Isles of Scilly
The Isles of Scilly are a scattered archipelago about 28 miles south-west of Land's End. Five islands are inhabited: St Mary's, Tresco, St Martin's, Bryher and St Agnes. The rest are rocks and nature reserves. This is not a day trip you invent at breakfast on the mainland. Boats and planes have limited seats, weather cancels them, and the rooms are few.
St Mary's is the largest island and the hub. Hugh Town is the settlement, with the harbour, the shops and most of the guest houses. The other islands are quieter. Tresco is known for the Abbey Garden, a subtropical garden that should not exist this far into the Atlantic, and for an island that is run more like a single estate. Bryher, St Martin's and St Agnes are smaller still. People walk, swim, and watch boats. They do not hire a car and tour.
Getting there
The sea route is the ferry from Penzance to St Mary's, which runs in the main season and takes around three hours. It can be cancelled when the Atlantic is in a mood, so do not book a same-day train connection you cannot afford to miss. The air route is a small plane from Land's End, and also from Newquay, onto St Mary's. Flights are short and they are also weather-dependent. Book the crossing and the first night's room together. If you are coming from further up Cornwall or from London, Penzance is the railhead.
Between the islands, passenger boats run from Hugh Town quay when the weather allows. There is no point renting a car on St Mary's for a short stay. The off-islands are for walking. Bicycles are sometimes available on St Mary's. Golf buggies and a few vehicles exist, but this is not the place for a driving holiday.
Where to stay
St Mary's has the inns, guest houses and self-catering. The off-islands have fewer beds, which is the attraction and the constraint. Book ahead for summer, and book ahead for any week you cannot move by a day, because a cancelled sailing means a night you did not plan on the mainland. Self-catering only works if you have thought about food. The shops are on St Mary's, the choice is limited, and a cottage on Bryher is not next to a supermarket.
Prices are higher than a mainland week because everything arrived by boat or plane, including you. Come for the light, the beaches and the lack of traffic. Do not come expecting Torquay's restaurants or a wet-weather theme park. If the forecast is a solid week of gales, a mainland base in west Cornwall is the more flexible holiday.
Guide me to UK is an independent information site. We do not own hotels or take bookings. Fares, opening hours and timetables change, so confirm them before you travel. Reviewed October 2026.