Discover the Isles of Scilly

The Scilly isles have a long and well documented history. Widely believed to be Cassiterides mentioned by the Greeks and Phoenicians, the etymology of the name of the isles remains unknown although widely speculated to be of Greek or Roman origin.

It is believed that the isles used to consist of a larger set of islands with rising sea levels changing that throughout the centuries. Evidence of larger, more ancient isles can be found in Roman documents, in elements dating back to Britain’s Iron Age or even in Arthurian literature.

Throughout history, the isles have found themselves entangled in many a conflict, Norse raids, Norman conquests and some of the English Civil War’s bloody episodes. In October 1707, the isles were also the site of one of the worst maritime disasters in British history, when six out of a fleet of 21 Navy ships were driven onto the cliffs, killing at least around 1500 people.

One of the best ways to see the archipelago is island hopping. No matter where you base yourself, there will be plenty of organised boat trips to take you exploring. 

The St Mary’s Boatmen’s Association is the perfect company to turn to to book your boat trip around the isles. Offering safe trips and an abundance of local knowledge, it’s the perfect way to compliment a visit to the archipelago. You can easily tailor the trip to your specific interests and create your own itinerary, whether that’s a trip centred around local wildlife, exploring Round Island Lighthouse or even the Norrard Rocks, they offer a little bit of everything and cater to everybody. If you’re looking for something a little different, consider booking an evening or fishing boat trip. You can find out more about various ticket prices and fares on their designated webpage.  

The isles are home to some of the UK’s most peaceful beaches that are well worth spending some time on during your trip. Whether you want to take a relaxing stroll along the beach, go on a costaside adventure or make a day out of sitting on the sand and building sandcastles while intermittently going for a dip in the water, you’ll quickly realise there’s no place like the beaches of the isles of Scilly.

On Tresco, we loved Appletree Bay and Pentle Bay, offering miles on end of soft, warm golden sand and whimsical dunes. The glistening turquoise water makes for an inviting and enchanting beach experience. Old Grimsby Beach is another delightful beach on Tresco that also happens to be full of fun historical fun facts, making it great for a beach day.

St Agnes has many wonderful beaches, such as Gugh Bar and Porth Askin, the former having a beautiful dune-filled landscape and the latter being a more rocky curve-shaped space, perfect for a day out with kids! The isle of St Martin has the iconic Great Bay and the stunning (and dog friendly) Par Beach that are both well worth your time.

• The isles of Scilly are wonderful to visit year round, but your experience of them will obviously change based on when you come. Make sure you plan accordingly and make arrangements for your trip based on when you’ll be visiting.  
• There’s a fantastic array of local seafood on the isles to make sure you get a taste of it while you’re there. 

By sea: 

• To reach the Isles, visitors can take the ****Scillonian ferry**** from Penzance. The journey takes about 2 hours 45 minutes, dropping passengers off at St Mary’s isle. The ferry system operates from March to November, six days a week. The schedules can vary, but typically, the ferry leaves Penzance around 9:15am, getting to Scilly around noon and then leaves the isles around 4:30pm, arriving at 10 past 7pm in Penzance. 
• Visitors can also choose to take their own boat to head to the isles, doing so with the proper licences and permits of course. 

By air:

• Visitors can take the Skybus to the isles, which depart from Land’s End, Newquay or even Exeter. The small planes operate from Land’s End year round, from April to October from Newquay and from March to October from Exeter. The Skybus drops passengers off on St Mary’s. 
• Visitors can also take a helicopter to get to  the isles. The helicopters operate year round, departing from Penzance and dropping passengers off at either St Mary’s or Tresco.