Visit Isles of Scilly Places

Welcome to Visit Isles of Scilly Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Isles of Scilly

  

Isles of Scilly Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Isles of Scilly

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Isles of Scilly history

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Early history

Rising sea levels flooded the central plain around 400–500 AD, forming the current 55 islands and islets . The word Ennor is a contraction of the Old Cornish En Noer (Moer, mutated to Noer), meaning ‘the land’ or the ‘great island’ It is likely that until relatively recent times the islands were much larger and perhaps joined into one island named Ennor .

Norse and Norman period

Olaf Tryggvason met a Christian seer on the Isles of Scilly in 986 . He was probably a follower of Priscillian and part of the tiny Christian community exiled from Spain by Emperor Maximus . Olaf was attacked by a group of mutineers upon returning to his ships . As soon as he had recovered from his wounds, he let himself be baptised . He then stopped raiding Christian cities and lived in England and Ireland .

Later Middle Ages and early modern period

At the turn of the 14th century, the Abbot and convent of Tavistock Abbey petitioned the king, stat[ing] that they hold certain isles in the sea between Cornwall and Ireland, of which the largest is called Scilly . The names provide a wide variety of origins, e.g. Robert and Henry Sage (English), Richard de Tregenestre (Cornish), Ace de Veldre (French), Davy Gogch (possibly Welsh, or Cornish), and Adam le Fuiz Yaldicz (Spanish?). The islands appear to have lost the old Celtic language before parts of Penwith on the mainland .

Isles of Scilly culture & places

People

According to the 2001 UK census, 97% of the population of the islands are white British . Since EU enlargement in 2004, a number of central Europeans have moved to the island .

Sport

The Isles of Scilly feature what is reportedly the smallest football league in the world . Gig racing has been said to derive from the race to collect salvage from shipwrecks on the rocks around Scilly .

Media

The islands are served by the Halangy Down radio and television transmitter on St Mary’s north of Telegraph . It is a relay of the main transmitter at Redruth (Cornwall) and broadcasts BBC Radio 1, 2, 3, 4 and BBC Radio Cornwall . Internet access is available across the inhabited islands by means of fibre broadband provided by BT .

Novels

The events of Nevil Shute’s novel Marazan occur, in part, around these islands . The heroine of Walter Besant’s novel Armorel of Lyonesse came from Samson, and about half the action of the novel takes place in the Isles of Scilly .

Song

Scilly is mentioned in traditional British naval song “Spanish Ladies” Scilly mentioned in the song “Phenomenal Cat” by The Kinks on their album “The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society”

Isles of Scilly economy & business

Historical context

Since the mid-18th century the Scillonian economy relied on trade with the mainland and beyond as a means of sustaining its population . Recent statistics suggest that agriculture on the islands now represents less than 2% of all employment .

Tourism

Tourism is estimated to account for 85% of the islands’ income . Majority of visitors stay on St Mary’s, which has a concentration of holiday accommodation . Tresco is run as a timeshare resort, Bryher and St Martin’s are more unspoilt .

Employment

Tourism accounts for approximately 63% of all employment . Many jobs on the islands are seasonal and part-time, so work cannot be guaranteed throughout the year . Islanders take up other temporary jobs ‘out of season’ to compensate for this .

Taxation

The islands were not subject to income tax until 1954, and there was no motor vehicle excise duty levied until 1971 . The islands did not receive motor vehicle tax until 1971, and income tax was not levied until 1954 .

Transport

St Mary’s Harbour is the principal harbour of the Isles of Scilly . In 2005 there were 619 registered vehicles on the island . Vehicles on the islands are exempt from annual MOT tests . The island also has taxis and a tour bus .

Tenure

The freehold land of the islands is the property of the Duchy of Cornwall (except for Hugh Town on St Mary’s, which was sold to the inhabitants in 1949). The Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust manages the uninhabited islands, islets and rocks and much of the untenanted land on the inhabited islands . The trust currently has four full-time salaried staff and 12 trustees, who are all residents of the Isles . Limited housing availability is a contentious yet critical issue for the islands .

