Hugh Town
The 'capital' of St. Marys is grandly called Hugh Town and sits astride a narrow strip of land which connects the main island to the fortified Garrison. Here, guests will find two banks (Lloyds and Barclays - but only Lloyds Bank boasts a Cashpoint machine), the Post Office, the Papershop, the Police Station, H.M. Customs and Excise, the Tourist Information Centre, the Town Hall (which doubles as a venue for plays, slide shows etc), the Anglican Church of St. Mary the Virgin together with its Church Hall and the Methodist Church together with its Church Hall.

  Hotels, Pubs and Shops in Hugh Town
There are five main hotels - Tregarthens, Star Castle Hotel, the Godolphin Hotel, Bell Rock Hotel and the Atlantic Hotel. There are also four pubs - the Mermaid, the Bishop and Wolf, The Porthcressa Inn and the Atlantic Inn. The Mermaid is the favourite pub of the 'gig' crews after the races on Wednesday and Friday evenings. There are several gift shops, our sole supermarket which is a Co-op, the Chemist, two hairdressers, one Sports Shop, one second hand bookshop, and four clothes shops (The Foredeck and Foredeck Two, Morleys, Outrigger and the Dreaming Sea). At one end of the seafront is the Dairy where you can buy delicious ice creams, sandwiches made fresh each day, send Cornish clotted cream by post and buy dairy supplies.

  The Park - venue for May Day and the Christmas Carolaire
In the centre of Hugh Town is the Park, a small enclosed green space featuring neat flower beds and surrounded by hedges. Here, in Spring, the May Queen is crowned by Carn Gwaval Primary School children all dressed in white with the girls carrying bright posies and the boys carrying flower-decorated staffs. This annual May Day Ceremony includes dancing round the Maypole, music, and singing. At Christmas, the Park, decorated with strings of coloured lights and a large decorated Christmas tree, is the venue for the evening Carolaire, when islanders gather to celebrate the festive season with carols, prayers and mince pies.

  Old Town - medieval capital of Scilly
The other 'metropolis' is Old Town, sited to take advantage of the protection of the original island fortification called Ennor Castle (now barely discernible and inaccessible due to its location on private land). Here you will find the little Old Town Church in whose graveyard rests Lord Wilson of Rievaulx. Here also is the last resting place of Nan Smith, who, under her maiden name of Nan Heath, produced many delicately luminous and beautiful water colour paintings of the islands. Also at Old Town are the Lock, Stock and Barrel public house, the Old Town Cafe, the Tolman Cafe, the John Bordeaux Pottery, Chris Smith (artist), The Old Town Art Gallery and the cottage called 'Nowhere', home to the Island Underwater Safaris diving school.

  'Scilly' Boating
Of course, one of the main attractions of Scilly is the boating. From the quay, you can take daily boat trips, run by the St. Marys Boatmens Association, to the other four inhabited islands as well as round trip excursions to see lighthouses, seals and seabirds. There are also several smaller private boats which take parties of twelve or less and can offer a more varied and specialised choice of boat trips. Details are to be found on the blackboards in town and on the quay.

  Other 'Scilly' things to do
There are many attractions and entertainments on offer - details can be found in the apartment Information Files as well as on various noticeboards displayed in town. There is an excellent Museum on St. Marys together with two Potteries, a Stained Glass Workshop, several excellent Artists Studios, a craftsman carpenter at Dolphin Designs, an Island Perfumery, a Scilly fleece workshop and a Handmade Bead Jewellery Studio. For more energetic visitors, the islands offer horse-riding, sail-boarding, windsurfing, diving and sailing. For the more laid-back among you, there are peaceful beaches and quiet coastlines to explore. Or perhaps you might simply want to sit and absorb the beauty of Scilly - occasionally Time itself almost seems to stop!

  The Isles of Scilly Tourist Information Office
There is a Tourist Information Centre in Hugh Town which offers an excellent and professional service to visitors. Here, amongst other things, they display daily weather reports and tide times, operate a Vacancy List for the island accommodation, provide a pre-booking service for some (but not all) of the concerts and keep a selection of leaflets and booklets covering a whole range of subjects both here and on the mainland. You will find a visit to the TIC early in your holiday very interesting and informative.

  'Scilly' publications
The two island publications are 'The Scillonian Magazine' produced bi-annually and very comprehensive in its coverage of island matters. It is for sale at the Papershop. The other is a free publication called 'Scilly Up-to-Date' produced by Reads the Printers and financed by the advertisers. This appears bi-monthly in the winter and monthly from May to September. It carries more immediate news of the islands and is full of helpful information about everything from bird watching and botanical news to Health Centre surgeries and Library opening hours! Pick up a copy - you'll find them on offer everywhere.