Things to do in St Mary’s

Discover St Mary’s, the largest of the Isles of Scilly, a stunning archipelago off the southwestern tip of Cornwall. Known for its spectacular coastal scenery and vibrant community, St Mary’s offers a unique blend of breathtaking landscapes, sandy beaches, and historical sites. Whether you’re exploring the rugged coastal paths, relaxing on pristine beaches, or visiting the charming Hugh Town for local crafts and fresh seafood, St Mary’s is the perfect getaway. Accessible by ferry or plane, this idyllic island promises an unforgettable escape with activities and sights for everyone, making it a top destination for travelers seeking tranquility and adventure. Here are some of our favourite things to do in St Mary’s.

Coast walk around St Mary’s

Hiking the sixteen-kilometre coast path around the perimeter of St Mary’s is a great way to explore the island and sample the great island hospitality. From Hugh Town the route follows the defensive walls of The Garrison around the western peninsula, with a pitstop at the cafe-lined promenade and sandy beach of Porthcressa, before reaching the other-worldly rock formations of Peninnis Head and quaint Old Town with St Mary’s Old Church where Harold Wilson, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the 1960s and 1970s, is buried. Reaching the island’s south-east corner, Porth Hellick is a special place for nature and history with the largest body of freshwater on the island just inland from the shingle sandbar and the Bronze Age cemetery of Porth Hellick Down. The beautiful sand beach of Pelistry Bay on the east coast is the starting point for a low-tide walk to Toll’s Island, while the north coast has the highest concentration of incredible prehistoric remains, along with superb views of Tresco and the other islands. The high point of the island in the small settlement of Telegraph is located a few hundred metres off the coast path at the intersection of Pungies Lane and Telegraph Road and can be bagged on the return to Hugh Town. Check out te Islandeering tab for full routes details.

Experience prehistoric lives and death

St Mary’s has the best range of surviving prehistoric sites in the Scilly archipelago with ancient homes and burial sites. A visit to them is a thought-provoking experience as you gaze across fantastic seascapes and wonder what life must have been like when the islands you see before you were once vast plains when the sea levels were much lower. On the north-west coast the remains of a number of interconnecting stone houses from the Iron Age and Roman period can be seen at Halangy Down Ancient Village. Close by, the Bronze Age entrance grave of Bant’s Carn has an impressive burial chamber covered with massive capstones. Further examples of Bronze Age burial chambers can be seen on the north-east coast at Innisidgen and the south-east coast at Porth Hellick Down. All can be reached via the coast path.

Explore small islands linked to St Mary’s

There are four small islands off the coast of St Mary’s that can be accessed at low tide. Toll’s Island is the largest at 300 metres long and 175 metres wide. It sits in the north-east of St Mary’s, 100 metres off Pelistry Bay to which it is linked by a sand tombolo. A number of overgrown paths weave through the island’s interior of grass, heather, gorse and brambles. In the west, wind-stunted trees sit within a walled area. For the eagle-eyed there are four small stone-lined kelp pits, marked on the Ordnance Survey map, just back from the shoreline on the south side of the island. They were used to burn seaweed to make soda ash for glass, soap and alum production. The remains of an English Civil War gun battery, Pellew’s Redoubt, can also be seen on the sixteen-metre high point of the island.

Innisidgen is a small tidal island that sits 100 metres off the north-east coast of St Mary’s. This grass-topped island can be reached by an easy scramble from the mainland, just below the Bronze Age remains of Innisidgen. Of no particular note, it is still a must for island baggers. Just north of Hugh Town, Taylor’s Island is a small rocky tidal island joined to the north end of Porthloo Beach at low tide, with a high point of fourteen metres. At the south end of the same beach, Newford Island, only cut off for an hour or so around high tide, has a dilapidated market garden in its centre. The island is a Scheduled Monument by virtue of its defensive wall and gun battery dating to the English Civil War on the western half of the island. In addition, Rat Island was joined to St Mary’s by the harbour wall in Hugh Town, a building project undertaken as part of the quay extension in the nineteenth century. The island is now home to the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group’s ticket office and facilities; there is also a good restaurant and inter-island boats depart from here.

Carreg Dhu Garden

Tranquil Carreg Dhu is a subtropical community garden in an old quarry near Longstone Terrace in the centre of St Mary’s. Started in 1986 this volunteer-tended oasis brims with colourful plants. An area of the garden has been set aside for the Historic Narcissus Collection contained in six hexagonal borders to preserve the traditional varieties grown on the islands. Easily reached from Hugh Town, entry is free and there are plenty of quiet corners to explore.

Spot dolphins

If you travel to the islands on the Scillonian III, you’ll very likely see dolphins and porpoises riding the bow wave and, if you are lucky, basking sharks. There are several wildlife trips that operate from St Mary’s and pods of hundreds of dolphins can be spotted, often west of the archipelago.

