Tanya Gledhill enjoys a health-giving dose of vitamin sea on the Isles of Scilly
The cure for anything, said Danish author Isak Dinesen, is salt water – sweat, tears and the sea.
Somehow, the Isles of Scilly seem to embody this more perfectly than anywhere else in the world.
This breathtaking archipelago of 140-something islands—just five of which are inhabited—might only be 28 miles off Cornwall, but they’re a million miles away from normal life.
And after almost two years of Covid, of social-distancing, of R-rates and paralyzing fear, of home-working and home-schooling and enforced exile from those we love the most, vitamin sea was most definitely required.
For centuries, these remote islands have been a Mecca for seafarers – not always successfully, given the number of wrecks – for pirates and smugglers, for plant-hunters, birders, artists, writers and adventurers.
Now, the lure of vast, empty white sand beaches where you might not see another soul all day, endless skies, tropical gardens and turquoise seas is bound tightly in the hearts of families, romancing couples, walkers and wildlife enthusiasts alike.
We first set foot on these magical islands more than 20 years ago and fell in love immediately, with each other, and its secret coves, treasure islands, rocky outcrops and views so breathtaking it’s perfectly possible to get drunk on them.
Two decades on, like legions of other families who have passed on this island longing from generation to generation, we have spent every summer here with our children, made our wedding vows under Scilly skies and have brought countless family and friends to share the magic that is almost impossible to put into words.
But there are some years in which one visit isn’t enough – and this was most definitely one.
When the world around is in chaos, there’s only one place to escape to, to recharge the batteries, reconnect with nature and find a sense of order again.
scilly
The view from the Skybus flight over the Isles of Scilly
– Credit: Tanya Gledhill
The five inhabited islands – St Mary’s, St Martins, Tresco, St Agnes and Bryher – are as unique as the islanders who so generously share them with the 125,000 visitors who flock here each year.
Most catch their first glimpse of this island paradise on St Mary’s, courtesy of Isles of Scilly Travel, either touching down in a tiny twin-prop from Land’s End, Newquay or Exeter, or following an epic voyage from Penzance aboard the flat-bottomed grande dame of the seas, the Scillonian III.
After an hour-long Skybus flight from Exeter, dolphin and whale spotting as we soared above appropriately stormy seas, we landed on the tiny strip of Tarmac high above St Mary’s.
Arrival can be a slightly bewildering experience for newcomers, but someone, somewhere knows you’re coming.
In a year full of angst, the ‘don’t panic, just relax’ approach that islanders take to almost everything is refreshing, and calming.
Houses are left open, tenders are there to be borrowed. Bikes aren’t locked. Honesty boxes are everywhere. Lost property is handed in, always.
Hopping on to a waiting minibus, we wove along narrow lanes, stone walls peppered with majestic spears of agapanthus and fiery crocosmia, past the sweeping sands of Great Bay into Hugh Town, the capital, depositing passengers at their hotels and guest houses along the way .
The islands are an adventure playground for everyone from sailors to wild swimmers, watersports junkies to coasteering enthusiasts, to climbers and walkers and yogis.
Time and tide wait for no man, and so whatever your brand of downtime, you’re probably going to have to wait for it.
Being ruled by the tide somehow forces you to slow down, to breathe, to relax.
In short, it’s the perfect place for a retreat away from the rest of the world.
And it’s what Adventure Scilly, set up by islanders Bryony and Nick Lishman, does best.
Mincarlo view
– Credit: Tanya Gledhill
Adventure Scilly’s headquarters are the charming Mincarlo, an insanely popular – and insanely beautiful – guesthouse overlooking Town Beach and the bustling quay.
High up on the rocks, almost every bedroom boasts a vista so arresting you can while away a morning just sitting, staring, from your window seat, watching the tide rise and fall, boats bobbing as they come and go, the Scillonians arrive and depart .
I did A lot. And I cried a bit. And I didn’t know quite how much I needed to until I got there.
Bryony and Nick are the ultimate hosts: warm and friendly, open and generous.
At a scrubbed wooden table in the dining room, overlooking the water, we gathered for a fabulous supper of local Salakee Farm duck with an extraordinary mango and chilli salad.
The clear waters of the Scilly seas
– Credit: Tanya Gledhill
A gin tasting, courtesy of Westward Farm on St Agnes, rounded off a truly special evening.
Storms put paid to our planned sunrise walk on the Garrison – an impressive coastal fortification dating back to the time of the Spanish Armada, now home to the stunning Star Castle Hotel with its fine dining restaurant.
But as ever here, the clouds lifted, the rain stopped and after homemade granola and an impressive vegetarian breakfast, we headed out for a long run along the coastal path above Porthmellon and Porthloo beaches – miles of white sand with not a soul on.
Past ancient burial chambers at Innisdgen—an ethereal, spiritual spot—we stopped for a breather above Pelistry Bay where a school of dolphins and a pair of Minke whales were playing in the waves.
Pentle Bay, Tresco
– Credit: Tanya Gledhill
It was a heart-stopping, soul-soaring moment – ​​only surpassed by the adrenaline rush of leaping on to the giant rope swing above the cliffs, roaring with laughter and finding my seven-year-old self again.
