BEACHES & BASTIONS
AFTERNOON
You’re starting your itinerary in the ISLES OF SCILLY on the main island of ST MARY’S, which emerges from the ocean as your ferry chugs towards Hugh Town harbour or spreads bucolically out beneath you as your plane swoops in to land at the island’s airport. For your first afternoon in Scilly, you could either head straight to the inviting sands of PORTHCRESSA BEACH, which curves between two headlands on the opposite side of Hugh Town to the harbour, or set off on the GARRISON WALK, which follows the old fortified walls that run around the peninsula rising to the west of Hugh Town. The path starts up beyond Star Castle, built in Elizabethan times to defend its harbour and now a hotel and restaurant, with a bar in its former dungeon. It takes around an hour or so to walk round the perimeter, stopping at gun batteries along the way, more if you’ve brought an evening picnic with you (sunsets from The Garrison are superb).
TOP TIP Due to the Scillies size and comparatively small number of places to eat, it can be worth BOOKING DINNER IN ADVANCE, as popular restaurants on St Marys – such as The Beach, Juliet's Garden, Dibble & Grub and Star Castle – tend fill up for fairly quickly.
THE LIJOMA LOWDOWN
OUR FAVOURITE PLACES TO STAY ON THE
ISLES OF SCILLY
From family-friendly hotels to coastal cottages – our pick of the most memorable places to stay on the Isles of Scilly
ISLES OF SCILLY ESSENTIALS
Pre-trip practicalities, including getting there, getting around and what to take with you
MORE AMAZING TRIPS
ICELAND
Inside glaciers, under waterfalls and out into the Atlantic to watch whales
THAILAND
Two weeks exploring the most family-friendly country in Southeast Asia