Never has a phrase been more apt. ‘Small but perfectly formed’ was surely coined to describe the Isles of Scilly. This tiny archipelago has a total land mass of just over six square miles, but it offers some of the most incredible walking, serene maritime vistas and spectacular sunsets to be found anywhere in the UK. For that is indeed where you are, though as soon as you get your first glimpse of the islands, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d accidentally sailed all the way to the Mediterranean. In fact, they lie a mere 24 nautical miles off the Cornish coast, less than three hours away by ferry. Yet with their white sandy beaches, aquamarine water and wall-to-wall sunshine (with more average sunshine hours than anywhere else in the UK), the Isles of Scilly have a distinctly tropical feel.
Just five of the islands are inhabited: the largest, St Mary’s, and the four ‘off-islands’ of St Agnes, St Martin’s, Bryher and Tresco. Yet this still gives plenty of scope for exploration. For my money, walking the coastlines of each, with a few detours inland, is by far the best way to experience them. These eminently manageable circumnavigations allow you to stretch the legs and get a real sense of the islands’ unique and distinct personalities, as well as offering the chance to spot a plethora of wildlife along the way.
The Scillonian ferry is the lifeblood of Scilly, carrying essential food supplies, cargo and mail into the harbour of St Mary’s. It is also how most tourists arrive and we were no exception. We disembarked on a perfect blue-sky day, raring to begin the 10-mile circumnavigation of the largest isle. Just a short climb out of Hugh Town rewarded us with great views out over the islands of Annet, Samson, Bryher, Tresco and St Martin’s, giving us a glimpse of what we had to look forward to in the coming days. It was a unique experience for a multi-day hike – to be able to look over almost all of the landscape that lay ahead. It heightened the sense of anticipation; a feeling that never left us as we found ourselves waking up each day excited to see what we would find on the next island in our itinerary.
St Mary’s is particularly rich in history. Over the course of the day we passed the remains of ancient villages at Halangy Down, the burial chambers of Bant’s Carn, Innisidgen and Porth Hellick Down, ruins of an old blockhouse and decaying military defences. We also visited the memorial stone to Sir Cloudesley Shovell, Admiral of the Fleet in the Royal Navy. Shovell was drowned in a notorious shipwreck off the Isles of Scilly in 1707, though one local legend has it that he reached the shore at Porthellick Cove, barely alive, before being murdered by a St Mary’s woman for the sake of his priceless emerald ring. Back in the beastly eighteenth century, the islands were a wild and lawless place – a reputation that seems entirely at odds with their tranquil feel today.
After passing the picturesque Watermill Cove we descended to a beautiful white sand beach that was tantalisingly close to a tiny tidal island – Toll’s Island. Time it right and at low tide you can walk across a sandbar to reach it. Alas, the sea frustrated us, so we wandered on, rounding rugged headlands where weathered rocky tors loomed large, a feature that would soon become a familiar island scene.
The final stretch of our hike around the headland of Peninnis Head offered up some of the most unusual scenery of the day. Here granite cliffs and tors are scattered amongst maritime heathland and grassland. You can spend hours finding strange resemblances among the unusual rock formations. Some have wonderful names, like Tooth Rock, the Giant’s Foot, Walrus Rock, Sleeping Bear and the Tuskless Elephant. We also took the opportunity to admire the unique Peninnis Lighthouse, which stands on the very southernmost tip of St Mary’s.
Having explored the main island, we now had to decide in which order we’d visit the ‘off islands’. Each is a short 15 to 25-minute boat ride away, although the ferry timetables take a little working out if you aren’t simply sailing to and from St Mary’s every day. We wanted to spend a night camped out on as many of the islands as possible, which meant planning our schedule quite carefully. However, it’s just as easy to base yourself on one island and pick a day to visit each of the others.
We decided to make St Agnes our next stop, where we pitched our tent at Troytown Farm campsite, right on the water’s edge, which is the most south-westerly place you can camp in the UK. This picture-perfect island captured our hearts with its spectacular Atlantic sunsets. The harbour on which the campsite nestles has two resident seals, Frank and Jemima, and we spent many an hour looking out for them basking on rocks or playing in the clear waters, with views out towards the unoccupied island of Annet. Troytown Farm is also the only dairy farm on the Isles of Scilly, producing milk, butter, clotted cream and the most delicious ice cream. All handily available from the tiny shop at the campsite – a dangerous place to dally, at least for your waistline. Fortunately, we had walking to do.
At only a mile or so across, it’s easy to explore the entire island on foot in a single day, even with an inland detour to visit Middle Town, and a trip to the neighbouring island of Gugh, reached via a sandbar at low tide. Gugh is beautifully wild and rugged, with only two houses. Their curiously shaped roofs were designed to withstand the Atlantic gales that occasionally batter this exposed island. We enjoyed the two-and-a-half-mile circuit in splendid solitude. From the sandbar it’s a short wander to Cove Vean, where we enjoyed the sight of pretty boats bobbing in the water. Further on we reached Wingletang Down, home to the ringed plover, which can often be spotted around Wingletang Bay, otherwise known as the Beady Pool thanks to the coloured beads that are apparently sometimes still found on the shore, the enduring spoil from a 17th century shipwreck. As we rounded Horse Point the sea turned choppier, lashing the next stretch of boulder-strewn coast. We soon spotted the prominent horsehead-shaped granite pillar that is Nag’s Head.
