Recently, in July 2021, I spent six days in the Isles of Scilly. It’s an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, about 30 miles off the south west coast of Cornwall in England.
It’s a mix of inhabited and uninhabited islands and is a really popular holiday spot for Brits. Most go there to hike, spend time on the water, watch wildlife or just to relax!
I booked onto the trip last minute so hadn’t actually done much research at all before going. After spending a week there, I wish I’d researched a little or had been told about certain things to expect. With that in mind, I’ve collated top tips for any of you planning a trip to the Isles of Scilly.
They’re in no particular order, so keep reading to the end to make sure you’ve taken note of them all!
Take Cash
Before you leave mainland England, head to an ATM and take out some cash. ATMs are few and far between on the islands, with just two on St Mary’s (the main island). You might be wondering why cash, given we’re in 2021 and most places accept contactless payment…
The Isles of Scilly are quite remote and while internet access is available almost everywhere, it’s temperamental. I spent a lot of the week struggling to even use the WiFi at my hotel, let alone reliably connect to data. I’m assuming it’s for this reason that a lot of places only accept cash, as presumably card machines would be a nightmare!
You’ll also need cash for the many boat trips you’ll be taking. Tickets are circa £6 per adult per trip and you hand over cash when you board the boat. There are also activities such as the observatory on St Martin’s island that are paid in cash on arrival.
Boat Costs & Schedules
Ahh, the boats. I’d ignorantly imagined there to be near-constant boat services between the islands. Like a hop on / hop off service, y’know. I thought we could just jump on a boat almost whenever we wanted and that they’d run into the evening. The plan was to have dinner on one island and take a boat back to the island we stayed on afterwards.
Turns out, that’s not possible with the public boats. If there’s one top tip I wish I’d known about before heading to the Scilly Isles, it’s this one!
Check out this website before you go to get an idea of the boat times between the islands. They run about four times a day. That’s it. And they rarely (if ever) run later than 4.45pm. There are options once you’re there to organise private boats, but you’ll be looking at roughly £80 per boat to make a short trip, as opposed to the usual £6 per person public boat price. You also won’t be able to guarantee their availability, so could get a little, well, stranded.
One thing to check BEFORE you book your flight or boat from the mainland, is the time of the boat from St Mary’s to your destination island. Of course, this is only applicable if you’re not staying on St Mary’s!
I took the 2pm flight from Land’s End, so I arrived on St Mary’s at 2.20pm (the flight is so quick!). The transfer from the airport to the quay takes just 5 minutes, so I was at the harbour at around 2.30pm. However, the next (and last) boat was at 4.15, so I had a long wait with my luggage. Had I known this, I’d have probably booked a later flight to shorten the wait time!
Another word of advice (or warning!) for the boats is that the schedule can change due to the weather. Drop off and pick up points can change too. Sometimes without much or any warning. For example, on St Martin’s island Lower Town and Higher Town quays are at opposite ends of the island. They’re a 35 minute walk apart. You might be expecting to arrive at Lower Town, but the boat could actually take you to Higher Town. This could be for many reasons, such as other boats using the quay or the tide being too low for Lower Town.
Just be prepared for the schedule and locations to change! Always speak to the boatmen. Ask exactly where they’re dropping you off or what time they’re returning to collect you. They will be your most reliable source of information!
Eating Out On The Isles of Scilly
I’d highly recommend researching restaurants before you go. On some islands, like Bryher and St Martin’s, options are very limited and so booking in advance is crucial. For example, Adam’s Fish & Chips on St Martin’s requires pre-booking AND pre-ordering of food. They catch the seafood fresh and locally and only catch what they need to ensure they’re not over-fishing.
Whilst you may prefer to play things by ear, in the Scilly Isles, it’s best to go with a plan. You don’t want to miss out on a restaurant you wanted to eat at! I got lucky on Bryher island and managed to walk into Hell Bay restaurant and get a table for lunch. But, from what I’d overheard, you usually always have to pre-book.
Another thing to note with the restaurants is that a lot of places close really early compared to the mainland. Last food orders are usually before 9pm and places close at 9.30pm on average (if not earlier!). Definitely check before you go and expect to eat your evening meal earlier than you possibly usually would.
