Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sights
Around the edge of the island are several well-hidden beaches, including the sand-and-
shell beach of
Appletree Bay
, and the more grandiose curve of sand at
Pentle Bay
.
On the northwest side of the island are the ruins of two naval forts -
King Charles' Castle
was the first to be built in the 1550s, but was later superseded by the cannon tower of
Cromwell's Castle
nearby.
Abbey Garden
( 01720-424105;
www.tresco.co.uk/see/abbey-garden
; adult £12, under 16s free; 10am-4pm)
One of
Scilly's great attractions is this subtropical estate, first laid out in 1834 on the site of a
12th-century Benedictine priory by the horticultural visionary Augustus Smith. The gar-
dens are now home to over 20,000 exotic species, from towering palms to desert cacti and
crimson flame trees, all nurtured by the temperate gusts of the Gulf Stream. Admission
also covers the
Valhalla collection
, made up of figureheads and nameplates salvaged from the
many ships that have foundered off Tresco's shores.
GARDEN
Sleeping & Eating
Inn and Sea Garden Cottages offer rooms by the night, but most people either visit as a
day-trip or rent out cottages by the week.
The New Inn
( 01720-422844; d £140-230)
Compared with Tresco's two wallet-shreddingly expensive ho-
tels, the New Inn is a comparative bargain. The rooms are soothingly finished in buttery
yellows and pale blues, although inevitably you'll have to fork out for a view.
INN
£££
Sea Garden Cottages
( 01720-422849;
contactus@tresco.co.uk
; £160-210; )
This complex of self-contained cottages
at the Island Hotel has nine properties available on a nightly basis. Checked tiles, wood
and nautical pictures give them a suitably seaside feel, and rates include breakfast and din-
ner at the Ruin Beach Café.
COTTAGE
£££
Flying Boat Club
APARTMENT
£££
