A Guide To The Isles Of Scilly
Just 28 miles of the south coast of Cornwall, this archipelago of tropical-looking islands feel more like they belong in the Caribbean or Mediterranean than they do in British shores. Emma Henderson gives the lowdown on where to stay, eat, what to do and the best beaches on each of the five inhabited islands.
With soft silvery coloured sand beaches, tropical blue clear waters with yachts bobbing along and palm-filled islands, the Isles of Scilly are often confused with the Caribbean, or at the very least the Mediterranean.
But in reality, getting a dose of this idyllic-looking island life isn't as far away from the UK as you think. Well, you don't even have to leave the county, you just need to travel a short 28 miles from the southern end of Cornwall to the Isles of Scilly.
It's the UK's largest archipelago, with around 140 islands, though only five are inhabited – St Mary's, Tresco, Brhyer, St Martin's and St Agnes, which has understandably garnered Area of Outstanding Beauty status.
Spend at least a week here hopping between islands via the taxi boats, getting out on the water and immersing yourself in salty island life, and from the first time you visit, you'll no doubt catch the famed Scilly bug, and will be back before you know it.
St Mary's
If you get the ferry over to the Scillies, this is where you'll land and is likely most people's first experience of the Scillies. The Quay and its harbour is full of little boats, from yachts to little fishing boats, and ribs to taxi boats, and the wide sandy beach, aptly named Town Beach, lies ahead.
It's the largest of all the inhabited islands and its six square miles and is home to around 1,800 people, though during the busy periods that swells with holidaymakers and it feels like a busy little town. The main area is Hugh Town, which has a handful of shops, cafes, galleries and pubs and has a real community feel. The Quay is also the gateway to the rest of the islands, where you'll pick up other taxi ferries to island hop.
Where to stay:
Set within its fortification, the 16th-century star-shaped castle is one of the highest points of the island and so has the best views of the Quay below. It's family-owned and rooms have a country-chic feel to them with plenty of wooden beams and exposed stone walls. There's an indoor heated pool, tennis courts, two restaurants (often serving locally caught crab or lobster on the menu), and an underground bar that once kept prisoners.
Just slightly down the hill from Star Castle is Tregarthen's Hotel, where simple but stylish rooms are painted in heritage colours. It's also open to non-guests for lunch, so even if you're not staying here, make sure to visit for lunch as the views from the terrace are fantastic.
Where to eat:
What started as a small tea garden 40 years ago, has bloomed into a large cafe as well, that also serves dinner at weekends. To find it, follow the coast path about 15 minutes from Hugh Town and the views from Juliettes' are hard to beat, overlooking Porthloo beach, the bay and other islands. It's classic cafe food – think ploughmans, hefty salads, sandwiches and tortillas and mezze sharing platters.
Best beach:
Pelistry Bay
Head to the east of the island to this secluded beach, which is accessible via a coast path. It's usually much quieter here than some of the other beaches on the island, and overlooks the small Toll's Island ahead. It's a great spot for swimming, or for poking around in the rock pools.
Tresco
Probably the most well-known island, Tresco is owned by the Duchy and is on a 100-year lease to the Dorrien-Smith family. At two and a half miles long by a mile wide, it feels and looks like an idyllic little escape where every little detail has been well thought out. It's great for families, and feels almost like an Enid Blyton-esque time of endlessly long days at the beach and not worrying about anything.
There's no cars on this island and it's pretty compact in size, but there are little minibuses that can transfer guests around the island. And for others, there's golf buggies to traverse the small roads of the island.
The island's must-see is the Tresco Abbey Gardens that's filled with thousands of tropical plants across 2,500 species from as wide as Brazil, New Zealand and South Africa that's been designed to have flowering plants all year round. And don't forget to look out for the golden pheasant.
Where to stay:
There's no longer a hotel on Tresco, so accommodation ranges from the self-catering options such as the Flying Boat beach-front houses that have their own access to the sandy shores, to traditional stone cottages, or the New Inn pub. After a recent refurb, The New Inn is one of the coolest places to stay in all of the islands. With sage green accents, well-chosen textiles, seaweed prints and original beams, it's smart and luxuriously while still very relaxed. There's a restaurant, bar, and guests staying here have access to all Tresco facilities included, from the Abbey gardens to the indoor and outdoor pools, Tresco Island Spa facilities and tennis courts.
Where to eat:
With coastal cool interiors and a large terrace, The Flying Boat is a great daytime hangout. The menu is compact with contemporary takes on classics, using the best local produce like the chicken ceasar and smoked bacon toasted sandwich to chalk stream hot smoked trout on sourdough. Finish off with a Scillonian tattie cake – though the actual recipe is a closely guarded secret, it's a sweet cake made with potatoes, currants and dusted in sugar.
Near the Old Grimsby Quay side of the island, the Ruin Beach Cafe takes its name from a ruined smuggler's cottage nearby and is all about laid back beach front dining. It's speciality is wood-fired pizzas thanks to its huge pizza oven, while the rest of the menu is Mediterranean inspired with lots of sharing plates, locally grown produce and seafood.
Best beach:
Appletree Bay
In the south of the island, Appletree Bay is a sheltered half mile stretch of soft silvery sand and clear blue waters, which is perfect for swimming and snorkelling.
St Martin's
At just two miles long and three quarters of a mile wide, St Martin's is the most easy-going of all the inhabited islands. It feels less manicured than the likes of Tresco, it's quieter than St Mary's and has a slightly wild feeling to it and really champions its producers, from Scilly Flowers to St Martin's grass-fed beef. There's also an honesty shop, Middletown Barn, selling locally made gifts and an organic veg stall on the roadside of the single road that links the whole island together, which shows how trusting and safe its community is.
