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Is this the greatest job in the UK?

Is this the greatest job in the UK?

Is this the greatest job in the UK?

If we read one more article from journalists threatening to leave London then we're going to go quietly mad. But we may have found the perfect job for someone looking to really escape the rat race.

The remote Welsh island of Bardsey Island, just off the Llŷn peninsula in the North of the country, is advertising for the post of an Island manager for a salary of £16,500 (with accommodation free). A few people live on the famous island during the summer, but in the winter months it's largely uninhabited. The Trust that owns and manages it describes the role as a 'unique opportunity', which has arisen as the current island manager Rhodri Evans is leaving following a two year stint.

It's a spectacular place to live, featuring a lighthouse, rare plants and with nesting places for Manx shearwaters and choughs (birds). In addition, you can see grey seals, dolphins and porpoises in the surrounding waters.

It also holds special significance for the Catholic Church, as it became a haven for persecuted Christians from the 5th Century: 20,000 Saints are reputedly buried on the island. As if that wasn't enough, legend has it that it was the final resting place of King Arthur.

King Arthur (sort of)
A bottlenose dolphin swimming in the bay

Evans explained: "The role is about looking after the visitors who come to the island, and the cottages. Then for the other six months, the role changes and it is more isolated, and the job is about keeping up the maintenance on the island over the winter".

If you enjoy your own company, then you'll be absolutely fine during the winter: boat services run frequently during the summer, subject to weather conditions, but from October to March, boats visit the island only occasionally. Ah, the sweet silence. Well, other than all those 20,000 ghosts roaming around.

The one hitch: you'll need to be able to speak English and Welsh. So if you know your Rhyls from your Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwyll-llantysiliogogogochs then get the job spec here and apply before July 31.

Pob lwc!

The Island lies just off the Llŷn Peninsula

(Images: Rex/Wikicommons/AllStar)