We ran on to Juliet’s Garden Restaurant, a Scilly institution, Bryony pointing out local landmarks, telling old Scilly tales, chatting about life and love and hope for better days to come.
Here, at wooden tables with 180-degree views across the water to St Agnes, we recovered from our exertions with a splendid crab lunch.
Before I arrived, I’d warned Bryony I didn’t do the sea.
On our boat, absolutely, glass of something cheerful in hand while husband fishes and children dive off, yes.
I do on the sea, not in the sea. It terrifies me.
‘We’ll see,’ says Bryony, who runs the Scilly Swim Challenge and Scilly 360 Race – a 15km island-to-island or round-the-island swim.
She swims in the sea almost every day, rain or shine, winter or summer. It makes her feel alive, she says.
So somehow, within an hour of my return, I found myself tiptoeing, terrified, down the steps of Mincarlo, borrowed wetsuit and bright yellow Adventure Scilly swim hat on.
Bryony, armed with a huge dry robe, gave me her top tips on how to breathe in freezing water.
And I did it. Slowly but surely, and only out to the nearest buoy, I swam.
The more I did it, the better it felt. I was absolutely euphoric – and I’ve continued to do it ever since.
Never mind self-help books, one day with Bryony and I felt totally restored, body and soul.
Life was once again an adventure to be lived.
Like I said, I needed it.
Abbey Gardens, Tresco
– Credit: Tanya Gledhill
Just across the water from St Mary’s is Tresco – a private enclave leased by the Dorrien-Smith family from the Duchy of Cornwall.
Here, the world-famous 17-acre Abbey Gardens bloom in all their sub-tropical glory, high above the heliport where the newly-restored helicopter service whizzes visitors to and from the mainland.
Rising out of them is the elegant, castellated Tresco Abbey, home to the family since ancestor Augustus Smith created this extraordinary garden back in 1834.
Protea at Abbey Gardens
– Credit: Tanya Gledhill
Shell House at Abbey Gardens, Tresco
– Credit: Tanya Gledhill
As breathtakingly beautiful as it is achingly smart, car-free Tresco is home to luxury timeshares and holiday cottages, the enticing Tresco Stores, welcoming New Inn, a stunning art gallery, the Ruin Beach Cafe – which looks for all the world as if it’s in the Caribbean – castles, woodland walks and miles and miles of deserted beaches.
You can hire bikes and paddle boards, kayak across to deserted Samson or beautiful Bryher, play tennis and relax in the heavenly Island Spa.
Low tide event on Tresco
– Credit: Tanya Gledhill
Part of the Flying Boat Club, which takes its name from the First World War seaplane base, the spa is nestled alongside a fabulous new deli and waters-edge cottages with evocative names like Flora and Seaflower.
Getting to Tresco from St Mary’s involves an exhilarating boat ride, the times for which are chalked up charmingly by the St Mary’s Boatmen’s Association on a board on the quay.
The Spa, with a gym and pool – complete with a beautiful hand-painted mural – is just a short walk from New Grimsby.
Here, treatments range from soothing ila body treatments to face, hand and foot therapy and massage.
I want for the ila Kundalini Back Therapy, a 60-minute treatment for ‘exhausted souls’.
Tresco Spa
– Credit: Tanya Gledhill
Using chakra and sound to activate and channel the Kundalini, I could feel my stress levels tumbling, all the negativity I’d been harboring was released and tension totally lifted.
A quick but unbelievably delicious crab sandwich at the New Inn came before the boat trip back to Tresco and a pretty strenuous, but brilliant, flow yoga session back at Mincarlo with Bryony and some of her fellow islanders.
That night, I’d never slept so well.
The next morning, body and mind totally restored, the sun blazing down, I headed to the airport for the short Skybus flight back to the mainland, following the Scillonian as she made her way back across the waves.
Sweat, tears and the sea had done it for me again and I landed, ready to face the world.
Tresco Island
– Credit: Tanya Gledhill
FACTFILE
Tanya Gledhill traveled to the Isles of Scilly courtesy of Visit Isles of Scilly, Isles of Scilly Travel, Tresco Island, Mincarlo and Adventure Scilly
Flights to St Mary’s start from £98.25 for adults, children from £105 one-way
Scillonian sailings, £65.95 adults, from £18.95 children
www.visitislesofscilly.com
www.islesofscilly-travel.co.uk
Mincarlo, Can Thomas, St Mary’s, Isles of Scilly, TR21 0PT
B&B and self-catering accommodation
www.mincarloscilly.com
Adventure Scilly hosts regular wellbeing, yoga and open water swimming retreats at Mincarlo, St Mary’s
- Reboot & Revitalize wellbeing breaks take place each March
- Four and five-day swimming breaks take place in June and September
- The Scilly Swim Challenge two-day event takes place on September 3 and 4, 2022. The one-day Scilly Swim Challenge takes place on September 6, 2022. Follow the Facebook page for regular updates.
www.adventurescilly.co.uk
Tresco Island Spa
Treatments from £50
www.tresco.co.uk