Scilly Isles advice please

Never been but told its VERY expensive

Will follow with great interest, as it is on my top bucket list.

My son and dil are going there tomorrow! Watch this space…

I'd love to go late May or early June- for flowers.

I would fly rather than go across by boat. A friend's daughter got married on St Mary's and the bride, groom and all the guests were horribly sick on the way over on the boat because it was (and is often) very choppy.

Oooo yes, my part of the world!
Bryher is nice. (Why the whales came.) You can get to the other islands easily. There's a shop, quite a few restaurants, cafés etc and you come across fruit and vegetable stalls. You can order items to be delivered for when you arrive. There's one posh hotel for a treat meal, you can stay there too.
You need to like, (I think you do), walking on fairly rugged terrain. The beaches are great for sea kayaking and paddle boarding.
To get there you take a little boat over from St. Mary's. Now the crunch, are you ok on boats? The ferry, the Scillonian, from the mainland can get cancelled in rough seas, it happened this August so don't think you will be fine in summer. The next day it sailed it was rammed with lots of people being sick. 🤢 You could fly from Exeter if you prefer but it is expensive.
If Bryher is of interest, let me know. I can send you details of a place (for 2 people). It's top secret and usually people book ftom year to year.
Good luck.

Sparklefizz

I would fly rather than go across by boat. A friend's daughter got married on St Mary's and the bride, groom and all the guests were horribly sick on the way over on the boat because it was (and is often) very choppy.

Yes, we went over years ago, on The Scillonian, and I was very sick, despite travelling on many ferries to France previously.

We stayed (we were camping) on Bryher. Great holiday!

Sounds as though we were lucky.
In 2015, we went to the Isles of Scilly, with a holiday coach company.
We flew across, to St Mary's , on a tiny plane, and were all weighed, yes, to distribute the weight equally.
It was only for 5/6 days, if I remember, but the weather was kind, and we had a great time.
It was our 54th wedding anniversary, and on the actual date, we visited Tresco.

Weve been twice and stayed on St Marys. A selection of boat trips leave from the harbour each morning. We had a great time. The sea is gorgeous but is very cold. We went both times on the Scillonian - lots of folk very seasick but we were fine. My neighbour went last month and they had a flight over. I would love to go again.

Thanks all. That's very helpful. Any other experiences good or bad ?

Sailed to St Mary’s with dog and stayed in a cottage just outside of the town. All the islands are small enough to walk around which we did, catching the boats in between. Each island has a distinct character and we enjoyed them all.

I would go again, and plan to stay in a hotel we ate at called Hell Bay on one of the other islands, it is dog friendly and quite pretty. We also enjoyed the tropical gardens on Tresco, where there were holiday let’s worth a consideration.

We order early narcissus from there every winter - nothing like the scent.

We went a few years ago and loved it. The journey isn’t very easy - we travelled from Essex to Exeter airport and then flew in a very small plane over to St Mary’s. We were advised to go over by boat. Very rough and about a 3 hour crossing.

We stayed on st Mary’s in a beautiful b and b. The hotels are very expensive. It’s easy to get to the other islands by small boats that regularly take you .

We would love to visit again!

Sorry - NOT to go over by boat.

My only advice would be to call them the Isles of Scilly and not Scillies or Scilly Islands. The locals object to the 'wrong' names.

First as Shysal says it is the Isles of Scilly, not the Scilly Isles or Scillies.
Second it is absolutely fabulous and most people return year on year. Beautiful uncrowned white sand beaches, friendly locals, safe environment.

How to get there? The Scillonian is a flat bottomed boat and if the sea is rough it will take twice as long to get there with the boat going from side to side as well as up and down. First time I went I was so sick I just wanted my fairy godmother to whisk me back home. Soon changed my mind, but now fly by plane from Lands End. Dd goes by helicopter. Only problem is if bad weather stops the flights, you have to find your own place to stay overnight.

All of the Islands are good to stay. We loved St. Martins and dd loved Bryher. The disadvantage is visiting other islands you don’t get a choice of when to go. On St. Mary’s the boats go every day to all the islands. Also it has more places to eat.

Make sure to visit The Abby Gardens on Tresco.

I want to go again. I love it there.

Thanks all. Very helpful advice

mumofmadboys

Thanks all. Very helpful advice

Final piece of advice is to get booked early, like in the next few weeks. Accommodation goes very quickly as people book one year and have the option to book the next.

We went to St Mary’s in late March this year, just before the Easter holidays and in the first week of the Scillonian restartingnit’s daily crossings. Both of our crossings were ok although some people were sick and the crossings the day before we sailed and the day afterwards were both cancelled because of rough seas.

We stayed on St Mary’s which we really liked and visited Tresco, St Agnes and Bryher with daily sailings from there. We loved the beaches and walking on all of the islands. The Castle hotel on St Mary’s is an interesting building with a very good cream tea and a beautiful walk around the coastline.

The weather is always mild( a Cornish friend of mine reckons) and we loved everything about our holiday there. Hope you enjoy yours.

I went last Sept. and should have gone again this April but recovering from a big operation prevented it. I flew from Exeter which is very near where I live but is expensive. Return fare over £400! However the journey was magical as the sky was clear blue and the views going over Devon, Cornwall and then soaring over an azure sea and seeing the islands sparkling in the sun was breathtaking.
I stayed at a wonderful B&B called The Wheelhouse which is literally on Porthcressa beach on St Mary's.
The beaches are white sand, the sea cold but so clear. On the off island there are numerous little wooden booths with garden produce, flowers, jewellery etc. You leave the money in a box.
Everyone is so friendly and the pace of life is very slow. Don't go there if you're into nightlife and beach entertainment. It feels like stepping back 60 years to a kinder, softer way of life. I loved it and want to return.

For Joseann -- when the ferry was "rammed" - what by? A battleship, trawler? Did it nearly sink? I'm surprised that incident didn't make the TV News?

For mumofbadboys, yes, it's not cheap there, but if you like that sort of holiday, it's great, take a book or two perhaps. And DO visit the gardens on Tresco, as they're wonderful. And if you've not been to the Channel Islands, maybe consider them, rather more to do, and a day trip to St Malo is possible from Jersey.

We have been several times, mostly flying from Exeter which isn’t cheap, but we find it the best option rather than travelling down to catch the ferry. We stay on St Martins which is quieter than St Mary’s. The beaches are beautiful. Just like being in the Caribbean

DrWatson

For Joseann -- when the ferry was "rammed" - what by? A battleship, trawler? Did it nearly sink? I'm surprised that incident didn't make the TV News?

It's an adjective meaning packed or very crowded. 😆

DrWatson

For mumofbadboys, yes, it's not cheap there, but if you like that sort of holiday, it's great, take a book or two perhaps. And DO visit the gardens on Tresco, as they're wonderful. And if you've not been to the Channel Islands, maybe consider them, rather more to do, and a day trip to St Malo is possible from Jersey.

No way, the vomit comet is ten times worse and Saint Malo has the highest tides in Europe! I used to do it every week to work. 🤢