Small Group Tour to the Isles of Scilly & Tresco Abbey Gardens with Historian Julian Humphrys
“Join historian, author and expert guide Julian Humphrys to explore these outstandingly beautiful, uncrowded and unspoilt islands”
Join popular tour leader/historian Julian Humphrys to discover the history, social history, island life and the botanic gems at Tresco Abbey Garden. This archipelago of beautiful islands, just 28 miles west of Lands End in Cornwall are outstandingly beautiful and unspoilt. Life on Scilly is taken at a very gentle pace. There are residents’ cars on the main island of St Mary’s yet only a few farm vehicles and buggies on the other inhabited islands. Frosts are rare; these islands boast amongst the mildest and warmest climate in the UK. The Isles of Scilly have no light pollution and enjoys pristine dark skies.
There are 5 inhabited islands, covered in heathland and fringed by white sandy beaches with crystal clear, sometimes turquoise waters. The inhabited islands consist of the main island of St Mary’s, Tresco, Bryher, St Martins and St Agnes. In addition, there are over 100 uninhabited small islands. Inter-island transport is courtesy of the local boatmen and much of our exploration is on foot – walking at a gentle pace of 4 – 5 miles each day.
We stay on St Mary’s, the main island, in the historic Star Castle Hotel. It has an enviable position on the fortified Garrison Hill, commanding wonderful views of the sea and isles in every direction. Julian will reveal its fascinating history dating back to the late 16th century when it was built to defend The Isles of Scilly. Scilly is rich in history and, as a regular visitor to these islands, Julian loves to take people round its extraordinary ramparts, forts and castles and tell their stories.
During the English Civil War the Royalists initially held the Isles of Scilly, and in March 1646 the future Charles II stayed on the island for a few weeks before slipping away to the safety of Jersey. The fortified walls of The Garrison are well preserved as are some of the Batteries, the Garrison Gate, Sallyport and Rocket Gate where there is a small exhibition and prison cell. The Garrison saw action from The English Civil War through to the Second World War, when it was an important signal station.
English Heritage look after many of the historic sites on Scilly including The Old Blockhouse, Cromwell’s Castle and the ruin of King Charles Castle on Tresco and it’s not difficult to imagine what it would be like for soldiers watching square rigged sailing ships approach from their excellent viewpoints.
For some, the highlight of a visit to Scilly is a guided tour or just time to immerse oneself in the world-famous gardens – Tresco Abbey Garden. These gardens are renowned for their amazing collection of plants from Mediterranean climates. Here on this tiny island off the south west tip of the UK, plants from South Africa, California, New Zealand, Chile, Argentina and Southern Europe come together to create one of the world’s great gardens. You could be forgiven for thinking you are overseas once in the garden.
Flora and fauna is not just limited to Tresco Abbey Gardens. The hedgerows and paths on every inhabited island are abundant with wildflowers, succulents and species of flora that you would not normally see growing in the wild.
THE STAR CASTLE HOTEL**** Garrison Walls Isles of Scilly TR21 0JA T: 01720 422317
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The Star Castle hotel was built in 1593 during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, for the defence of the Isles of Scilly. It stands on the fortified Garrison Hill to the west of Hugh Town, St Mary’s, and commands magnificent views of the sea and isles in every direction. It is now a family ran hotel, a short uphill walk from the centre of St Mary’s Island and harbour.
With 38 bedrooms, Star Castle Hotel boasts both traditional sixteenth century castle accommodation and spacious country cottage garden accommodation set within 4 acres of gardens.
The hotel offers two award winning restaurants featuring fresh locally caught sea food, local produce, and vegetables from the hotel’s kitchen garden. The Castle Dining Room is a slightly more formal dining experience and offers wines from the finest vineyards around the world. The Conservatory Restaurant offers a delightful alternative dining experience, set within the centre of the pretty courtyard gardens. You can be assured of excellent cuisine with an emphasis on fresh fish and local produce. Other hotel facilities include an indoor heated swimming pool, tennis court and complimentary golf.
HOW TO GET TO THE ISLES OF SCILLY:
There are various options to reach the Isles of Scilly and we leave you to make your own choice of how to travel and from where. There is the option to fly from Exeter Airport with your tour leader Julian. There will be limited seats available due to only one or two flights a day from Exeter. Julian will be flying out on 1050 from Exeter arriving St Mary’s Isles of Scilly at 1150 and returning on 9th May from Scilly to Exeter at 1235. Other flight options are available from Newquay or Lands End Airports and Penzance for The Scillonian Ferry.
