Making the most of Saint Mary's Scilly Isles
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
Arriving at the port
The Isles of Scilly (Cornish: Ynysek Syllan) [1] is a small archipelago of islands in the Atlantic Ocean, off the Cornish coast in the South West part of the United Kingdom. The Isles of Scilly were designated an official Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1975.
St. Mary's, by far the most populated island, the commercial and tourist center with the boat dock and airport.
All visiting cruise ships to anchor in St. Mary's Roads or Crow Sound and you will tendered ashore, just ¼ mile from Hugh Town.
Printable map to take along.
St. Mary's is the largest island with a population of around 3000. Most commerce is centerd here as is the vast majority of the tourism related infrastructure. Hugh Town is the main center. Tourist numbers are naturally limited by the spaces on the boat or planes, so in Scilly you can leave Cornwall's tourist hordes behind - and arguably enjoy even finer scenery.
There are numerous galleries, craft studios and artist workshops on St. Mary’s, and ‘roam-alone’ gallery and studio walking leaflets can be picked up for free from the TIC.
On Tresco are the famous Abbey gardens.
Getting around
There are a few local taxi operators and these are best looked for in the center of Hugh Town.
Nearby places
Each island is serviced by a network of inter-island launches that run daily from 1 April through to the end of October each year. Apart from direct trips between the islands, circular sightseeing tours are also offered giving the opportunity to look at the extensive wildlife in and around the islands, particularly the large colonies of Atlantic seal and sea bird colonies. For example, a Three Islands day tour would visit Bryher, St. Mary's, and St Agnes, giving an hour or two time ashore on each for walking and exploring.
Food and shopping
Hugh Town is the main shopping area on the islands with numerous shops, cafes, and services based there. This is where the Tourist Information center, 2 banks, cash point and post office are located.
Money
The currency throughout the UK is the pound (£). You may also hear the slang term quid for pounds. Scottish bank notes are frowned upon in other parts of the UK, so change the notes before leaving Scotland.
Cash machines (ATM) or less formally 'holes in the wall' are very widely available and usually dispense £10 and £20 notes.
Visa, Mastercard and Maestro, are accepted by most shops and restaurants.
Staying connected
English is spoken throughout the country, but sometimes with heavy accents!
Most cafe's and restaurants offer free WiFi.
The local emergency telephone number is 999, however the EU-wide 112 can also be used.
Opening Hours and
Shopping hours are in general:
Small stores 6 or 7 days a week (10am - 6pm) Larger stores in general stay open til' 9PM Hyper marts often 24/7