I decided to fulfil my dream and visit the British sub-tropical archipelago, the Isles of Scilly, located around 30 miles off the coast of Cornwall. The weather was beautiful and warm (sometimes even hot!!!), despite the not-always-optimistic weather forecasts.
The archipelago of Scilly Isles is formed of 5 inhabited islands and 140 or so uninhabited. I stayed on St. Mary’s which is the largest and best connected island. Even if you stay just a week or so, you can easily bump into the same people throughout your stay and it takes only minutes to feel safe and like a local. People leave their unlocked bikes, boats and open-windowed cars on every corner and there is even a luggage storage room which nobody supervises (and it’s safe!). Even though St. Mary’s Island is the largest, I mainly walked everywhere, with one exception of the old-fashioned local bus no 664 which goes around the island (there are no bus stops and the driver announces each stop).
I also visited Tresco Island with its famous, spectacular Abbey Garden and beautiful white sand beaches (and quite warm sea). I also went to St. Martin’s and had a quiet and more relaxing time there.
The archipelago of Scilly is a charming place which one could easily call a paradise. I know I could.
I am planning to write two more articles, one on all the practicalities and the second on my reading recommendations. To be continued…
Written by Kinga Macalla