Solo female travel expert, focusing on travelling around a 9-5 job, getting the most bang for your buck and soft-adventure experiences.
“Where?” people asked. “Is that the island off the coast of Italy?” others asked. While a part of me wished that I was going to the gorgeous island of Sicily to soak up some Italian sunshine, I was going to somewhere just as beautiful!
If you are still confused about where the blimmin’ hell I was heading, the Isles of Scilly are an archipelago off the coast of Cornwall. There are 5 inhabited islands that you can visit with ease but there are a whopping 140 uninhabited islands in the area too!
So, here’s exactly why you should consider the Isles of Scilly as your next destination…
Contents
You’d think that because you’re still technically in the UK, you’d be destined for gloomy, miserable weather no matter what time of year you go (apart from the unpredictable week of glorious sunshine we seem to get in Spring/Summer).
But no, given the fact that the Isles are the most Southern point of the UK, their climate is surprisingly tropical!
So, do you want crystal clear waters? Forget Mexico, forget Bali, head to the Isles of Scilly. When I showed my Uncle some photos of the beach, his immediate reaction was “that is the kind of beach we were looking for when we booked our Mexico honeymoon”!
There are hundreds of little beaches dotted around the Island. We visited in May and rarely saw other people on the beaches with us!
Unfortunately (despite my previous point), we did have some freak cold/rainy weather in May which meant the sea was absolutely freezing – but the beaches were still the perfect place to chill out and explore!
Oh. My. God. This should be my first point really. The food on the Isles of Scilly is impeccable, no matter where you eat.
My personal favourite was brunch in The Flying Boat Bar & Bistro on Tresco Island (which was handily right outside our accommodation), I highly recommend!
We stayed in the Friendship Cottage (one of the Flying Boat cottages) on Tresco Island and I only have good things to say about it. The cottage was spacious, well decorated, modern and had an impressive veranda area that led onto the beach.
The master bedroom had huge double doors that opened onto a small balcony with a perfect view of the sea. There aren’t many better views you could wake up to (apart from maybe George Clooney, I don’t know).
RELATED: I’ve been trying to explore more of England recently, see all of my posts on our glorious country here!
Both in plant form and animal form, the wildlife on these Island will make you feel like you’ve to a tropical Caribbean Island.
For plant-life, Tesco Abbey Gardens is where you need to be (and I’m not just bias because my friend works here).The gardens are really beautiful, especially on a sunny day and will make for the perfect afternoon of wandering.
For animals, head to St Agnes Island where you will be able to take tours to (try!) see seals as well as many different species of birds. We unfortunately didn’t have time to take this trip but we did spot the gorgeous Golden Pheasant!
If you’re looking for a chilled, relaxing break, there isn’t a better place.
If I were to summarise a perfect day on the Islands, it would be waking up to the view of the sea before having your morning cuppa on the beach. A long brunch is the best way to get your energy (especially with the Islands’ great food) before taking a long relaxing stroll across any of the Islands taking in the truly picturesque scenery.
While there may not be many people living on the islands (a 2001 consensus shows that there were a mere 2,153 people living there), they have the best lifestyle. Everybody knows each other, everybody is friendly and the relaxing lifestyle works wonders.
If there’s one thing that having a friend in living in the Isles of Scilly who regularly sends me pictures has taught me, it’s that the Isles of Scilly have the most impressive sunsets in the whole of the UK. No, I haven’t tried and tested this, but I am almost 100% sure that this is the case.
So, if you’re ever considering a break in the UK, make sure you give the Isles of Scilly some thought, you won’t regret it.
If you’re thinking of taking a trip, make sure you check out the Isles of Scilly Travel website for advice & bookings!
Have you ever been, what was your favourite part?
Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post and all thoughts are my own.
Hi. Liked the blog and photographs. We go to the Flying Boat Cottages each year for a week of quietness and beauty: there are few better things than walking down the steps in the early morning for a stroll along the beach with only the birds for company. You may want to correct your "Isle of Scilly" to "Isles of Scilly"?
Thank you, I certainly had fun going through the photos – such a gorgeous place, especially in the sun!
Those cottages really are beautiful, you're very lucky!
All corrected now, thank you! Silly me trying to get a blog post up quickly!
I'm so behind on reading posts (when am I not haha), but I think I need to book a trip here now! I'd never really heard much about it before, but it looks stunning! Those beaches! I looked on the ferry website a while ago, and saw you can even just do a day trip over, though I don't think that would be enough time to properly explore (and see those amazing sunsets!).
xo April | April Everyday
You really do! It is the perfect place to chill out and relax! If you do a day trip, I think you'd only be able to really see St Mary's island which is the most populated, we didn't get to spend much time there but I highly recommend trips to Tresco & Bryher!