Scilly Isles
The Isles of Scilly are an archipelago of approximately 140 islands and rock outcrops lying 45 kilometres southwest of Land's End, the remotest settled part of England and one of the most unusual and beautiful places in the British Isles. Only five islands are inhabited: St Mary's, Tresco, St Martin's, Bryher and St Agnes, with a total permanent population of around 2,200 people, and the islands' extraordinary combination of climate, scenery, wildlife and historical depth rewards even a brief visit with experiences unavailable anywhere else in Britain. The climate is the first and most fundamental thing that distinguishes the Scilly from the rest of Britain. The influence of the Gulf Stream raises average temperatures substantially above comparable mainland latitudes, essentially preventing frost and allowing plants to flourish that would be killed by winter cold anywhere else in the country. The most dramatic expression of this is the flower-growing industry that sustained the islands' economy for most of the twentieth century: narcissi, scillas and exotic agapanthus that bloom outdoors in January and February while the rest of Britain shivers. The famous gardens of Tresco Abbey, created within the ruins of a Benedictine priory, contain plants from over 80 countries growing in open ground, an achievement possible only because of this unique microclimate. The islands' long human history stretches back to the Neolithic period. More than 50 Bronze Age entrance graves, distinctive tomb monuments built from large stones, are scattered across the islands, representing one of the highest concentrations of prehistoric funerary monuments per unit area in Britain. The islands were apparently an important burial destination for communities from a much wider area, possibly reflecting a belief in the islands as a threshold between the living world and the world of the dead. The remarkable quantity of Roman artefacts found on the islands, mostly votive offerings deposited in late Roman times, similarly suggests that the Scillies held particular religious significance in the Roman period. The wildlife of the islands and their surrounding waters is exceptional. Atlantic puffins nest on the uninhabited islands throughout the summer, and the seabird colonies on the stacks and rocky islets include storm petrels, Manx shearwaters and shags. Grey seals breed on the remote western rocks, and the clear waters around the islands support populations of sunfish, basking sharks and occasionally leatherback turtles. The inter-island boat trips that operate throughout the summer season provide the best access to much of this wildlife. Reaching the Scilly requires either the helicopter service from Penzance or Land's End Airport, or the Scillonian III ferry from Penzance, a journey of approximately two and three quarter hours that can be lively in any kind of Atlantic swell.