Isles of Scilly

Tour Code: GBR02

An 8-day birdwatching holiday to the relaxing and beautiful Isles of Scilly.

£1,995

Flight Inclusive

£1,775

Land Only

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3 Itineraries 39 Tour Reports

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Alison Steel

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Email Call 1-844-433-9473

Carbon Footprint

133kg CO2e

With International Flights

132.8kg CO2e

Tour Only

What does this mean?

Highlights

Scenic boat journey from Penzance along Cornish coast
Enjoy Scilly’s white sandy beaches, turquoise seas & amazing granite forms
Exciting birdwatching includes residents, migrants & regular rarities
Grey Seals & seabird colonies (in spring)
Plenty of inter-island boat trips
Comfortable guesthouse accommodation
A chance to observe the unique Scillonian way of life
An extraordinary flora includes many species rarely seen on mainland
Natural history walks, each day exploring a new area or island

Summary

The fabulous Isles of Scilly are just 28 miles from Land's End, easily visible from the mainland on a clear day, and yet all the stresses of daily life seem to vanish within hours of reaching the islands. They are a supremely relaxing place to spend a holiday with decision making reduced to choosing which island to visit or which cafe to patronise.

The Scillonian population of approximately 2,000 is mostly concentrated on the largest island St. Mary's but small communities are also found on Tresco, St. Martin's, Bryher and St. Agnes. Flower farming is still a major source of income for the islanders but decreasing in importance as the traditional advantage of being able to supply early spring flowers to the market is negated by the mass import of blooms by air from places like Israel. As the flower industry diminishes, tourism is booming and the very high level of repeat bookings from one year to the next is evidence that few visitors are ever disappointed! It might even be advisable to issue a warning to all first time visitors stating that the islands are highly addictive and likely to feature in your holiday plans for many years in the future!

A passenger ferry, Scillonian III, sails from Penzance to St. Mary's each morning Monday-Saturday, returning later in the day. The cruise provides superb views of the West Cornwall coast from Newlyn to Land's End. It should be stated however that the stretch of sea between the islands and the mainland is where Atlantic swells meet the currents of the English Channel and the resulting turbulence can make the cruise an uncomfortable experience for poor sailors, particularly after recent gales. Fortunately, alternatives exist with a regular helicopter service from Penzance and the fixed wing Skybus flights from St. Just near Land's End. Both these options are more expensive than the boat but the journey time is reduced to 20 minutes. Limited Skybus services also operate from Exeter and Newquay. The holiday price is calculated on the basis of travelling by sea but we will gladly book air travel from St.Just or Penzance at a supplementary cost (fares are subject to annual increases - we charge the difference between Scillonian III fare and the relevant air carrier).

Like most island groups, the Scillies have relatively few resident birds and the selection of nesting passerines is generally unremarkable, although an abundance of confiding Song Thrushes is an exception to their national decline and some familiar mainland birds such as Dunnock and Blackbird exhibit a few island differences in the brightness of their plumage or in the case of the latter, tone of bill colour. The colonies of seabirds around the archipelago are, however, of national importance and include Shag, Storm Petrel, Manx Shearwater, Puffin and Kittiwake. At times of spring and autumn migration Scilly is host to an astonishing diversity of birds seeking temporary rest and food on the islands. Few of these travellers make landfall intentionally but like the Shetlands in the north, Scilly appears to be in exactly the right place to provide succour for disoriented migrants carried over the ocean by unfriendly weather systems. The global movements of migrant birds are still imperfectly understood but it exercises the imagination to understand how individuals from North America, Siberia and Southern Europe can arrive on Scilly in the same week as so often seems to happen in the autumn! In the spring the rarities tend to be of Mediterranean origin such as Bee-Eaters, Golden Orioles or rare herons but even then surprises are frequent and recent occurrences at this season have included Terek Sandpiper, Tree Swallow and Calandra Lark! The regular arrival of unexpected vagrants has boosted the Scilly bird list to nearly 400 species, an astonishing total considering the size of the islands and the paucity of resident birds.

