Calf is only suitable for those who are fit enough to cope with the terrain and conditions'.
Bookings run from June 2, 2025 until the end of August and the hostel can sleep up to eight people.
One visitor wrote on Tripadvisor: "Calf of Man is one of those fantasy locations you see in films, or read about in sci-fi novels.
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Seals like to make an appearance on the shores too
Credit: Alamy
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"Upon seeing it in the distance, every one of those stories will spring forth, and you will find your mouth forming an automatic 'wow.'"
One woman, Chloe, recently gave up her regular 9-5 for a chance to work as a volunteer on the Calf of Man.
She snapped up one of the most remote jobs in the British Isles and became an assistant estate warden.
Chloe enjoyed the experience so much she even returned to work as a paid estate warden for a nine months and likened it to being on the TV series I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.
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Here are the UK's 'happiest islands' with white sand beaches and attractions older than the Egyptian pyramids.
And five islands off the coast of the UK you can visit without needing your passport.
