Family-of-5 moved UK island that vacationers can solely entry twice a day

Meet the Mundy family, who reside on an island that can only be accessed twice a day and has a mere five children attending the local school. The Mundys relocated to Holy Island in late 2022 as part of an initiative to tackle the dwindling and ageing population.

Despite attracting up to 800,000 visitors annually, the Northumberland coast island is home to fewer than 200 residents. The tide allows for crossings twice a day, with the road submerged underwater for the remainder of the time due to a tide that advances by approximately 40 minutes each day.

Andrew Mundy, 40, and his wife Victoria, 36, have been proprietors of the Pilgrims Coffee House & Roastery on the island for 18 years. They moved closer to their cafe to raise their three children, Aida, 10, Heidi, seven, and Thea, four.

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Previously residing in the village of Belford – roughly 15 minutes away – they had to commute to their cafe according to the tidal times. While Aida attends school off the island full-time, Heidi and Thea divide their time between the local island school – which has just five students – and a larger school in Lowick, when the tide permits.

After spending the initial couple of hours at the island school, they are transported via minibus to the other school once the sole road off the island reopens. Currently, the island is undergoing a project dubbed ‘Holy Island 2050’, aimed at enhancing the island’s sustainability.

Councillors are contemplating a new visitor centre and improved transport links, including a cycleway and park and ride.

Andrew Mundy, one of the newest residents under a recent campaign, waxed lyrical about his decision to raise kids on Holy Island: “We wanted to have and liked the idea of bringing children up on an island – specifically on Holy Island.”

He raved about his lifelong connection with the place, commenting, “I’ve been around the island since I was born really and I know what it’s like when the tide shuts.”

He illuminated the idyllic side of island life saying, “It’s like a part-time island with the best of both – beaches everywhere, minimal traffic and kids can run around as they please.”

Weekends are for beach time and biking for the Mundys, Andrew shared: “We go down the beach a lot on weekends and cycle around the island.”

However, he acknowledged a minor hiccup with the tides affecting club attendance: “We’ve always not had amazing success in enrolling the kids into clubs because of the tides but otherwise we just spend our time going wild on the island! “.

Reflecting on his appreciation for Holy Island, he added, “I’ve appreciated it for my entire life,” and underlined the perks of raising kids there: “Ultimately, my business is here and I see the benefit for the children of living here.”

Averse to city life, Andrew professed, “I’m not really a city dweller and I don’t see anywhere better to live.”

Surprisingly, he considers the notorious tides an asset rather than a problem: “The tides are not an inconvenience, more of a blessing.”

Discussing his family’s deep roots on the island, he recounted, “My parents bought the island store about 40 years ago and my grandparents ran it and then my mum had a few other shops.”

He revealed his practically non-existent commute: “I’ve sort of been brought up here really. I live next door to the cafe and the commute is 5 metres now! “.

Despite its challenges, the tides, Andrew remarked, are what mainly entice tourists to the island.

He explained: “It wasn’t very relaxed. You never had enough time to do whatever you needed to do on either side of the tide.”

“We do get a lot of tourists as it’s quite easy to get on.”

“The tides are a huge draw.”

Talking about their children’s unique education setup, Andrew said: “So there’s a small school on the island with just five pupils, two of which are Heidi and Thea.”

“When the tide is in they go to school on the island when the tides open they go to the school on the mainland in Lowick.”

“The tides move forward by about 40 minutes every day so the time they spend on the island school changes daily.”

“They quite regularly bring all the kids from Lowick over to the island as well.”

“Both schools are really friendly and nice.”

“They all get along and know each other – they muck in together.”

Despite relying on tourists for business, Andrew expressed a desire for better tourism management amid the Holy Island 2050 plans.

Andrew remarked: “Since we’ve been living here, tourism hasn’t changed as much.”

“They’ve put a lot of effort in to attract more tourists and I think now it’s more about tourist management, rather than bringing in more.”

“It can be hard to understand the effects of the boom in tourism and how that affects life.”

“Of course, I profit from it, but equally I live here as well now so I feel the effects on both sides.”

“Environmentally, it’s a small community and making it a little beacon for sustainability is something I’m fully behind.”

“I think they are trying to encourage more families to the island and I like the idea of offering places on the island to people that have skills and trades like its own little community.”

“The fishing industry is around four or five boats and still a large part of the character of the island and the rest of it really is built around tourism.”