Isles of Scilly geography / climate

The Isles of Scilly form an archipelago of five inhabited islands (six if Gugh is counted separately from St Agnes) The islands are famous among birdwatchers for their ability to attract rare birds from all corners of the globe. The islands of Annet and Samson have large terneries and the islands are well populated by seals.

Tidal influx

The tidal range at the Isles of Scilly is high for an open sea location . The maximum for St Mary’s is 5.99 m (19.7 ft) The inter-island waters are mostly shallow, which at spring tides allows for dry land walking between several of the islands .

Climate

The Isles of Scilly have a temperate Oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfb), which borders a humid subtropical climate (Cf) under the Trewartha climate classification . The average annual temperature is 11.8 °C (53.2 °F) Winters are, by far, the warmest in the UK due to the moderating effects of the North Atlantic Drift of the Gulf Stream .

Geology

The Irish Sea Glacier terminated just to the north of the Isles of Scilly during the last Ice Age . The islands are all composed of granite rock of Early Permian age, an exposed part of the Cornubian batholith .

You can visit Isles of Scilly places with Walkfo Isles of Scilly to hear history at Isles of Scilly’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Isles of Scilly has 63 places to visit in our interactive Isles of Scilly map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Isles of Scilly, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Isles of Scilly places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Isles of Scilly & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 63 audio facts unique to Isles of Scilly places in an interactive Isles of Scilly map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Isles of Scilly Places Map
63 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Isles of Scilly historic spots	Isles of Scilly tourist destinations	Isles of Scilly plaques	Isles of Scilly geographic features
Walkfo Isles of Scilly tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Isles of Scilly

  

Best Isles of Scilly places to visit

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Isles of Scilly has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Isles of Scilly’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Isles of Scilly’s information audio spots:

Teän Teän is uninhabited island to the north of the Isles of Scilly archipelago between Tresco and St Martin’s. The island consists of a series of granite tors with the highest point, Great Hill, rising to 40 metres (130 ft) at its eastern end. Evidence of occupation from the Bronze Age to the early 19th century.

Castle Down Castle Down is a windswept plateau of maritime heath in the northern part of the island of Tresco, Isles of Scilly. The area has a number of designations including Castle Down (Tresco) Site of Special Scientific Interest.

St Nicholas’s Church, Tresco St Nicholas’s Church, Tresco, is a parish church in the Church of England. It is located on the Isles of Scilly, UK.

St Martin’s Church, St Martin’s St Martin’s Church is a Grade II listed parish church in the Church of England. It is located in the Isles of Scilly, UK.

St Martin’s Methodist Church, Isles of Scilly The Methodist Church, St Martin’s, Isles of Scilly is a Grade II listed chapel. It was built in the 1960s and is located on the island of St Martin’s.

Tresco Abbey Gardens The 17 acre gardens are located on the island of Tresco in the Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom. The gardens are designated at Grade I in the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.

Innisidgen Innisidgen (Cornish: Enys Ojyon, meaning Ox Island) is the site of two Bronze Age entrance graves on the island of St Mary’s in the Isles of Scilly.

Star Castle, Isles of Scilly Star Castle is a fortress on St Mary’s, Isles of Scilly, built in 1593 by Robert Adams, Surveyor of the Royal Works and Captain of the Scilly Isles, during the “Spanish invasion scare”

Samson, Isles of Scilly Samson (Cornish: (Enys) Sampson) is the largest uninhabited island of the Isles of Scilly, off the southwestern tip of the Cornish peninsula of Great Britain. The island consists of two hills, North Hill and South Hill, which are connected by an isthmus.

St Mary’s Church, St Mary’s The Church was consecrated on 7 September 1838. It replaced the church at Old Town which was inconvenient for the Hugh Town population and in need of repair. The church is located in Hugh Town, St Mary’s, Isles of Scilly.

Visit Isles of Scilly plaques