St Mary's is the largest of the Isles of Scilly. St Mary's, St
Martin's, Tresco, Bryher and Samson were one island called Ennor until
around 1500 years ago when rising sea levels separated them into
separate islands. St Mary's was probably not permanently settled until
the Bronze Age.
I visited St Mary's on day trips from Tresco in March 2002 and 2003. In March 2014 I stayed on St Mary's for a week at the excellent Wingletang Guest House in Hugh Town. Hugh Town is the only settlement of any size on the Isles of Scilly. I flew by Skybus from Newquay and as I walked out of the airport the first smell that hit me was an unusual but not unpleasant combination of wild garlic and narcissi.
I spent 4 days walking along all the roads on the island and most of the footpaths. I walked round the entire coast twice. There isn't a lot else to do on the island in March other than walk - most of the cafés were closed and it wasn't warm enough to sit around on the beach.
You can't really get lost on St Mary's but if you want to explore the island properly I would recommend you take an Ordnance Survey map - preferably the Explorer Map at 1:25,000 scale - with you. Most of the footpaths are not signposted. In fact there was a general lack of signposts on all the islands. Some of the historic sites on St Mary's are signed but not all of them and none of them very well. I wasn't sure if some of the tracks were actually rights of way but no one came out and shouted at me or told me I shouldn't be there.
There are two nature trails on St Mary's, which are worth walking along, but both can be muddy in places. The Lower Moors Trail runs between Old Town and near Harry's Walls. The Higher Moors Trail runs from Porth Hellick Beach north to the wonderfully named Holy Vale. There are a couple of bird hides at the lower end of the Higher Moors Trail.
The eclectic but very interesting museum in Hugh Town, which is staffed by friendly and enthusiastic volunteers, was open for a couple of hours each morning and is well worth a visit if you want to find out more about any aspect of the islands' history. I most liked the stuffed birds with notices saying things like "a very rare visitor to the islands" - presumably even rarer after the bird concerned was shot there at some point in the 1800s! At least today's bird watchers are usually content with just taking photos of rare birds.
Peninnis Point
Pulpit Rock - site of our second ever geocache
Prehistoric sites on the island include:
- Bants Carn, a Bronze Age burial chamber & Halangy Down, an Iron Age village
- Innisidgen Bronze Age burial chambers
- Giant's Tomb, Porth Hellick Down, a burial chamber
- Longstone - a standing stone at the north end of the island
Innisidgen - Upper Entrance Grave
Bants Carn Burial Chamber above Halangy Down ancient village
Large burial chamber on Porth Hellick Down
One of the smaller burial chambers on Porth Hellick Down
Halangy Down, Iron Age village
Longstone
I could see this standing stone at the north end of St Mary's marked on the map but there is no public footpath to it and it is in the middle of a wood. It is not signposted but I did eventually find a well-worn path to it.
One of the batteries in The Garrison
In the 12th century the Isles of Scilly were granted
to Tavistock Abbey by Henry I. They were later given to the Duchy of
Cornwall and leased to Francis Godolphin. In 1552-3 a castle was built
to protect Hugh Town, now called Harry's Walls. It was never finished
and was abandoned because the siting of it was poor.
Star Castle (site of our first ever geocache find) was built at the western end of the island in 1593 by Francis Godolphin. More fortifications were added at a later date and it is now a hotel. It is so called because it was designed as an 8 pointed star.
Islanders made a living by farming, fishing and smuggling until the 18th century when kelp burning was started to produce soda and potash, which were exported to the mainland for use in the production of glass and soap. The remains of kelp pits can be seen in various locations, for example the tidal Toll's Island off the east coast at Pelistry Bay.
Flower growing was introduced to the Isles of Scilly in the 19th Century by Augustus Smith. In the19th century pilot cutters, which were used to guide ships, were built on St Mary's. Gig racing is still a popular pastime on the islands. Tourism is now the main employer.
From mid-March to November the Scillonian III passenger ferry operates between Penzance and Hugh Town. There is an airport on St Mary's. Skybus operate services from several airports in the south west but there is no longer a helicopter service from Penzance to St Mary's.
There is a selection of hotels, guesthouses and self-catering properties on the island and a camp site on the Garrison above Hugh Town. Hugh Town has a range of shops (mainly expensive clothes shops), pubs, restaurants and cafés. There is only one grocery shop in Hugh Town - the Co-op and it didn't seem to be well stocked as far as I could see. Most of the cafes and restaurants were closed when I visited in mid-March 2014, although the pubs were open.
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| Watermill Bay - NE coast of St Mary's This stretch of coast was my favourite on St Mary's, although Peninnis Head was a close second. |
Football Field in the Garrison
- home of the smallest football league in the world
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| This is a pile of discarded narcissi bulbs, all blooming beautifully - what a waste but what a lovely smell! |
Telegraph Tower
This tower was built on the highest point on the Isles of Scilly - a magnificent 51 metres above sea level around 1805 as a semaphore and gun tower. It was later adapted to be a signal station.
Strange rock formation at Porth Hellick
More unusual rock formations - Peninnis Head
Peninnis Head
Carreg Dhu Garden - the narcissi collection
Photographs cannot do this peaceful community run garden in the middle of St Mary's justice. It was created by June and Richard Lethbridge in 1986 on the site of a disused quarry.
Town Beach, Hugh Town
Part of St Mary's Golf Course - what a spectacular view!
Harold Wilson's grave in Old Town Cemetery
Harold Wilson, Prime Minister of the UK 1964-70 and 1974-76, is buried in a very modest grave in the churchyard at St Mary's, Old Town. He owned a second home on St Mary's and spent much of his free time there. He died in 1995.
Old Town Cemetery
Old Town Church
The church was built in the 19th century on the site of a 12th century church.
The church was built in the 19th century on the site of a 12th century church.
The remains of a boat called Swordfish have been turned into a sheltered seat overlooking Old Town Bay- ideal for smokers judging by the smell and number of cigarette butts on the floor!
This rock at Porth Hellick is known locally as the Loaded Camel
Memorial at Porth Hellick to Sir Cloudesley Shovell (what a great name!), an admiral in the Royal Navy
His ship the HMS Association was wrecked off St Mary's with several other ships in 1707. His body washed ashore at Porth Hellick. He was initially buried there but his body was later exhumed and buried in Westminster Abbey.
Buzza Tower, Hugh Town
It was originally a windmill
Hugh Town from the Garrison -
looking east towards Peninnis Head
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