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The alarm went off at 7:30AM. We were soon up and ready by breakfast at 8AM which was the now familiar continental and cooked mix. We finished at 8:30AM and headed back to the room. Outside it was cloudier than expected. It was looking like a grey day now. But we were going to Tresco anyway.
We went out at 8:50AM. It was drizzling outside but there were signs of a clearance to the North so I was optimistic about the day after all. We waited for the Tideline shop to open at 9AM. It opened 5 minutes late but the wait was worth it as we found and bought nicer fridge magnets than we saw last time. We were also able to buy boat tickets from the shop too. We also looked in other shops nearby and I bought a banana and some nosh from the nearby co-op. By 9:15AM the drizzle had stopped and blue sky had appeared overhead confirming my optimism. Meanwhile, on the boat times board we saw that the Guiding Star boat was outbound to Tresco at 10:15AM, with return times being 2:30PM and 4:30PM.
At 9:30AM we sat on the quay benches by the café as the sun came out. It was pleasant in the nice warm sunshine. We waited for the Guiding Star to appear and watched the other boats arrive ready for departure to the other islands. The Guiding Star arrived at 9:40AM. Five minutes later we boarded the boat which departed earlier than expected at 10:05AM. It was a glorious ride over, going up between Bryher and Tresco. The scenery once again was amazing. On board were people that we had met on the boat to St. Martin's so we got chatting to them too. As we approached New Grimsby the view of Cromwell's Castle was very good. It was also nice to spot a seal in the water too close by. We arrived at the New Grimsby quay at 10:25AM, and we got off before the boat carried on to Bryher to drop others off.
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| Soaking in the sunshine as it comes out. | The Guiding Star arriving and mooring up. | On the Guiding Star as lots of other passengers climb aboard. | |||
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| Setting off for Tresco. | St. Martin's in the distance. | Passing by Samson. | Spectacular jagged rocks. | ||
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| The Southern end of Tresco. | Other small islands nearby. | 180 degree panorama of Tresco from the boat. | Another passing boat. | Approaching New Grimsby. | Looking Northwards between Bryher and Tresco, with Hangman Island in the middle and Cromwell's Castle on the shore of Tresco. |
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| A closeup of Cromwell's Castle. | Plumb Island with Tresco in the background. | A glimpse of a Grey Seal bobbing in the water. | Arriving at New Grimsby Quay. | ||
We made a beeline for the Tresco Abbey Garden. It was a lovely walk along the beach then inland through the woods with dappled sunshine shining through the trees. We eventually passed the Abbey Pool and a helicopter airfield to get to the entrance. We entered the garden at 11AM.
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| Walking along the quay into New Grimsby. | Walking round New Grimsby Harbour as we make a beeline for Tresco Abbey Gardens. | The Southern end of New Grimsby Harbour as we head inland. | ||
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| Walking through the Southern half of New Grimsby. | The Great Pool. | The way to Tresco Abbey Garden. | Following the Southwestern shore of The Great Pool. | ||
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| Mushrooms. | The path heads into a wooded area. | One of many unusual looking trees. | A huge tree trunk makes Renée look rather small. | Arriving at Tresco Abbey. | |
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| The path takes us around the side of Tresco Abbey. Already it's looking very pretty. | Abbey Pool. | Walking across a lawn. | Some furry leathery leaves intrigued Renée. | ||
While in the garden it soon clouded over again. But cloud or sun, it was a nice garden. Right at the entrance we found nut feeders with red squirrels feeding on them. Apparently this was a refuge population from the mainland. I could hear them rasping as they chewed on the shells of hazel nuts. They were great fun to watch and so much nicer than the invasive grey squirrels. In the garden we had a good wander about. The most dramatic parts of the garden for me were Neptune's staircase, the Valhalla collection of bow ornaments from ships that were wrecked on the Scilly Isles in centuries gone by, and the view from the top tier over the garden and beyond. I also saw Red Admirals and Speckled Wood butterflies, and a Hummingbird Hawk moth. The plants were indeed spectacular and exotic.
