Lundy

Lundy is an island in the Bristol Channel[?] of Great Britain.

It is about halfway between Wales and Cornwall.

Lundy is part of Great Britain and is about 3 miles by 1/2 mile in size. There is ferry service from Bideford and charter helicopter service from Barnstaple[?] in Devon.

Tourism and postage stamps are the main parts of its economy.

Historically the home of French and other pirates, it passed from aristocratic ownership to private ownership in the 19th century. In 1969 it became a part of the National Trust.

M. C. Harman, owner of the UK island of Lundy in the early decades of the 20th century issued private coinage and postage stamps for local use. Although the island was ruled as a virtual fiefdom, its owner never claimed to be independent of the United Kingdom, so this can at best be described as a precursor to later territorial micronations.

Lundy's name is derived from the Norse lunde for the puffin birds which nest on the island. However, the numbers of these has decreased significantly in recent years as a consequence of depredations by rats, some from nearby Rat Island. Also, some of the nesting sites formerly used by the puffins have become overgrown by rhododendrons.

Links

http://www.lundy.org.uk

http://www.lundyisland.co.uk