They call it an airbridge , but it feels more like a flight to another planet . The `` easiest '' way to get to the Falklands is on a British Royal Air Force charter flight from RAF Brize Norton in central England . But it 's not that easy . From the time I shut my front door in Britain to the time we touch down on these remote islands , 24 hours have elapsed . An eight-hour leg to the Ascension Islands -- a tiny speck of land in the Atlantic -- and then another eight hours down to RAF Mount Pleasant on the Falkland Islands -- a slightly bigger speck of land . But this speck is suddenly back in focus as Britain and Argentina spar again over its sovereignty . The two countries went to war over the issue in 1982 , and tensions between the two countries are rising again over the islands which Argentina calls Las Malvinas . How royal visit fuels Falklands spat . My first impression on landing is how similar the base is to the one we 'd left in Oxfordshire . Here though , posters on the walls advertize the penguin colonies . For nature enthusiasts this is a paradise with vast swathes of untouched wildness . See high-res images of life in the Falklands . Outside the wire , a rough gravel road and barren countryside give the impression of being in the Highlands of Scotland . No trees , lots of sheep and every other car is a Land Rover . And lots and lots of ... well , nothing . No houses , no people , no electricity pylons , nothing . Finally we approach the capital Port Stanley , or just plain Stanley as the locals call it . It 's more like a village really -- a couple of food stores , a post office , some pubs and a gift shop . And everything is quintessentially British . Red telephone boxes , warm beer , fish and chips . It reminds me of Cornwall or Scotland : windy , isolated and bathed in a similar dazzling light . Our first stop is Gypsy Cove , where we see Magellanic Penguins waddling across powder white sand . Perfect , apart from the signs warning you to watch your step , because this used to be an Argentine minefield . The mines should have been cleared , but you never know , seems to be the message . It does n't exactly encourage parents to take their kids down to the water to watch the wildlife . The islanders are proud , tanned , rugged and permanently wrapped up against the chill of the south Atlantic . They say they are Falkland Islanders first , British second , and most wo n't countenance the idea of becoming Argentine . They are no nonsense to the point of being , at times , slightly stubborn . But they are also immensely hospitable . Everyone seems to know everyone else -- many are related , distant cousins or connected by marriage . Hardly surprising in a community of just 3,000 people . They seem slightly amused and perplexed by some of the rhetoric coming out of Buenos Aires , but they are analyzing every word . It matters here . Many are withering about Cristina Kirchner , the outspoken Argentine President . They say their feelings have been utterly ignored in the war of words between Britain and Argentina . Most are fervently loyal to Britain but in fact these islands are not part of the United Kingdom . There are one of 14 British Overseas Territories like Gibraltar or Bermuda , a sort of halfway house between independence and colony . The Falkland Islands government can raise its own taxes and has its own bank notes , but it relies on the UK for defense and foreign policy -- and a supply of home comforts , like PG Tips Tea , Chocolate Digestives and Spitfire Ale . A couple of days into our trip , we get news of excitement at the only school on the island . An RAF search and rescue helicopter has landed on the football pitch . Everyone 's taking pictures , hoping Prince William , the Duke of Cambridge is piloting the chopper . It 's difficult to tell , but the town is abuzz afterwards . His presence here might be `` routine '' as the British Government says and `` provocative '' for the Argentines , but for the islanders it 's special . He has n't been spotted drinking in the local pubs yet , but on such a small island with so little to do , it 's surely only a matter of time . We wo n't be here to share that first pint though -- the airbridge beckons for the long , long journey home .
Argentina , or The Falkland Islands , are the source of a long-running dispute between the UK and Argentina . Most residents on the Argentine protectorate are loyal to the UK despite their proximity to Argentina . Life in the capital is reminiscent of an English village -- red telephone boxes , warm beer , and fish and chips -- with penguins . As international tensions simmer , locals are analyzing every word coming from The Falkland Islands 's president .