It's big on watersports, including swimming with seals and kayaking or paddleboarding to uninhabited islands. There's also an observatory here, making it an excellent place for stargazing. But what really sets this island apart is its family-run distillery, SC Dogs Distillery, and its vineyard, St Martin's Vineyard and Winery, which also produces beers and ciders and are both well-worth visiting for a tasting or two.
Where to stay:
Right next to the beach and water, the boutique Karma St Martin's has its own Quay at Lower Town and is the only hotel on this island. Overlooking Tresco and the uninhabited island of Tean, it's a laid back luxurious resort with a spa and is easy walking distance from the island's main centre, Higher Town.
At the other end of the scale, there's St Martin's Campsite, which has great views over the beaches and other islands and chunky hedges for protection from the elements.
Where to eat:
With a pretty garden and greenhouses covered in flowers, it's been a tearoom since the 1950s, so stop off for delicious baked goods, like almond, pecan, orange, and olive cake, a couple of scoops of locally made Moomaid ice cream, or sit-down for a cream tea (remember, it's cream on top). There are also ad-hoc curry nights, which are announced on its website.
Making speciality organic breads, pastries and proper Cornish pasties, sausage rolls, filled rolls and takeaway pizzas made using its own sun dried tomato pizza dough, The Island Bakery is so popular, it sells out quickly, so be sure to get there early. Everything is made on-site that morning and each week there's a guest bread, which could be anything from a walnut loaf to an Irish soda bread.
Best beach:
Great Bay
As its apt name suggests, Great Bay is one of the Scilly's best beaches. It's unspoiled (like all of the island beaches) and is a long stretch of white soft sand found on the north side of the island.
Bryher
The smallest of the inhabited islands, Bryher is squeezed between Tresco and the uninhabited island of Samson. It's an island of two halves – the wild Atlantic on one side and the softer calmer seas on the other, creating soft sandy coves that are protected, along with the biggest hills on Scilly (though still not huge). There's a gallery, a few shops and eateries and a watersports hire centre for sailing, motorboating, kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding.
Where to stay:
On the island's rugged west coast Hell Bay Hotel reopened early in 2024 after a substantial refurbishment with plenty of Caribbean inspiration, from cool-toned blue hues and contrasting beige and creams. Rooms are spacious and are full of pastel colours and pretty patterns.
Where to eat:
Run by the current three-generations of the Pender family, the fishing boat business made way for the Island Fish cafe, which dishes up hand-picked crab sandwich, lobster burgers, crab quiche, chowders, fishcakes and seafood platters.
As part of the Hell Bay Hotel, found in a granite barn and long shared tables, the catch comes from the Pender family, and the menu changes depending on what's caught and the market price. Expect chunky scallops and to dig into cracking your own crab and round it off with some Cornish cheese. It gets very busy here, so booking ahead is essential.
Best beach:
Rushy Bay
In the south of the island is quiet and sheltered thanks to its position, it's protected from the wind and elements that the north of the island faces, making it a great beach for swimming or kayaking. It's the largest of the island's beaches and is fringe by sand dunes.
St Agnes
The farthest inhabited island from St Mary's, St Agnes – or Aggy to locals – is the most south-westerly of them all too, making it the last stop between here and America. It's just a mile across and home to around 85 people. During May and June visitors are likely to see the rare puffins, while at low tide it is connected to the neighbouring island of Gugh by a sandbank. It's also known for its history, including burial chambers from ancient villages and the Troytown Scandinavian pebble maze, thought to have been built by sailors to help protect them from winds.
Where to stay:
There's no hotels or guesthouses on the island, but there's Troytown Campsite & Bell Tent and a few self-catering properties in traditional stone cottages.
Where to eat:
This family run pub is right on the water's edge and overlooks the Porth Congor Quay and Gugh island. It's been running since the 1970s and claims the title as the mostly south westerly pub in the UK and is full of history and maritime tales. The food is fish and chips, a crab roll or a classic cheese ploughmans.
Best beach:
Beady Pool beach
Another secluded crescent cove along the island's eastern side, Beady Pool beach feels quite remote and sits between two headlands. Its name comes from the earthenware beads that were once often found scattered on the beach after a 17th century Dutch cargo ship was wrecked nearby.
How to Get to the Isles of Scilly
The gateway to the islands is the market town of Penzance, in west Cornwall. From here, there's a few options to get to the Isles of Scilly, though it's worth noting that it's wise to be prepared for travel to change or be cancelled. As the islands aren't protected by any land they're susceptible to quickly changing weather that can scupper plans.
Ferries:
The Scillonian III has operated for around 40 years. It takes around 2 hours 45 minutes to travel between Penzance and St Mary's and can be also be used for day trips.
Leave your car parked in the long stay harbour car park in Penzance where it's about a 10 minute walk to the ferry terminal.
Aeroplane:
Taking just 20 minutes, the SkyBus service is the second quickest way to reach the islands. Also landing on St Mary's it takes just 20 minutes from Land's End Airport, 30 minutes from Newquay Airport and an hour from Exeter Airport. There's just 19 seats and it gives an amazing bird's eye view over the islands, though bad weather can affect flights, but travellers are usually able to be transferred to the Scillonian III ferry crossing instead.
Helicopter:
There's also the option to travel by helicopter, which is the quickest journey at just 15 minutes. Taking off from Penzance heliport it lands on either St Mary's or Tresco. Luggage is allowed, but must be a soft-holdall style bag, not a hardshell cabin bag.
84 Rooms recommends: How To Road Trip Through Cornwall’s Chicest Spots, and An Insider’s Guide To North Cornwall.