ISLES OF SCILLY
100 wanderlust.co.uk September 2019
speciestakenfromacrossfive
differentcontinents.
Mikeexplainedhowhehadfirst
cometothegardenstoworkas
astudentinthe1970s,andhad
jumpedatthechancetocomeback
asheadgardenerin1984.Having
marriedalocalfromtheisland,it
alreadyhadaspecialplaceinhisheart.
“That’sthething,”hesaid.“People
comeforaholiday,fallfortheislands
andthencomebackyearinyearout,
andevengenerationaftergeneration.”
AstherainfellandMikecontinued
toeulogiseaboutthejoysofislandlife,
Iwonderedifthesamethingwould
happentome.Ihadarrivedonthis
far-flungUKarchipelago,itsshores
filledwithbirdlifeandwildtales
ofshipwrecks,knowinglittleof
itspast,buteventhroughthefogand
thedownpour,Iwasstartingtosee
howitcouldcastitsspellonvisitors.ToHellBay&back
AlittlelaterIsateatinganimpressive
seafoodplatteroverlookingthe
beautifulbeachofRaven’sPorth.The
sunfinallyfoughtthroughtheclouds,
lightingthepristinewhitesands
whiletheseaglintedaceruleanblue.
Itookaferrytheshortdistanceback
totheneighbouringislandofBryher,
whereIwasstayingatthemulti-
award-winningHellBayHotel,
ownedbythesamefamilyas
TrescoIslanditself.
Thesmallestoftheinhabited
islands,Bryherhasapopulationofjust
80.AsIdawdledupthehillfromthe
harbour,therewasnoonearound
whenIexploreditstinymuseum,built
withinaredphonebox,andwandered
thehonestystallsofferingupfresh
fruit,newpotatoesandsimplecrafts
thatIfoundscatteredabouttheisland.
Theweatherwasbacktofogand
rainthenextmorningwhenItook
aferryfromBryhertoStAgnes,the
southernmostinhabitedislandinthe
archipelago,andhometo 81 people- orisitnow82?
“Anewbabywasbornafewmonths
ago,”saidresidentChrisSimmonds,
whomovedhere 15 yearsagowhenhis
wifetookupateachingposition.
The quay stop
(clockwise from bottom left)
The Isles of Scilly have some
incredible seafood, served
fresh from the boat; the local
ferry Firethorn sits in the dock
at Tresco; spying yachts on
the beach through the
blooming agapanthus; the
tiny museum on Bryher is
squeezed into a red phone box⊳
http://www.adjbrown.com; Matt Jessop; Roger Broughton; Simon Chubb; Visit Isles of Scilly