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| Walking into the entrance of Tresco Abbey Garden. | Walking over a bridge into the garden itself. | Red Squirrels feeding on nut feeders. | |||
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| A Red Squirrel running across the path. | Shots of a Red Squirrel feeding on a hazel nut. You could hear it rasping on the shell to open it. | Exploring the grounds. | |||
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| Exploring the grounds. | The Shell House Mural. | Looking South into the Meditteranean Garden. | Female Blackbird. | |
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| Meditteranean Garden water feature. | Another shot of the Female Blackbird. | Looking South over the water feature. | Exploring the lower grounds. | The East Orchard. | |
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| Looking around The Valhalla Museum. | |||||
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| Looking around The Valhalla Museum. | |||||
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| A tree with leaves shaped like a star. | Looking around the grounds. | Tree fern. | Looking up the Lighthouse Walk towards Father Neptune. | A sculpture called 'The Tresco Children'. | |
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| A lily flower. | The Eastern grounds and the ruins of the Old Abbey. | ||||
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| A bank of yellow flowers. | Exploring the Eastern grounds. | The West Rockery and The Abbey. | A huge Kiwi plant. | More subtropical plants. | |
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| Passion Flower. | Succulents. | Exploring the Middle Terrace. | More exotic ferns and palm trees. | ||
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| Neptune Steps. | Lighthouse Walk from the Northern end. | Climbing Neptune Steps. | Sitting below Father Neptune. | Lighthouse Walk from Father Neptune. | |
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| Views across the garden from the Top Terrace. | These flowers looked like crystalline cocktail glasses with the rims dipped in sugar (according to Renée). | Some sort of catkin? | |||
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| The Top Terrace. | Top Terrace flowers and plants. | ||||
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| More To Terrace views before we descend to the Middle Terrace. | These flowers appeared to match Renée's fleece. | The Middle Terrace where the Hummingbird Hawkmoth was spotted. | |||
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| Middle Terrace Flowers. | Looking back up Neptune Steps from the Middle Terrace. | |||
I got very tired towards the end of the garden walk. We had seen everything anyway so we exited at 12:08PM to the shop and café. Alas it was expensive tat and a rubbish café. So we had a little sit down outside before departing. We ate the nosh at this point. We discovered that Sparrows like salt and vinegar crisps too, as they swarmed around us and happily perched on our hands to eat crumbs again. That once again was great fun.
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Scilly Sparrows Click on the above link to see a YouTube video featuring the Sparrows. |
| The Sparrows helping us to eat our crisps. | |||||||
Once we were refreshed we departed at 12:35PM. We crossed over the helicopter airfield to the South and onto the sand dunes beyond. We then followed a path Eastwards just above the beach until we reached Skirt Island at 12:55PM. I couldn't resist climbing up onto the rocks there and took pictures from the vantage point. Then we walked Northwards on the beach of Pentle Bay. About half way along the bay we found the going tedious so we switched to the coast path just above the beach. We continued to follow the coast Northwards. After a pause at Rushy Point we made it to the Block House at 1:40PM.
