Twenty eight miles south west of Land's End you'll find the Isles of Scilly, a group of beautiful islands with glorious beaches, magnificent views and an abundance of wildlife. The islands exude an air of peace and tranquillity.

There are good connections from the mainland with helicopter, aeroplane and ferry services, also regular launch services link the individual islands, with the inhabited islands offering an excellent range of accommodation and amenities. Scilly is home to a working community of around 2000 and much of the island's work is centred around tourism.

St Mary's is the largest island at 2.½ miles by 1¾ and the terminus for transport links with the mainland. Although the capital, Hugh Town, houses most of the town's facilities, accommodation, banks, sub post office, health centre and a variety of shops it is little more than a village in size. St Mary's has nine miles of roads and during the summer there are various minibus, coach and vintage car tours as well as taxis and bicycles for hire.

Tresco is the second largest island and has a wide diversity of scenery. Up in the north the landscape is wild and barren and here you can see and explore the 16th Century King Charles' Castle. The central part of the island, where you will find the world famous Abbey Garden with its collection of exotic plants, is farmland with green fields and cottages. The southern and eastern end of the island has magnificent beaches and there is accommodation available, a sub-post office and a general store.

Bryher houses the smallest community and has contrasting scenery, the rugged west coast of the island faces the open Atlantic and is frequently lashed by gales, whereas the east coast overlooks the sheltered channel between Bryher and Tresco. The waters around Bryher are clear and safe, making them ideal for snorkelling and diving. There is a range of accommodation including self-catering cottages, a campsite, general store and a sub-post office.

St Martin's with its sandy sheltered beaches and crystal clear waters is a quiet island with breathtaking views on all sides. Regular boat trips go out to the uninhabited islands and at low water White Island is accessible by foot. Accommodation is available on St Martin's as well as a post office and other shops including a bakery.

St Agnes is home to the most south-westerly community in the British Isles and is a very tranquil and peaceful island with the traditional occupations being fishing and flower farming. There is a well stocked general store and post office, guest houses, self catering cottages and a campsite.

The Western Rocks, the Norrard Rocks, the Eastern Isles, Tean, St Helen's, Samson and Annet are all uninhabited islands and visitors can take trips around them. Samson was actually inhabited up until the 1850's. The Norrard Rocks are home to countless seabirds and colonies of grey seals. Tean was once used for grazing cattle, but is now mainly overgrown with bracken and fern. The rocks and islands of the Western Rocks have, throughout the centuries, been the scene of countless shipwrecks. Annet is home to the bird sanctuary and boat trips are available from April through to late July.

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