Although the focus of this tour will be birds, Scilly can boast many other natural history attractions for visitors. The flora is of great interest and includes many rare species which flourish in the largely frost free climate. Because of these mild conditions it has been possible to fill the famous Abbey Gardens on Tresco with delicate exotic plants from all over the world creating a collection that could not survive in colder climes. The White-toothed or Scilly Shrew is found nowhere else in Britain and whilst mainland mammals such as Fox and Badger are absent from the islands, the population of Grey or Atlantic Seals is of international significance. Migrant moths and butterflies visit Scilly in much the same way that birds do and a period of light southerly winds can often bring scores of Clouded Yellow butterflies or Hummingbird Hawk Moths to the islands. Much rarer vagrants also occur and the same fast-moving Atlantic fronts which deposit Neotropical landbirds on Scilly can also carry over spectacular Monarch butterflies.

The itinerary for our our tour will be completely flexible to allow for weather conditions and local reports. There will be a reasonable amount of walking each day but this will be at birdwatching pace and punctuated by regular stops. Included in the tour price are four full day visits to 'off-islands' which will entail catching the 1015 tripper launch from St. Mary's returning 1600-1700. These vessels carry about 70 passengers and fully conform to EC safety regulations. The journey time from St. Mary's is about 20-25 minutes.

Outline Itinerary

Day

Meet at Penzance; sail to St Mary's

Days

2 - 7

Natural history excursions on St Mary's, St Agnes, Tresco & St Martin's

Day

Excursion before afternoon return to Penzance

What's Included?

Food

Only breakfast is included in holiday price; allow approximately £40 per day for lunches and evening meals.

Accommodation

Accommodation is in comfortable guest houses and the majority of rooms will have private facilities.

Reviews

R.H, Essex, Sep25, Oct 2025

Thoroughly enjoyed tour - very good introduction to the Scilly Isles. Neil was a great tour leader - very knowledgeable and patient, and good with everyone and cheerful in all weathers and seas! Accommodation was comfortable, in a good location and friendly and helpful staff.

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J.H. Dorset, May25, May 2025

Adrian and Peter were both enthusiastic and all round good company. Very organised and efficient. I very much enjoyed the long walks and boat trips. But the scenery was the highlight for me.

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G.M. Hertfordshire, Oct24, Nov 2024

Really loved being in the Isles of Scilly for the first time. A difficult start when we heard in the afternoon of 3rd that our Ferry on Saturday, 5th had been cancelled due to the impending bad weather. Naturetrek personnel, Alison and Will were marvellous sorting out this problem with great expertise, so we travelled to Penzance early on the Friday, leaving our car at Scilly Parking (excellent company) and taking a taxi to Lands End, where we met up with three others on our trip who were on a plane 20 minutes before us at 16.55, but the check in person put us on the same flight. Neil was at the Hotel to meet us which was great. The Hotel was very good and we had a superb view over the beach, harbour and port. Hotel staff were very friendly and helpful. Interesting old Hotel and great that there was a lounge on the top floor where we could do our checklist every night and Neil could advise what we were doing the next day. Near to the Port when we boarded a boat to the other islands, shops, different beach and walks around the Island. Perfect for what we wanted. We went and walked on 5 islands which were all of great interest in different ways. Any bird watchers we met were very friendly and we did keep bumping into the same people. Neil McMahon who is really great and knows the islands extremely well. His bird watching expertise is the very best. We noticed when we met up with others looking for a different bird that he was always the first to see the bird after it disappeared and re-appeared - fabulous. He also knows where the excellent Cafes/pubs are so every lunchtime we had a perfect place to eat our lunch. Neil made sure that we both saw all the rare birds that had come from Europe which was the most important thing for us.

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Isles of Scilly

£1,995

£1,775

Why Choose Naturetrek?

Tour Itinerary and Reports

Can I Help You?

Alison Steel

Carbon Footprint

Highlights

Summary

Outline Itinerary

What's Included?

Food

Accommodation

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2026

Sat 3rd - Sat 10th Oct 6 SPACES £2,195 Book Now

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2027

Mon 3rd - Mon 10th May 5 SPACES £2,595 Book Now

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Sat 2nd - Sat 9th Oct SPACES £1,995 Book Now

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2028

Mon 1st - Mon 8th May SPACES £2,695 Book Now

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Sat 30th Sep - Sat 7th Oct SPACES £1,995 Book Now

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