TravelTips24 : Europe : British Isles : United Kingdom : England : West Country : Isles of Scilly

Isles of Scilly

The Isles of Scilly (Cornish: Ynysek Syllan) [1] is a small archipelago of islands in the Atlantic Ocean, off the Cornish coast in the South West part of the United Kingdom. The Isles of Scilly were designated an official Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1975.

Regions

There are 5 main inhabited islands (St Mary's, Tresco, Bryher, St Martin's and St Agnes) and a larger number of smaller, uninhabited islands (including the Western Rocks, the Norrad Rocks, Samson, Tean, St Helen's and the Eastern Isles).

Cities

Culture and History

Note: Local people do not use - and do not like - the expression "The Scillies". Local usage is to refer to "Scilly".

Talk

Travel to Isles of Scilly & Visa Requirements

By boat

Throughout the summer months the Scillonian III operates between Penzance in Cornwall and St Mary's. Day Trips and Longer Stays are available. Timetable information, further details and online booking is available from the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company's website [2].

Flights and airtickets to Isles of Scilly

Skybus run a scheduled air service to the Isles of Scilly all year round. With flights from Land's End, Newquay, Exeter, Bristol and Southampton.

By helicopter

The air route between Penzance and St Mary's has been serviced by helicopter since 1964 and is the world's longest running scheduled helicopter service. The Tresco service was subsequently inaugurated in 1983. The 20 min flight operates 6 days a week with regular flights throughout the day.

Timetable and booking information is available from British International's website [3].

Tours & Getting around Isles of Scilly

By boat

Each island is serviced by an network of inter-island launches that run 7 days a week from 1 April through to the end of October each year. Apart from direct trips between the islands, circular sightseeing tours are also offered giving the opportunity to look at the extensive wildlife in and around the islands, particularly the large colonies of Atlantic seal and hundreds of sea bird species. One of the most popular trips is to see the puffins who arrive to nest in late April, leaving the Isles in early August. The boat service in the winter is governed more by wind and tide, but daily, direct trips still take place with the occasional circular journey when the weather is sufficiently benign.

Isles of Scilly attractions and sightseeing

  • Visit the Isles of Scilly Museum in Hugh Town on the island of St. Mary's.
  • On Tresco are the famous Abbey gardens.

Itineraries

Isles of Scilly city tours

Fishing, diving, walking, swimming, snorkeling, sailing, cycling, birdwatching, chilling out.

Isles of Scilly souvenirs & shopping

Lots of locally produced food and gifts are available. St Agnes wildflower honey, St Agnes ice Cream, St Agnes eggs, Scillonian soap, island beef, locally caught fish and shellfish, and the list goes on.

Isles of Scilly Restaurants: cheap, moderate and expensive

Isles of Scilly nightlife, bars, clubs & pubs

Each of the islands has its own pub, though St. Mary's manages to support five, The Oldtown Inn. Porthcressa Inn, Bishop and Wolf, Atlantic Inn and The Mermaid.

On the 'Off Islands' (as the other islands are refered to) you have the Sevenstones on St. Martin's, New Inn on Tresco, Fraggle Rock on Bryher and The Turks Head on St. Agnes.

Isles of Scilly cheap and luxurious hotels, youth hostels & lodging

Most accommodation is on the largest and most populated island, St Mary's, which has plenty of accommodation of all kinds. The other islands have more limited accommodation: Tresco is a private estate which runs an upmarket timeshare resort, and has a hotel and a pub, but no campsite. St Martin's and Bryher each have one hotel, a campsite and some self-catering cottages. St Agnes is the only inhabited island without a hotel, and is therefore the quietest, with just a few B&Bs and holiday cottages, and a campsite. The islands are a very popular holiday destination; demand for accommodation exceeds supply, so prices are quite high and early booking is advisable.

Stay safe

Get out

Didn't find what you were looking for.
Ask for advice at the Isles of Scilly travel forum

This page was last edited at 12:04, on 6 November 2008 by Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. Based on work by David, Stacy Hall, Ben, Thomas Hine, Crisp and Jim Logan, Wikitravel user(s) Morph, Jake73 and Dhmellor, Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel and others.

Content on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0 license