The Isles of Scilly

The Isles of Scilly

The Isles of Scilly are wonderful but please don't tell anyone. 

The islands have different and distinct characters but all are friendly and relaxed.

                                                    The beach at St Martin's at low tide

The rocky ridges of White Island, St Martin's

Canopy covered paths to the heathland (St Martin's)

The wild, rocky islets off the west coast of Bryer

The calm, sheltered channel between Tresco and Bryher

A bit of history on Tresco

Just outside the gardens on Tresco

One of Tresco's sandy beaches

More history on St Mary's

The islands have different and distinct characters but all are friendly and relaxed. Tourists can't take their cars, there is no need. St Mary's almost has the feel of a 'normal' town, with cars and buses. The other islands don't have roads as such but narrow, often sandy lanes. They are also criss-crossed with paths, making exploring the islands on foot straightforward.

Getting supplies on the islands is straightforward. Islands have village stores, often offering a delivery service so your provisions are ready and waiting for you to arrive. There are also specialist stores, such as the bakery on St Martin's. Dotted around the islands are honesty stalls with fresh fruit, veg, cakes and so-on. The Isles of Scilly are so special and it is important for visitors to keep them this way. This year, I am sad to have heard lots of stories from the islanders about people not being honest. Produce has been taken from the stalls with insufficient money left. This upsets me so much, so please make sure you embrace the trusting nature of the locals on your stay. (No more preaching).

Getting there

Getting to the Isles of Scilly is straightforward and well organised. We travelled on the Scillonian III, the dedicated passenger ferry for the Isles of Scilly. This leaves Penzance in the morning and takes roughly 2.75 hours to get to St Mary's. The return journey leaves St Mary's in the late afternoon.

The Scillonian alongside in Penzance

We stayed at Chy-An-Mor B&B in Penzance where we parked our car for the duration of our tip to the islands. Great B&B with great service.

There are also reasonably priced options travelling by either plane or helicopter. Many visitors opt to fly out and return by boat. This way round means the boat journey, which can be notorously rough, is likely to be more pleasant as the wind and waves are most likely to be going with the boat.

                                                    The Scillonian heading to St Mary's

Boarding the Scillonain is straightforward. With your ticket you can take 1 piece of luggage and 1 piece of hand luggage (with restrictions). You can book additional luggage, which we did as we were camping. On arrival at the quay, you place your luggage in the relevant container for the island you are staying on, with the right colour label for your island. Then, it's time to board.

A foggy, but thankfully calm crossing to St Mary's

On arrival in St Mary's, if you're travelling to one of the off-islands, i.e. not St Mary's, you need to get one of the inter-island boats. These leave at various times and don't necessarily connect with the arrival of the Scillonian; you may have to wait a short while on St Mary's. The boatmen are efficient and your bags will be moved from the Scillonian on to the appropriate boat. You return to the quay in time for your boat and enjoy the short journey to your 'off island'. It is worth following the relevant Boatmen's Facebook page to get daily updates on the times of the boats. 

On the St Martin's boat

On arrival at your island, if fit enough, you might be asked to help unload the bags off the boat. Most accommodations, especially the campsites, offer to drive your luggage to the accommodation for you; there may be a small cost / booking for this.

Staying There

Most accommodation gets booked up a year beforehand. However, there are cancellations, if you can travel at short notice. Keep an eye on Isles of Scilly Late Availability and for 2022 Isles of Scilly Accommodation 2022

St Martin's Campsite

Our corner pitch

The campsite is split by hedges into smaller fields. The hedges give shelter from the wind and make the place feel a little more cosy and private. Numbers are limited and the pitches are spacious which really contributes to the great (quiet) atmosphere on the site. There is a toilet / shower block, washing up areas, a laundry and a barn where you can charge your electrical items. There is no indoor space to hang out in so make sure you have a spacious tent! You can book your kit onto the trailer for the ride to and from the boat, for a small charge.

All islands are small and it is only a short walk to the village store and bakery on St Martin's. The pub is even closer!

What to do!

We holidayed in September when the sea is at its warmest (16 degrees C); we were also extremely fortunate to have predominantly warm, dry and calm weather. We hired a double sit on top kayak so we could travel to some of the other islands under our own steam. 

One of the rocky islets in the lagoon

We spent a lot of time in and on the sea. We paddled to the Eastern Isles a couple of times where we explored pre-historic ruins, found gorgeous beaches and went snorkelling in the beautifully clear water. The seals are curious and followed us around at times. We also paddled out to explore some of the smaller, rocky reefs in the lagoon.

The curious seals

There is a lagoon that is very shallow between the Eastern Isles, St Martin's and Tresco. It is also sheltered and so on most days we paddled out to the small rocky reefs, or between the islands. The water is clear but other than the seals there doesn't seem to be much life in the lagoon, however, we did see porpoises in the deeper water when we left St Mary's. On the outside of St Martin's, on the northern shore, the water felt colder but there was more life to see when snorkelling.

We took 2 days to explore St Martin's, one day to explore the east, the other the north-west. The middle of the island rises to a great height of about 40 metres and is covered in heathland similar to that around my home in the Peak District. The coast has rocky sections but also plenty of white, sandy beaches. There are tidal islands and granite tors, similar to those on Dartmoor; some forming ridges in miniature with scrambling opportunities.

Tresco has a heathland interior similar to St Martin's, with white sandy beaches, rocky outcrops and historical ruins. There are also the famous Abbey Gardens, but having enough to see, combined with being tight, we decided not to pay the entrance fee to visit them.

We reached Bryer by paddling the kayak to Tresco, walked the half mile or so across the island and caught the ferry across 300 metres or so of water, to Bryer. Bryer has a huge number of rocky islets and ledges off its western coastline. Although the weather was calm, there was a swell coming in and the roar of the sea, along with the huge spray made the walk down the island spectacular.

We didn't get to St Agnes as this meant a boat trip to St Mary's, then on to St Agnes and we were too busy enjoying ourselves elsewhere. A good reason to return....

The islands are perfect for those of you who can amuse yourself in a wild, natural environment and enjoy the peace and quiet. If you need constant entertainment, don't want to walk anywhere and can't cope without streetlights then the Isles of Scillies are not for you. 

SSShhh...........