TYPICAL ITINERARY:
The programme below represents a typical itinerary for this break, although the order and content of the itinerary may vary according to local boat timings, tides and the weather.
Day 1:
Monday 4th May 2026: Make your own way to Penzance Harbour, Exeter, Newquay or Lands’ End Airport independently. The flight schedule from Exeter is departing 1050 am (one hour check in required). An overnight stay may be required in Exeter the night before if you are travelling from further afield. The flight from Exeter will arrive at 1150. On arrival at St Mary’s Airport, Isles of Scilly, you will be met by the hotel’s courtesy minibus and driven to the hotel to check in or your luggage will be stored until your room is ready. From 1430, join Julian for a walk around The Garrison. If you are arriving on a later flight, don’t worry as Julian will offer this walk again during your stay on Scilly. At 1830, we’ll meet in the hotel lounge for a welcome drink hosted by Julian. Dinner will follow in one of the hotel restaurants.
Day 2: Tuesday 5th May 2026: Today, after a delicious breakfast, our programme offers an introduction to St Mary’s. Starting in Hugh Town, we take a walk with Julian to learn about the island’s history and to visit the Island Museum, which should be reopening in Spring 2026. This is a new home for the island museum which closed for a few years whilst a suitable new site was found. It promises to be a first-class museum showcasing permanent collections that encapsulate the stories of the archipelago. A library and archives plus retail and café space promise a vibrant venue with flexible space for performances, talks, music and cinema. After free time for lunch locally, we continue our walk to Old Town and Old Town Church, where Sir Harold Wilson and his wife Mary are buried. Teas and refreshments can be purchased at Old Town Café overlooking Old Town Beach before we make our way back to the hotel. In the evening, dinner is served in one of the hotel’s two restaurants (you usually have a choice, subject to availability)
Day 3: Wednesday 6th May 2026: After breakfast, we stroll down to the harbour to board a boat for Tresco. From the jetty it is a 10-15-minute walk to Tresco Abbey Gardens. Discover the flora and history of the garden during your guided tour or enjoy the gardens in your own time. These famous gardens are known to botanical enthusiasts the world over and were started in 1834 by Augustus Smith. Tresco was then treeless and windswept, but he planted windbreaks and a high wall to provide shelter for rare plants. He also built his nearby home, Tresco Abbey. Seeds and plants were obtained from all over the world courtesy of ships captains calling in to Scilly. Some seeds came from Kew Gardens; there are rare succulents from Mexico and showy Echiums, the great Borages of Madeira and the Canary Isles. These are just a few of the fascinating botanical treasures to be found within the gardens. Lose yourself amidst the blooms and sunny terraces. There is also an interesting collection of ships figureheads near the southern entrance, most from the numerous ships wrecked around the rocky coasts of Scilly, a gift shop and café/restaurant where refreshments/ light lunches can be purchased. You can even see red squirrels if you’re lucky.
After visiting the gardens, walk with Julian to the northern tip of Tresco and see the Old Blockhouse ,which saw action in the later stages of the Civil War, the ruins of King Charles Castle and time and weather permitting, Cromwell’s Castle. More than often, after visiting Tresco Abbey Gardens, our return boat trip to St Marys will depart from a different harbour - New Grimsby Harbour. If you prefer to stay and enjoy the gardens for longer, you’ll need to allow time for the 20-minute walk to New Grimsby Harbour and maybe to visit The New Inn Pub, the shop/deli and gallery on the way. On our return to St Marys there is free time to relax before dinner.
Day 4: Thursday 7th May 2026: A leisurely breakfast and the organised excursion for the day will be to the island of St Agnes to see the beautiful small church – the most westerly church in England, Troytown Maze and the 17th century lighthouse . At Troytown Farm Brookland clients have been known to indulge in the delicious home-made ice cream! The small island of St Agnes in south-west Scilly is inhabited by less than 100 people.
The island’s only pub “The Turks Head,” overlooks the jetty and the islands of St Mary’s, St Agnes’ and the adjacent tidal island of Gugh. At low tide, it is possible to access the island of Gugh where you can see a 2.4 metre leaning menhir – The Old Man of Gugh. For those who wish to explore Gugh, there is an 18th century kelp pit and Obadiah’s Barrow entrance grave. Lunch will be included at either the Turks Head pub or Coastguard Café, with its superb coastal views, a little further around the island. We return to St Mary’s midafternoon where you can head back to the hotel to relax or while away some time in the cafes, little shops or pubs in Hugh Town! Enjoy dinner in one of the hotel’s two restaurants during the evening.