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| Following a path South. Asphalt soon turns into a sandy track. | Looking back at Abbey Pool from the South. | Rugged outcrops of boulders and rocks sticking out of the vegetation. | |
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| Following a dune top path by the beach from near Oliver's Battery towards Skirt Island. | A more distant view over Abbey Pond to Tresco Abbey. | Below us parts of the dune edge were collapsing onto the beach. Erosion in progress. | Skirt Island ahead. | |
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| Tresco Abbey from another angle further East. | Crossing the neck of Skirt Island to Pentle Bay. | Skirt Island from the North. | The Southern end of Pentle Bay. |
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| 360 degree panorama from the top of the rocks at Skirt Island. | Looking back from the tip of Skirt Island. | Renée on Pentle Bay with Skirt Island behind and St. Mary's in the background. | A bench break above the beach half way up Pentle Bay. |
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| Looking back at the Southern end of Pentle Bay. Skirt Island and Green Island are visible, with St. Mary's and St. Agnes in the background. | A nice grove of trees alongside the bracken as we head North towards Old Town. | Looking Northwestwards from Rushy Point. | In the distance is Block House. |
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| Looking Northwards over Northwethal (left), Peashopper Island (foreground rocks), St. Helen's (midground), Round Island (lighthouse in background). |
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| A nice bench break at Rushy Point. | The view North from a vantage point above the path. | The beach between Rushy Point and Block House. | |
Up at Block House there was an awesome view of Old Grimsby as glimmers of sunshine appeared from above. After we soaked in the views for a bit we followed the path down into Old Grimsby. We went to the Ruin Beach Café at about 2PM but the menu was crap and the kitchen was about to close. I managed to refill a water bottle though and after a quick drink we moved on. But not before appreciating a really nice carved bench that looked like some crabs.
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| Block House from the Southern side. | 360 degree panorama from atop Block House. | Renée after climbing the Block House steps. | To the North is a spectacular view of Green Porth, Old Grimsby and Long Point. |
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| Block House from the Western side. | The path to Old Grimsby from Block House. | More Scilly flora. | |||
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| More Scilly flora. | Walking through Old Grimsby. | The Ruin Beach Café. | View from the patio of the Ruin Beach Café. | ||
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| The crab shaped benches. | Old Grimsby Beach. | Looking back at Block House from Old Grimsby. | ||
We went Southwestwards along a nice track inland which took us straight back to New Grimsby close to the quay. We saw the 2:30PM boat arrive but it was too soon to return. By this point we were tired and had sore feet so we went to the nearby New Inn pub at 2:25PM. The kitchen here was also about to close, and snacks were very expensive. I just had a Diet Coke. Renée went for a baked Camembert which she ordered just in time and subsequently enjoyed immensely.
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| Crossing the island from Old Grimsby to New Grimsby. | New Grimsby Harbour. | The New Inn pub. | Drinks and the baked camembert. | |
After a good rest, at 2:55PM I went for a wander while Renée stayed at pub. There More sunshine now which I wanted to enjoy, but Renée needed a rest and was happy for me to explore the heath above New Grimsby while she stayed at the pub. I went up the hill just North of the pub and found my way onto the heath and to a stone platform at the top. On the way up I found some butterflies which was nice. It was a nice view up top. I could see King Charles's Castle in the distance to the Northwest, and spotted a Silver Y moth in the heather. I then returned down via a more Westerly path that took me back to the quay. On the way down I got good views of both Castles, with Cromwell's Castle below King Charles's Castle on the coast. I then followed the coastal road back to the pub and reunited with Renée at 3:35PM. That was a good romp up the hill and was well worth it for the view.
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| Red Admiral and Speckled Wood butterflies. | Walking up onto the Heath (Castle Down) above New Grimsby. | A stone outcrop on top of Castle Down with a plaque next to it. | |||
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| Castle Down 360 degree panorama. | To the North King Charles's Castle can be seen in the distance. | Looking down at New Grimsby Harbour as I head back. | |
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| Panorama to the Northeast. Round Island, St. Helens, Tean, St. Martin's and many smaller islands can be seen. | Views up on the heath with a spectacular view of Bryher and many other smaller islands. | Scilly Rock on the far side of Bryher. | ||
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| Views of Cromwell's Castle. | Bryher panorama. | |||
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| Silver Y moth. | Descending back down to New Grimsby Harbour. | ||
Once back with Renée we left the pub and went to a bench near the quay and relaxed in the hot sunshinefor a while. We transferred to the quay to join the queue as the Guiding Star arrived at 4:20PM.
