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Page 2
Each morning the bearded seamen of St.Mary's queue up at the quayside in their unique motorised open longboats, known as Gigs. They will take you to one of the other islands for the day, to the Outer Rocks, or to the lighthouse, to watch the seals and the many different seabirds such as the bright beaked puffin which nest and feed there.
The Gigs and their colourful skippers are an essential part of the traditional Scillonian way of life. They provide the lifeline between St.Mary's and the other islands today just as they did in centuries past. I found every Gig trip a memorable experience.Each day I joined some thirty or so other visitors on a Gig to a different island. Our skipper let us off, and collected us five hours later that afternoon. I would pause for a snack at the quayside pub, before setting out on an exploration that always brought me to magical vistas of sunlit islands, silver beaches washed by an azure sea, and tranquility. Each island is different, with its own particular personality, its own micro-climate, its own special charm. Tresco, the second largest, is home to the famed Island Hotel, a luxury hideway for a special weekend with a special partner. Here also are the world renowned Tresco Abbey Gardens, delight of botanists. Open every day to the public, they are laid out with beautiful and exotic plants collected from all over the world by the owners, the Dorrien-Smith family. We would return to Hugh Town as dusk was falling, the setting sun painting the stillness of the western horizon in visions of orange, red and deep indigo. Such days create a healthy appetite - best assuaged by Lobster Thermidor and a bottle of frosted Venetian Pinot Grigio under candlelight at one of the restaurants in the "Old Town". After dinner, end the day by seeking out skipper of your Gig. He will be propping up the bar in one of the harbour pubs. Buy him and yourself a pint of Wreckers, and in a soft Cornish accent he may spin you yarns of the sea and of ancient shipwrecks and sunken treasure that are the stuff of the mystery and wonder of the Isles of Scilly. I can't vouch for their veracity, for facts can blur into fiction when a Cornish man of the sea gets to reminiscing. But you will enjoy the company, the yarn and the beer!
The copyright of the article The Isles of Scilly - England's subtropical Paradise - Page 2 in Royal Britain is owned by . Permission to republish The Isles of Scilly - England's subtropical Paradise - Page 2 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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