Island gin and wine

The Scilly Spirit Gin School is the perfect rainy-day activity. At the distillery in Old Town you can go on a short guided tour to see the beautiful stills, Bishop and Daisy, and learn about distillation and the history of gin. You can make your own gin in a personal mini still. With tutoring on flavour profile and a choice of over sixty botanicals you can create your perfect gin. St Mary’s also has its own vineyard in the tranquil and beautiful Holy Vale. The Cellar Door is well worth visiting and wine tastings (of world wine) are informative and entertaining 

www.scillyspirit.com

www.holyvalewines.co.uk

Swimming, coasteering and paddling on St Mary’s

There’s plenty to do on St Mary’s for the more adventurous. Enjoy the freedom of jumping from rocks into the Atlantic and exploring the surreal granite cliffs and oddly-shaped tors of Peninnis Head on a coasteering trip. St Mary’s also has a number of unique wild swim events. The toughest, Scilly 360, is a complete circumnavigation of St Mary’s, about fifteen kilometres, with a well-earned party afterwards. The island’s water sports centre at Porth Mellon has instruction and hire of paddleboards, dinghies and windsurfing boards available. A sea kayak expedition is also a great way to explore all the islands in the archipelago.

www.kernow-coasteering.co.uk

www.scillyswimchallenge.co.uk

www.sailingscilly.com

Swimming around St Mary’s

 

On the scent of the narcissi

A much-coveted Scilly speciality, these cut flowers and bulbs are a gift that keeps on giving. Definitely not daffodils, narcissi have up to fifteen flowers on each stem and are uniquely scented. With Royal Connection, Scilly Valentine, Scilly White, Grand Soleil d’Or, Cheerfulness and many others to choose from there is a scent for every occasion. Nine family-owned flower farms make the most of St Mary’s ideal climate to grow these delights in small hedge-lined fields for the global export of hand-picked flowers. Visit the narcissi exhibition at Scented Narcissi near the airport or buy bulbs around the island. Seaways Farm Shop is a favourite, particularly when combined with a visit to adjoining Juliet’s Garden Restaurant with its good food and drink and stunning views over St Mary’s Harbour. 

Scented narcissi

Watch a Scilly gig race

Gig rowing runs through the veins of every Scillonian and watching these colourful boats and crews practice and race is a sight to behold. Heralding from the late eighteenth century, when local pilot boats guided sailing ships to the Cornish shores, these boats have always been built for competition – as the pilot gig that got to the ship first got the job and the wage. Gig racing can be watched on Wednesday and Saturday evenings any time of the year, with the racing calendar culminating in the World Pilot Gig Championships in the waters off St Mary’s. The event attracts thousands of rowers and supporters from across the globe for a weekend of passionate rowing and revelry alike. The Mermaid Inn, and any of the pubs on the smaller islands, are full of merriment, sea shanties and beer fumes. For events check notice boards around Hugh Town.

www.gigrower.co.uk/events

Choose a Scilly festival

Whatever your interest you’ll find a fabulous festival to attend on St Mary’s: Walk Scilly; Taste of Scilly; Scilly Folk Festival; Creative Scilly; Scilly Dark Skies and Wild Scilly, to name just a few.

www.visitislesofscilly.com/experience/whats-on

Go Scilly island-hopping

St Mary’s is the main departure point for all inter-island boats to St Martin’s, Tresco, St Agnes, and Bryher as well as for wildlife boat trips. Ferries run by the St Mary’s Boatmen’s Association (https://www.scillyboating.co.uk) to the off-islands generally depart from The Quay at 10.15 am and 2.00pm as a minimum (Easter to end October), with additional departures at busier times and wildlife and circular island tours on offer. Check the blackboard at The Quay or St Mary’s Boatmen’s Association’s Facebook Page for the changing daily ferry times.

Gig racing to St Mary’s

Walk around The Garrison

Dominating the whole western peninsula of St Mary’s, it is hard to miss one of the most impressive coastal defence systems in England. Here you can wander around the defensive walls and explore the tunnels, as well as sample the excellent food and accommodation at Star Castle, once the nucleus of the defensive system initially developed by Elizabethans to defend against the Spanish Armada.

Using the strategic promontory, known originally as The Hugh, The Garrison became a Royalist stronghold during the English Civil War and was further developed in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries with continued threat of invasion by the French and Spanish. Many of the surviving batteries, barracks and buildings date from this time.

The Garrison was re-armed in World War I and used again as a signal station and barracks in World War II. The Garrison walk starts in Hugh Town and passes through The Garrison gateway, the original arched gateway with a bellcote and parapet above, and a sunken powder magazine called the Rocket House. It then follows the coast and ends along a wooded path to Porthcressa Beach which is accessed via hidden stairs and tunnel.

Walking the Garrison, St Mary’s