Day 5: Friday 8th May 2026 : Join Julian for a morning excursion to Bryher and a walk around the southern end of Bryher, stopping for lunch (not included) at The Hell Bay Hotel or Fraggle Rock Café (by the boat jetty) Alternatively, have a day at leisure to relax or explore in your own time. The hotel has its own small passenger boat and Tim, the boatman ,will check with you at breakfast to offer his daily trip – possibly the ever popular three Island Trip aboard the Calypso II. Other options for your free time could be a wildlife cruise to see seals and seabirds or to St Martins. St Martin’s has a luxury hotel, hedgerow shops, a fabulous small bakery, a vineyard and an island flower farm to discover. At the end of the day, enjoy a farewell dinner in one of the hotel restaurants.
Day 6: Saturday 9th May 2026: Breakfast, then check out of your hotel room - ready for transfers to the airport or to the harbour and departure to the mainland. If your flight/sailing is in the afternoon, leave your luggage with reception and take advantage of some further free time on St Mary’s. For the group returning via to Exeter, the return flight will be 1235, allowing you some free time for to absorb the tranquility and beauty of the Isles of Scilly for the last time during your stay. Earlier or later flights available from Lands End or Newquay.
Changes to the programme:
Off-island excursions are dependent on local tides and decisions relating to weather conditions are made by the boat skipper/captain. Therefore, the order of the excursions and visits may not follow the published programme. In addition, if you prefer to break away from the main party at any time of the tour or opt out of any of the activities you just need to inform your host/guide.
Mobility and Suitability:
Regrettably this programme would not be suitable for anyone with mobility problems. The walking is not strenuous; however, we will cover 4 – 5 miles per day and this will involve uneven surfaces and steps. We travel by local excursion boats. There is no lift to castle bedrooms*, the cellar bar or hotel lounge due to the historic nature of the property. *Most of the bedrooms are garden rooms within the beautiful grounds and accessed by a few steps from the historic castle to the garden. Please note that the walk from the harbour and Hugh Town to The Star Castle is a pleasant but uphill walk of 10 – 15 minutes. If you would like to join this tour and participate in certain activities combined with independent exploring at your own pace, please ask us for advice.
Recommended clothing and personal equipment:
Smart/casual attire for evening dinners in the hotel. Suitable outdoor clothing is recommended for day excursions to include waterproof and windproof outer garments and sensible flat shoes/walking boots.
Field glasses, shooting sticks, cameras, sunscreen, sunglasses, and hats are recommended.
Tour Costs and Inclusions:
Based on accommodation in an en-suite garden room (twin or double-bedded room). A supplement to an upgrade to a castle sea view room may be possible so please ask us about this.
Tour Cost: £1425 per person excluding flights
Skybus Travel:
Cost per person travelling from Lands’ End:
£1425 per person plus £320 pp flight cost* (approx. *.)
Cost per person travelling from Exeter:
£1425 per person plus £578 pp flight cost* (approx. *)
Cost per person travelling from Newquay:
£1425 per person plus £348 pp flight cost *(approx. *.)
Single occupancy of a single room supplement:
£0 ( very limited single occupancy availability)
Single occupancy of a double room:
£250 (subject to availability)
Non-refundable deposit per person:
£300 (full balance is due by 10 weeks prior to departure)
Sea view castle or garden room supplement:
Price on request and subject to availability
Extended stays:
On request
Included:
- Five night’s en-suite accommodation with full English breakfast
- Three course choice menu each evening with tea/coffee after
- Welcome drink and introduction on the first evening
- The services of a professional tour leader on the Isles of Scilly
- Inter -island boat transfers as per the programme
- Guided tour of Tresco Abbey Gardens and all visits/tours/walks per itinerary
- Transfers to and from the hotel to the airport at St Mary’s, Isles of Scilly
- Porterage
- Light lunch on St Agnes(suitable places where you can purchase lunch are available for other days)
Not Included:
- Lunches and refreshments other than lunch on one day of the tour
- Wine, beverages and other drinks taken at dinner or in the hotel bar
- Travel/flights to and from The Isles of Scilly (see next page for further information)
- Car Parking at Exeter, Lands’ End Airport, Newquay or Penzance
- Additional off island boat trips or excursions other than those mentioned in the programme
Important Notice - Travel Insurance:
As the Isles of Scilly is an offshore destination, it is essential to take out holiday insurance to protect against delays due to weather and other eventualities. Travel to the Isles of Scilly can occasionally be delayed by fog or bad weather and other eventualities
Visit https://iostravel.b2ctravel.co.uk/quote or calling 01371 705159for Isles of Scilly specific insurance or if you already have or you are researching travel insurance options, please check that you are covered for travel to and from the Isles of Scilly.
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