Plan An Itinerary
As mentioned in the top tip about boats, life on the Isles of Scilly means needing a reasonably strict plan. But, you also need to have the ability to go with the flow. During my trip, kayaking was cancelled due to high winds and a vineyard tour was cancelled as they were closed. Both were cancelled last minute and by the time they were, there wasn’t time to get a boat to a different island to explore somewhere else instead.
Speaking to locals on the islands, it seems things closing at the last minute are normal and unsurprising. Island life is laid back and when visiting, you have to fall into that laid back mindset too. I’d suggest going with an itinerary in mind, pre-book activities you’d like to do and have back up plans in case things are cancelled!
Footwear – Need To Know
If you think you’ll be able to book an Uber or hop on a bus when you’re on the islands, think again. Ok, so on St Mary’s island you can actually take a taxi or a bus, but on the other islands, you’ll be either walking or cycling.
I walked SO MUCH during my six day stay, from just walking across the island from my hotel to the quay, to hiking the circumference of the islands. I’d expected to be walking a lot because that’s one of the top reasons people visit the Isles of Scilly and an activity I’d planned to do. But I didn’t quite expect to have to walk so far, everywhere.
As mentioned above, the walk between Lower and Higher Town quays on St Martin’s island takes 35 minutes at a good pace. If you’re staying at Karma St Martin’s hotel (as I did), you could be doing that walk multiple times a day just to get from one place to another.
For that reason, you’re going to want decent, sturdy, comfortable footwear (if this isn’t a clear sign I’m into my 30s, I don’t know what is!). As I visited in summer, I had trainers, sandals and flip flops, as well as reef shoes for the kayaking. Everywhere on the islands is casual and you’ll rarely find anyone “dressed up”, even in the evening, so keep it comfortable and practical and you’ll be good to go.
Weather On The Isles of Scilly
The Isles of Scilly are often warmer than mainland England due to being located furthest south. During the summer, you’ll definitely need to take care in the sun as you’ll burn a lot more easily than elsewhere in England. I certainly did and the temperature wasn’t even that high! Due to the air quality being much better thanks to a lack of pollution, the UV index rating is a lot higher. It’s just something to be mindful of, especially with the constant sea breeze too.
Because of where the islands are situated, out in the Atlantic, it can also be windy there year-round. I hadn’t really considered that in advance and therefore didn’t appropriately pack for it. Floaty dresses and skirts are a no-go, as you’ll be forever holding them down and cursing the wind! I wore the long skirt in the above photo on a rare wind-free day and got lucky!
Also be sure to pack a (preferably waterproof) wind-breaker jacket if for nothing else than the inter-island boat crossings. It can get pretty breezy on those boats! You could also get a little sea-sprayed and if that doesn’t sound overly enjoyable to you, the jacket will be your saviour!
Happy Holiday!
I really hope this blog post has been helpful for you if you’re planning a trip to the Isles of Scilly. I definitely wish I’d known about some of these things beforehand as it would have led to a smoother trip for sure!
Don’t forget to check out my Instagram @thisplanetbynina for posts, reels and story highlights of my time on the islands – I post a lot of content over there that you won’t want to miss! You’ll find links to my account all over this site.
If you’ve been to the Isles of Scilly and have more top tips for us all, please share them in the comments below!
Check out my posts on things to do in Cornwall and more specifically, the south coast of Cornwall too!
2 Comments
Hayley Cook
7th January 2023 at 2:34 pmHI Nina,
Thank you for this info, I’m planning a trip to St Mary’s in August and will be travelling alone with my dog. Do you know if dogs are allowed on the boats? I’m probably going to fly there but would like to travel between the islands.
Any other tips that you might have for a lone female traveller would be greatly appreciated as this is my first trip!
Thanks again, your review was really useful
Hayley x
Nina
27th February 2023 at 3:43 pmHi Hayley! I definitely spotted a couple of dogs on inter-island boats but it might still be worth a quick Google to double check! I didn’t travel there alone but I can say it all felt very safe and friendly; it’s such a small place. If you’re going to travel to some of the other islands from St Mary’s I’d just say to make sure you ask the boatsmen for return boat times before getting off, as they all vary so much and you obviously wouldn’t want to miss a last boat and be stranded!