Volunteer Point

On Saturday we visited Volunteer Point. This is only about 10 miles north of Stanley as the crow flies but because of the indented coastline you have to drive about 50 miles to get there and the last 12 are off road. It is advisable to go with other people as once you leave the road it is difficult to find your way and easy to get bogged so we met up at 8am and set off in a convoy of 6 vehicles led by a couple who are very experienced off road drivers and have been there numerous times before. It took about an hour to reach Johnson's Harbour, the settlement where the road ends, and about 2 more hours to cover the last 12 miles.
We had various incidents of people getting bogged and needing towing out. At one point Simon tried to tow someone but the bar across the back of our vehicle that the rope was tied to came off so it now needs some welding. Simon decided this was all for the best, because he would obviously need something stronger if he ever needed to be pulled backwards out of a bog!


There is a warden resident out there during the summer and he collects the entry fee of £15 per person and tells you what is happening. There is a huge white sand beach with remarkably clear water and waves breaking and behind this there is a large grassy area where magellanic penguins nest. There is also a large colony of gentoo penguins and some of these had recently hatched chicks so you could see one or two peeping out from under their parents asking for food.

However the most amazing thing is the king penguins. There are about 500 breeding pairs there so with all the young ones probably about 2,000 altogether. The main breeding area is marked off by stones which you mustn't pass but there were also groups scattered around and on the beach. A few had laid eggs which they hold on their feet covered with a flap of skin and feathers. The adults are stunningly beautiful and it was quite surreal to be lying on a sand dune watching these beautiful birds just a few feet away.


Some of the young ones are quite inquisitive and come up to look at you. The juveniles are quite comical as they have long fluffy brown feathers. Many of them and some of the adults are moulting so they have tufts of old feathers left on top of their beautiful new ones.


We watched gentoo penguins coming out of the sea. On their way in they keep jumping right out of the water. This is when they are most vulnerable to predators and we watched a large male sea-lion swimming along in the shallows on the lookout for them.


Time there went all too quickly and I wished we could have stayed longer although I was glad to get in the car and have some hot soup. There was a very cold wind and even with 5 layers of clothes and hat, gloves etc it was quite chilly. Today however is really hot and sunny and I have sat outside in a T shirt!