Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
BIKE
Bikes are an ideal way of getting round the island of St Mary's; contact
St Mary's Bike Hire
(
01720-422289; The Strand, High Town; bike hire per day around £10)
or
Book A Bike
(
01720-422786;
www.bookabikeonscilly.co.uk
;
£12 per day)
.
TAXI
For taxis on St Mary's, try
Island Taxis
(
01720-422126)
,
Scilly Cabs
(
01720-422901)
or
St Mary's
Taxis
(
01720-422555).
TOP OF CHAPTER
St Mary's
First stop on Scilly (unless you're arriving aboard your own private yacht) is St Mary's,
the largest and busiest of the islands, and home to the vast majority of hotels, shops, res-
taurants and B&Bs. Just over 3 miles at its widest point, St Mary's is shaped like a
crooked circle, with a claw-shaped peninsula at its southwestern edge - home to the is-
land's capital, Hugh Town, and the docking point for the
Scillonian
ferry.
The main airport is a mile east near Old Town.
Sights
Isles of Scilly Museum
(Church St; adult/child £2/50p; 10am-4.30pm Mon-Fri, 10am-noon Sat Easter-Sep, 10am-noon Mon-Sat Oct-
Easter, or by arrangement)
The islands' main repository of knowledge, Hugh Town's museum
contains an eclectic muddle of stuffed birds, Bronze Age artefacts and shipwreck booty
(including muskets, a cannon and a ship's bell).
MUSEUM
Activities
Towns & Beaches
Most of the action on St Mary's centres on
Hugh Town
, which sits on a low-lying sliver of
land between the main island and the old
Garrison
. By Scilly standards, its positively hectic
souvenir shops and cafes line the main thoroughfares of the Strand and Hugh St, while
trippers dip their toes in at
Town Beach
and
Porthcressa
.
