Your amazing itinerary
DAY1 TO WELCOME TO THE SCILLIES
You’ll arrive on beautiful St Mary’s, the largest of the isles, and transfer to your home for the next five nights, the stylish but relaxed St Mary’s Hall Hotel. The rest of the day is free for you to explore nearby Hugh Town or simply to relax and enjoy the hotel’s terraced garden. In the evening, you’ll take a gentle 15-minute stroll along the coast to enjoy a welcome dinner at the famous Juliet’s Garden restaurant.
DAY2 TRESCO & THE ABBEY GARDENS
After breakfast, your day begins with a ferry across to the privately owned island of Tresco, where you’ll have the first of our guided walks with special guest Will Wagstaff. With Will as your expert guide, you’ll explore the inland pools before crossing the island via farm tracks, keeping an eye out for the isle’s distinctive wildlife. Lunch is at your leisure before you enjoy a guided
visit to the Abbey Gardens, home to more than 80 species of plants and flowers, many of which are seldom seen on the mainland. The windbreaks and walls built around the ruins of the priory make the Gardens a unique habitat. You’ll then take the ferry back to St Mary’s for an early dinner at the hotel before Will gives a special talk and Q&A in which he tells the story of the natural history of the Scillies and their distinctive flora and fascinating fauna.
DAY3 ISLAND CRUISE
After breakfast, you’ll embark on a two-hour Seabird Special boat trip on the lookout for sea and shore birds, including puffins. Then you’ll return to St Mary’s and enjoy a guided walk from Town Beach to the Lower Moors before taking the coastal path back to Hugh Town, before dining at St Mary’s Hall Hotel.
DAY4 DISCOVER BRYHER
You will explore the island of Bryher, which is half a square mile in size and one of the Scillies’ wilder islands. You’ll experience contrasting landscapes, with crashing Atlantic waves and granite stacks on one side, and calm blue bays on the other.
Will Wagstaff will join you on a guided walk along the scenic coastal paths followed by a three-course dinner in the delightful Conservatory Restaurant at the Star Castle Hotel. Prior to dinner you will take a look at the small Castle museum, and take a walk along the ramparts with views across to Bryher and Tresco.
DAY5 THE EASTERN ISLES
You’ll set off on a one and a half hour cruise around the uninhabited Eastern Isles, where it’s possible to see colonies of Atlantic grey seals. You’ll land on St Martin’s to explore the archipelago’s northernmost island, famous for its fine sandy beaches, then return to St Mary’s for dinner at St Marys Hall Hotel.
DAY6 FAREWELL TO THE SCILLIES
After a leisurely breakfast, there is some free time before you’re transferred back to the quay in time for the return ferry to Penzance.