Five Perfect Days in the Scilly Isles (Britain's worst kept secret)
At this point, it is cliche to say that the Scilly Isles is perhaps the UK’s worst kept secret when it comes to holiday destinations. The explosion of articles praising them as the “ultimate” staycation destination written due to covid enforced travel restrictions in 2020 really was the final nail in the coffin. Their reputation for clear seas and white sand beaches is thoroughly earned, however.
Set 28 miles off the Cornish coast in the far southwest of England. (45 km for those of you who use a measurement system not invented by a drunk mathematician). The Scilly Isles are strictly speaking on a longitude that classifies them as subtropical, and the giant palm trees really help to sell the image.
A splattering of islands, ranging from rocky outcrops to lush green fields fringed with white sand beaches. 5 of which are inhabited (by humans, if you’re counting the bird population I imagine that number would be considerably higher). They're easily accessible by plane and helicopter, but I would recommend the ferry for a perfect way to arrive at these islands controlled by the tide.
Getting there:
While it is possible to get to the islands by car and then air or ferry, I highly recommend the Night Riviera service from London Paddington before getting the ferry from Penzance, you can see my write-up of it here. It is important to remember that if you do decide to drive to Penzance you will not be able to take your car to the Scilly Isles.
I took the Scillonian Ferry from Penzance, which I highly recommend and is only a 15-minute walk from the station. Sailing once a day it takes about 3-4 hours and there is no other way to set the mood of the isles than watching them slowly emerge from the sea glass blue north Atlantic.
They first appear on the horizon like hills made by an overly ambitious mole. Small dark grey smudges drifting out of the waves, establishing the barrier between sea and sky. As the ferry gets closer they begin to spread out and become distinct from each other before the details as they begin to develop contrasting borders from the white sand and ruggedly determined brush clinging to the crests of the hills.
The Scillonian docks at the quay on the main island of Saint Mary’s at the main town of Hugh Town. There’s a cafe on the dock that does a good cup of coffee, but you can wander further into town for more cafes and restaurants. If you plan on isle hopping during your trip I would recommend staying on Saint Mary’s, as all the ferries to other islands leave from there. I believe Saint Mary’s also has a hostel, but it was closed due to covid restrictions while I was there. Instead, I chose to stay on the smallest inhabited islands, called Saint Agnes. The island boasts of the archipelago’s only ice cream parlor (Troytown Farm)….which just happens to have a campsite as well.
Because I don’t actually own a tent I chose to rent a bell tent from Sam and Laura (the owners). Both of them are incredibly helpful and offer a service of dropping off a box of groceries on your arrival date. The campsite is on the “far” side of the island (15-20 minutes walk from the quay), though they do offer to come and pick you up in a buggy if need be.
Of the three islands I visited, Saint Agnes was my favorite. Quiet and laid back with beautiful beaches around every corner. Taking an hour and a half to walk all the way around, with a second island attached by a sandbar at low tide also most like some cosmic being went “ sod it, we’ll add a conservatory! It’ll increase the resale value”. Wandering over to Gaugh is a fun novelty, it also sports a tea room and pizza parlor though both were closed while I was there.
Saint Agnes has a pub just off the quay (seating pictured), as well as a cafe, the ice cream parlor, and a village shop. The Turk’s Head pub deserves its reputation for selling delicious food without pretension. I ate there twice during my stay, and even if you’re staying on a different island I would recommend taking advantage of the “dinner boat” services which run later in the evening so you can try the food.
There are some art galleries on the island if that’s your thing, but I was perfectly happy to hike around it and paddle on the beaches.
Saint Agnes is essentially a small English village with opening hours to match you will need to plan around this, particularly on Sundays.
But in all honesty, my little tent on Troytown Farm is perhaps one of my favorite places I’ve ever stayed. Any time I wake up to the view above or have my own personal beach like I did I can’t decide if I should let everyone know where to find it or keep it secret!.
Saint Agnes is somewhat of an unofficial bird sanctuary, making it perfect for a solo traveler as you will always have dinner guests.
The Scilly Isles sell themselves on their beaches, which totally live up to the hype btw. But in reality, they’re perfect as a walking holiday. Most islands would only take about 2 hours to circumnavigate on well-established footpaths which range from easy to moderate difficulty all with stunning views of either turquoise oceans or idyllic countryside. Pleasingly it’s easy to basically “cafe crawl” your way around the islands, so the only hiking kit you will need is a good pair of boots and waterproofs (it is still England after all!). I traveled in April meaning that I was often walking with empty white sand beaches on one side, snowdrops and bluebells on the other, and cherry blossoms overhead.
