PEOPLE can now 'walk' one of Pembrokeshire's most beautiful sites - without leaving the comfort of their own home - at any time of day or night.

Skomer Island is among the special sites that can now be accessed via Google Street View - the internet giant's interactive mapping service that puts the user at the heart of the destination.

It gives people a 360? panoramic view, so anyone with internet access can virtually ‘walk’ the trails and try to spot a puffin or two.

The Skomer Island service allows users to view a full loop of the popular island which lays a mile off the Pembrokeshire coast and is managed by The Wildlife Trust of South & West Wales.

The project is part of Natural Resources Wales' commitment to help more people get active, interact with the countryside and enjoy the outdoors.

Max Stokes, Natural Resources Planning Officer said: "Launching the digital maps with Google means we can now showcase special places on a global platform.

“We hope that this ‘virtual warden’ experience will encourage more people to get out and enjoy the outdoors."

Dozens of staff helped to map the many different sites.

Max continued: “We had over 60 members of staff who walked over 40 individual routes with the Street View Trekker.

“The camera was worn like a backpack so we could capture trails only accessible by foot.

"Trekking causes quite a stir - walking around with 23kg of batteries, cameras (15 of them) and GPS units in a backpack is certainly a way of attracting attention to yourself!

This was one of the great things about the project, most people who saw this strange looking device couldn’t resist coming to ask about it. It was great for trekkers to hear first-hand how much people loved visiting these sites.

“It was their enthusiasm which was key to the project’s success.”

To see Skomer in all its glory, go to Google Maps, find Skomer off the Pembrokeshire coast and pick up the yellow man symbol to access the Street View imagery.