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| New Grimsby Harbour from by the quay. | An information board by the quay. | Looking across New Grimsby Harbour. | The woods where Tresco Abbey is. |
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| An arriving Tresco boat. | The Guiding Star arriving from Bryher to take us back to Hugh Town. | |
We boarded the boat which departed on time at 4:30PM. It was a lovely transfer back to St Mary's in sunny conditions. A number of other passengers we recognised from the other boat trips and we got chatting with them comparing notes on our excursions. I once again noted the cormorants flying around us as well as bobbing in the waves. The boat docked back at Hugh Town at 4:50PM.
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| Departing Tresco on the boat, leaving New Grimsby behind. | A view of Appletree Bay on the Southwest of Tresco. | A stack of stones somewhere near Plumb Hill on Tresco. | ||
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| Tresco Abbey and the heliport windsock from Appletree Bay. | Shags or Cormorants in the water. | Carn Near Quay on the Souther tip of Tresco. | Two Tresco boats passing by us near the Southern tip of Tresco. | |
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| A Shag or Cormorant flying low past us. | St. Mary's Harbour boats. | Arriving back at the quay in Hugh Town. | ||
I wanted an ice cream from Miller's but alas they had closed for the winter. I thought Scilly Cakes was closed too so we skipped and returned to the hotel just after 5PM. I enjoyed a hot chocolate in the room and we had a short rest. We then decided to go for a late afternoon stroll along Porthcressa Beach. Soon after we left I realised I had forgotton my camera. Doh! But then at 5:30PM, as we walked past, we discovered that Scilly Cakes was still open after all. I bought a cupcake and two gingerbread men. I took them back to the hotel room and at the same time grabbed my camera as well as Renée's coat as she was starting to feel cold. I then returned to the beach where Renée had waited for me. We walked along the low tide line in the direction of Peninnis Head. We went beyond the main beach to the boulder field which had accessible sandy areas below them at low tide. Out here there were lots of shells of different colours. It was nice and peaceful as the sun got low. Soon after 6PM we returned to Hugh Town and towards a pub for dinner.
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| St. Mary's Harbour from the quay. | Walking East along Lower Strand past the park. | Renée on Porthcressa Beach. | |
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| 360 degree panorama on Porthcressa Beach at low tide. | From the low tide line the Peninnis Head rocks look high. | The Eastern end of Porthcressa Beach at low tide. |
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| The Eastern end of Porthcressa Beach at low tide. | Little Egret. | Oystercatchers. |
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| A collection of colourful shells uncovered by low tide. | Looking across the rocks exposed by low tide. | Looking back towards the main part of Porthcressa Beach. | ||
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| Low sun over the bay. | Walking back along the beach. | A flock of noisy gulls on the beach. The juveniles are keeping their heads down while the adults squark away. | ||
At 6:05PM we arrived at the Bishop and Wolf pub. However despite the opening hours sign and the website suggesting it should have been open, it was closed! We weren't expecting that. So after a short wander back in the general direction of the hotel we decided to go to the Scillonian Club instead at 6:10PM. Inside the main bar we found a nice table by the window and we both ordered haddock and chips with tap water. It was delicious! At £7 it was great value compared to all the other places. It was also nice and lively there with plenty of locals present, including people who had piloted the boats that we had been on during the week.
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| In the clear air from the hotel room Bryher and Tresco are clearly visible, as well as islands as far away as St. Helen's and Round Island. | The Scillonian Club. | Our table inside the Scillonian Club. | Inside the Scillonian Club. |
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| About to enjoy our Haddock and Chips. | The Moon and Mars seen on the way back to the hotel. | The banana and cup cake were delicious. Gingerbread men saved for tomorrow. | |
We finished at 7PM and returned to the room where I had a banana and the cup cake. We decided to save the gingerbread men for tomorrow. Now it was time to pack, watch tv and retire for the night. Tomorrow we had a shuttle booked for 8AM and were told we could have breakfast at around 7:30AM. So we set the alarm for 7AM to give us enough time to get ready, do any final packing and enjoy a nice breakfast before departure.
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