Getting around the Scilly Isles is perhaps my biggest con. Because I was staying on Saint Agnes I had to travel via Saint Mary’s meaning that the last boat back was typically about 3pm with no other option for getting home (you can’t just call an Uber). Each island has their own boating association who will post their planned departure times on their Facebook pages each morning, which can make planning a little difficult. But once you embrace that the rhythms of the islands begin to make a bit more sense.
The boats are relatively reasonably priced at around £5-6 per trip or for a return. The different associations all have slightly different prices but the most expensive boat I took was a “Dinner boat” to Saint Agnes so I could do more sightseeing on Tresco and Saint Mary’s. The ticket was a whopping £8 I think. Most, but not all, boats accept card payment so it's worth keeping at least one return fare of change on hand in case you get caught out.
It is also worth bearing in mind domestic travel in the UK is generally quite expensive compared to mainland Europe, the same holds for the Scilly Isles. Between the transportation and the limited budget accommodation options need to be considered when booking. Daily costs are comparable to the rest of the South and London, if you stay on Troytown Farm the campsite does have cooking facilities if you want to save money that way.
Please tweak the itinerary below based on when the boats leave, remember if you’re based in Saint Mary’s this will be less of a concern.
5-day Itinerary
Friday (night after work)
23:45 - Night Riviera train leaves from London Paddington
Saturday
7:50 - Arrive in Penzance
10:00 - Scillonian Ferry
12:45 - Arrive in Saint Mary’s
Grab Lunch in Hugh Town
2:30-3:30 - Travel to Saint Agnes and check into Troyton Farm
Here you could either grab cream tea from the cafe you will have walked past on the way to the campsite, sample your host’s ice cream, or explore the island before heading to the Turk’s Head for dinner.
Sunday
Check the time that the bird and seal safaris are leaving from Saint Agnes’ quay (about 10am-ish), this will likely take up most of your day otherwise you can spend the rest of the day exploring Saint Agnes.
Monday - Saint Mary’s
This is the biggest island, with the largest population.
I highly recommend the Dribble and Grub cafe in Hugh Town, it faces the ocean and serves the best shakshuka I’ve ever had. This is when you can either explore the history and culture of the archipelago if the museum or gin distillery is open. I hiked around the coastline to Old Town via Peninnis head and cut across to Little Porth before heading back to Hugh Town. It was this hike that makes me believe that the walks of the Scilly Isles are their most overlooked feature. Anywhere that has Caribbean style beaches on one side and fields of wildflowers on the side should lead with that in my book. I would quite happily walk circles on Saint Mary’s before I even needed to look to the galleries, restaurants, or museums to keep me entertained.
Tuesday - Tresco
I’ll be honest, the island of Tresco was not my favorite. It’s privately owned, and the Stepford Wives vibes of the main bit of town kinda gave that away. It does have two redeeming features in my eyes.
They have an excellent Tourism Office that is incredibly helpful with maps and advice about return boats.
Tresco Abbey lives up to the hype (with a very nice cafe too)
Once you get out of New Grimsby the island starts to feel a lot more like the other islands. A refuge for bird watchers and art lovers if that’s your thing.
Tresco Abbey is why you should still go to the island. A beautiful botanical garden bursting with color and new views around every corner.
I had also planned to explore the northern half of the islands where there are some ruined castles dating from the time of the English Civil War in the 1600s. However, due to boat shenanigans, I wasn’t able to. Just bear in mind that there are two quays on the island, one in New Grimsby and one at the southern tip, it’s worth having a word with the tourism office if you want some guidance. Do as I say, not do as I do.
Wednesday
10:00-ish - boat to Saint Mary’s
Lunch - If you’re feeling ambitious, follow the loop around the Garrison walls where there are spectacular views of Saint Agnes and the surrounding islands, although if you’re too slow you might have spectacular views of the Scillonian ferry leaving you behind.
16:00 - Scillonian Ferry
18:45 - Arrive in Penzance
21:45 - Night Rivera leaves Penzance
Thursday
5:00 - Arrive in Paddington station (They don’t actually kick you off till 6:30 so you can catch a bit more beauty sleep)
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