Travel: Britain’s bestkept secret – Isles of Scilly

With their dazzling beaches, sub-tropical gardens and rugged coastal walks, the Isles of Scilly are the perfect getaway, discovers Richard Webber

The salty air blowing off the Atlantic into my face was stimulating my taste buds as I hiked around the crescent-shaped St Martin’s, which marks the north-eastern limit of the Isles of Scilly.

By the time I reached the aptly named Bread and Cheese Cove, my stomach was rumbling, so it seemed the perfect place to rest my limbs and grab some sandwiches from my rucksack.

Relaxing on a grassy bank, the intoxicating silence was broken only by the mournful shrill of a distant bird and the sound of waves rolling on to the tiny sandy beach below. Despite being just two miles long, St Martin’s – home to only 120 residents – boasts some of Britain’s best beaches, including the exposed Great Bay, a long stretch of white sand lapped by clear waters.

I continued my walk along heathery cliff paths edged by colourful wild flowers and could appreciate why, for many, St Martin’s is considered the most picturesque island in the archipelago, which lies 28 miles off Land’s End.

A spine of high ground divides the wild, windswept northern coast from the softer cultivated western and southern coasts, where a sprinkling of houses and businesses are located, including a flower farm and even a vineyard.

It’s where you’ll also find Karma St Martin’s, a luxury beachside hideaway offering 27 ocean-view bedrooms, three suites and a splendid restaurant, which was my base for the duration of my visit.

But wherever you are on the five inhabited islands (there are 140 more which are empty save the birds and wildlife), you won’t be far from a fine eatery. Many boast views to die for, including Seven Stones Inn on St Martin’s, Hell Bay

Hotel on Bryher, and Juliet’s Garden Restaurant on St Mary’s, the main island.

Although travelling between the isles is influenced by tides and weather, one of the greatest pleasures when holidaying here is to island-hop, and the efficient inter-island boat services, including Tresco Boat Services, make this possible.

The following day, I nipped across to tiny Bryher, the inspiration for Michael Morpurgo’s bestseller, Why The Whales Came. When the book was adapted for the screen in 1989, the island was chosen for location filming.

Leaving behind the sheltered

southern side, I followed the coastal path around to the ominously named Hell Bay. Sitting motionless in the grass overlooking the craggy coastline, the grey blanket of swirling mist, which had lain heavily earlier in the day, had given way to shafts of afternoon sunlight. Soon, the sky was awash with blue as I watched the Atlantic rollers breaking on the jagged rocks below. Today was calm, but this bay certainly lives up to its name during winter when storms bring monstrous waves crashing on to the cliffs.

More protected, being sandwiched between Bryher and St Martin’s, is Tresco. The only privately-owned island in the group, it’s famous for the 17-acre sub-tropical

Tresco Abbey Garden. With its collection of 20,000 plants from 80 countries, it’s a must for anyone’s itinerary.

My camera went into overdrive as I strolled around the manicured lawns, admiring the flowerbeds that display shrubs and flowers in all shapes, sizes and colours.

With red squirrels playing in the trees and golden pheasants darting around ahead of me, the gardens were a delight to explore, and the perfect way to start my tour of Tresco. Then I headed to the dunes sprinkled with colourful wild flowers in the south, before admiring the exposed cliffs in the north.

Each island has its own unique charm and is easily explored on foot – perfect for anyone, like me, who wants a self-guided walking break. But for those who prefer walking with a knowledgeable guide, Dr Katharine Sawyer of Scilly Walks offers plenty of treks throughout the archipelago – as I discovered on my last day.

I decided to put my map and guidebook away and allowed Katherine, an archaeologist, to show me around St Mary’s, the main island. Despite being the hub of the archipelago, it’s hardly large at just three miles by two. Walking the entire coastline, which is rugged in places but punctuated with quaint cafes, is easily achieved within a day. Katherine showed me around the south coast, enlightening me on the islands’ history en route.

It was the perfect end to a perfect holiday, which sadly had whizzed by too quickly. With so much left to explore, including St Agnes, the southernmost populated island, it won’t be long before I return to these gems just off the Cornish coast.