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ISLES OF SCILLY

The following description is drawn from articles appearing in the “Scilly News”  and the “Isles of Scilly Tourist Board” web sites.

The Isles of Scilly are a group of islands 32 miles southwest of Land’s End, Cornwall in clear, blue Atlantic water. They contain five inhabited islands and over 200 uninhabited islands. They are fabled in distant legend to be the last remnant of the magical land of Lyonnesse. These beautiful islands of low hills exude a timeless peace and natural tranquillity. The largest and most populated island is St. Mary's, which has a port, and an aerodrome, from which commercial helicopters and aeroplanes fly. Tresco, which is privately leased, is second largest Island in the archipelago. Tresco also has a heliport for the BIH helicopter service. The three other inhabited islands are St. Agnes, Bryher and St. Martins. There are also some popular uninhabited islands such as Samson and some of the Eastern Isles.

The Scillonian III, owned by the Steamship Company, is the main ship sailing between the Islands and mainland Britain. Usually she sails 6 days a week in the summer, leaving from Penzance at 9:15am except on some Saturdays. The Scillonian can carry up to 600 passengers and also carries cargo to the Islands. The Steamship Company also run a freight ship called the Gry Maritha which runs all year round. British International run the two helicopters, which also depart from Penzance throughout the year, with flights up to every half-hour in the summer. There is a regular shuttle bus before every flight, it leaves Penzance train station which is on the main South coast line. SkyBus the airline that flies from Land's End to St. Mary's, also throughout the year, with flights up to every half-hour in the summer. The Skybus service also offer flights to The Islands from Newquay, Exeter and Bristol on their 'Twin Otter' aircraft. Skybus is owned by the same company as the Scillonian, the Steamship Company. Transport is provided for Lands End passengers from Penzance train station. There are pleasure boats which shuttle between The Islands, as well as operating special trips around The Islands. Each Island has it's own boat service operating trips to all the other Islands regularly. Evening trips and specialist trips such as birdwatching, fishing and sunset trips to uninhabited islands are also run by most of the boat operators.

All the inhabited islands offer excellent, modern accommodation and amenities, safe sandy beaches, pubs and opportunities for outdoor sport. There are many sites of historical interest, with many archeological sites pre 2000BC, throughout the islands. The birdwatching and scuba diving are renowned, and most importantly, Scilly is virtually crime-free, making it one of the safest environments in the world. Spring and autumn are especially good times to visit the islands. In spring the early flowering of daffodils and narcissi carpet the islands' small fields and in the autumn there is the opportunity to spot rare and wonderful birds as they make their way to the warmer climes of southern Europe or have been blown across from America.