and Land’s End. Frequency is generally higher on the shorter flights, with those from Land’s End taking only 15 minutes each way. There are no flights on Sundays. Schedules and prices can be checked with the Isles of Scilly Travel Centre, tel 0845 7105555, www.islesofscilly-travel.co.uk. Paulgers Transport meets incoming flights and will take passengers directly to their accommodation on St Mary’s.
Penzance harbour in Cornwall, from where the Scillonian III sails to the islands
Getting around the Isles of Scilly
Buses and Taxis: A regular Community Bus service operates in a circuit around St Mary’s, as well as minibus and vintage bus tours around the island. There are also a handful of taxis, should you need to get to any place in a hurry. Most of the buses start from beside a little park near the Town Hall in the middle of Hugh Town, though services can also be checked at the Tourist Information Centre. The off-islands are small enough to walk around on foot and walkers don’t really need any other form of transport. If choosing an accommodation base on one of the off-islands, the proprietor may be able to meet you at the quayside with a vehicle and assist with transferring luggage, but ask if this is possible when booking.
St Mary’s Boatmen’s Association: Run on a co-operative basis, the Association runs several launches from Hugh Town on St Mary’s to the off-islands of St Agnes, Bryher, Tresco and St Martin’s. Launches to Bryher may also drop passengers at the uninhabited island of Samson on request. Details of services run by the Association, plus a wealth of cruises, are advertised on notice boards on The Quay at Hugh Town, as well as at the quaysides on the off-islands. Details can also be obtained from the Tourist Information Centre. The Association operates a small ticket kiosk on the Old Quay at Hugh Town. There are more ferries and cruises to more places in the high season than in the winter months. Bear in mind that the onset of stormy weather can lead to the sudden cancellation of all boat services around the islands. St Mary’s Boatmen’s Association can be contacted at Rose Cottage, The Strand, St Mary’s, Isles of Scilly, TR21 0PT, tel 01720 423999, www.scillyboating.co.uk. Other services to and from the off-islands are operated by St Agnes Boating, tel 01720 422704, www.stagnesboating.co.uk; Tresco Boat Services offer services to and from the islands of Tresco, Bryher and St Martin’s, tel 01720 423373, www.tresco.co.uk/arriving/tresco-boats.
Have a look at the noticeboards on The Quay at Hugh Town for details of trips (Walk 1)
Boat Trips
Quite apart from using boats as a means of access to islands and walks, why not enjoy a series of boat trips? Some trips are operated by the St Mary’s Boatmen’s Association, on their large launches, while others are run using smaller boats, which usually limit their passenger numbers to twelve. Classic trips run by the St Mary’s Boatmen’s Association include tours around the Western Rocks, Norrard Rocks, St Helen’s and Teän, the Eastern Isles, and a complete circuit around St Mary’s. There are Seabird Specials for bird-watchers, historical tours, evening visits to St Agnes and St Martin’s for supper, and the chance to follow the popular Gig Races in the high season.
At some point during your visit to the Isles of Scilly, be sure to witness the evening Gig Races. This is the main spectator sport on the islands, when teams row furiously along a measured 2km (1¼ mile) course from Nut Rock, across the stretch of sea known as The Road, to The Quay at Hugh Town. Women’s teams compete on Wednesday evenings, while men’s teams compete on Friday evenings. Boats generally leave The Quay at 1930 on those evenings. The World Pilot Gig Championships (www.worldgigs.co.uk) take place over the May Bank Holiday.
Do you sample some of these boat trips to broaden your experience and enjoyment of the islands, and you should make every effort to include as many of the remote islands and rock groups as possible.
Tourist Information and Accommodation
The Tourist Information Centre in Hugh Town on St Mary’s can provide plenty of information about accommodation, pubs, restaurants, transport and attractions throughout the Isles of Scilly. Annually, around 200,000 people visit the Isles of Scilly, including those on day trips. In August the islands can run out of beds for visitors, so advance booking is always recommended. All the islands except Tresco have campsites, and these can fill too.
Accommodation around the islands ranges from luxury hotels to basic campsites
There are abundant self-catering cottages and chalets, as well as plenty of B&B establishments and guesthouses. There are nine hotels; six of them around Hugh Town on St Mary’s and one on each of the off-islands except St Agnes. For full details and a full colour brochure contact the Isles of Scilly Tourist Information Centre, Porthcressa Bank, St Mary’s, Isles of Scilly TR21 0LW, tel 01720 424031, www.visitislesofscilly.com. Other websites containing useful information and news include www.scillyonline.co.uk and www.scillytoday.com. It is worth listening to Radio Scilly on 107.9FM while you are staying on the islands, www.facebook.com/radioscilly.
A lot of time and effort can be spent trying to tie ferry and flight schedules into accommodation availability on the islands in the high season, and there may be a need to spend a night before or after your trip at Penzance on the mainland. Arrangements can be simplified by letting Isles of Scilly Inclusive Holidays handle all your requirements in a complete package, tel 01720 422200, www.islesofscillyholidays.co.uk.
Maps of the Isles of Scilly
The Isles of Scilly could be explored easily enough without using maps, as the total land area is only 16 km2 (6¼ square miles), but mapless visitors would miss a great deal along the way. Detailed maps reveal alternative routes and other options to the walks in this book. Dozens of near and distant features can be identified in view, and access to all the relevant placenames is literally at your fingertips.
The following maps of the islands are available in a variety of scales and styles. Ordnance Survey grid references indicate the starting point of each walk throughout this guidebook.
Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer 101 – Isles of Scilly. This map gives the most accurate depiction of the Isles of Scilly on one large sheet, including all the rocks and reefs that make up this complex group, along with a wealth of interesting and amazing placenames.
Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger 203 – Land’s End, The Lizard & Isles of Scilly. This map shows the Isles of Scilly as an inset. The map offers little detail of the islands and is not particularly recommended detailed exploration, though it is a useful general map and worth having if you are also considering walking around neighbouring Land’s End and The Lizard in Cornwall.
Free leaflets containing maps of all or some of the islands can be collected from the Tourist Information Centre or picked up from other locations. Some will prove useful, others less useful, and many of them exist to highlight a variety of services and attractions around the islands. Marine navigation charts are for those who sail as well as walk, or