Past the campsite is a pretty church. Stepping inside, out of the bright sunshine, we examined its beautiful stained-glass windows. One scene depicts a Pilot Gig crew rowing through the waves, above the fitting line from Isaiah 43:2 – “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you”.
Tresco likes to think of itself as the more upmarket off island. It has the feel of a glamorous resort, with uniformed staff driving golf buggies to whisk visitors to their luxury holiday cottages. Famous for its Abbey gardens, filled with sub-tropical plants, Tresco is a popular tourist trap, with cruise ships frequently offloading people onto the island. But we found, by walking its six-mile perimeter, we were easily able to escape the crowds.
Appletree Cove, a sweeping white-sand beach with sparking clear blue seas, was the perfect place to stop for a picnic and take a dip before heading north, where you’ll get a glimpse of the Great Pool right in the centre of Tresco. While the island’s southern half hosts most of the tourist hot spots, including the Abbey gardens and some admittedly stunning beaches, the northern end is a complete contrast, with heather-clad slopes and the ruined forts of King Charles’s Castle and Cromwell’s Castle. We paused there to enjoy the panoramic views across Men-a-vaur and the striking lighthouse on Round Island, which gleamed white as sunlight sparkled from the glass surround of its cupola.
Known for its artisan bakery, easy-going vibe and beautiful beaches, St Martin’s is a haven for hungry walkers. We were blessed with another perfect day as we dropped our packs off at the island campsite before heading to the bakery to pick up fresh Scilly crab sandwiches, Cornish pasties and delicious cakes to sustain us on our six-mile island circuit.
Apart from the small clusters of people outside the bakery and a few campers milling around their tents, we barely saw another soul as we meandered our way around St Martin’s. In fact, the only person we spotted all day was an artist at her easel, utterly absorbed in capturing the beauty of the island. Our circumnavigation took longer than expected, in part because we made so many stops to explore hidden coves and deserted beaches, each prettier than the last.
We stopped for lunch at the delightfully named Bread and Cheese Cove. A short climb after lunch led us to the rocky point of St Martin’s Head, where a striking red and white daymark stands, built in 1683 as a navigational aid for sailors. On a clear day, the views from here stretch all the way to Land’s End. The cliff path takes you down heather-clad slopes before turning left downhill, passing the only vineyard on the Isles of Scilly. An evening on St Martin’s is best spent in the rustic Seven Stones Inn, which boasts mesmerising sea views and the attentions of staff who describe themselves as ‘strange but friendly’.
Our final island stop was Bryher. Measuring just one and a half miles long by half a mile wide, it’s the smallest of the inhabited islands, but the winding and infinitely varied coastline means a total walk of some five and a half miles if you plan to circumnavigate the whole island. The sheltered eastern shore shares a channel with Tresco, while the western side is exposed to the full force of the Atlantic Ocean. Most visitors seem to congregate in the most popular spots, rather than walking around the coast, so again we explored alone other than at the Church Quay where the boat arrives and departs, and at the bustling Fraggle Rock café, where we enjoyed lunch.
A wonderful coastal track lined with agapanthus led us to Green Bay, before climbing Samson Hill. As we rounded Works Point, we admired the views out over Norrad Rocks – a series of uninhabitable islands that rear their heads just above the water. These rocks are important for seabird colonies, and are home to ten species of breeding seabirds, including puffins and cormorants. The rocks surrounding the islands are also breeding sites for Atlantic grey seals. Continuing around Droppy Nose Point, we headed over Heathy Hill and the crest of Great Porth. Here we stumbled upon the tiny Golden Eagle Studio, filled with gorgeous landscapes painted by local artist Richard Pearce.
The summit of Gweal Hill offered views that were now wonderfully familiar, with prospects out across Tresco to the distinctive daymark on St Martin’s. As the day waned, we made our way around the incongruously named Hell Bay, where the Hell’s Bay Hotel provided us with the most memorable evening meal, capped with another truly spectacular sunset. It proved the perfect way to end our time on the Isles of Scilly and bookend one of the best weeks of walking we’d ever had. Leaving the hotel via the lobby, we passed a contented-looking couple, who remarked on the almost impossibly beautiful evening sky, streaked with pinks and oranges. ‘Isn’t Scilly beautiful?’, we said. ‘Oh yes – but don’t go telling everyone’, they replied. ‘Do try and keep it a secret’. It seems we weren’t the only visitors to feel strangely protective about this low-key paradise. But on the other hand – with apologies to that lovely couple – it’s just too good not to share.
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