St Martin's Lower Town Beach, Isles of Scilly, England (Stephen Rees/Shutterstock)
Looking for some Great British adventure inspiration? You're in the right place. Here you'll get an independent, ad-free lowdown on Britain's top 50 adventure locations - the online yin to the paper yang of our Joyously Busy Great British Adventure Map.
Why Go To The Isles Of Scilly?
The Isles of Scilly have to be visited to be believed. Just some of the things you can do on the Scillies that you can't do anywhere else...
Reach Britain's south-western extremity but feel like you're in the Caribbean on this tropical-looking archipelago
Marvel open-jawed at the white sandy brilliance and azure waters of the many beaches
Enjoy a Scilly place name in a country of many silly place names
Want to find out more? Read on for great photos, articles, videos, top tips and other content to fire up your adventure appetite. Got a question? Ask away.
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A low-lying archipelago of 140 islands casually relaxing in the Atlantic, 28 miles from Land's End. Only 5 of the islands are inhabited - Bryher is the smallest and wildest, Tresco has the famous Abbey Gardens. All in all, a totally tropical ambience with its white sand beaches, palm trees, clear blue waters and a fun-sounding name. Get your timing right and at super-low tides it's possible to walk between some of the islands.
Yachts racing in the Scilly Isles, England (Anna Kepa/Shutterstock)
The essential journey in the Scillies is just getting there, really. Whichever way you approach, it's a spectacular sight but arriving by air does give that special viewpoint and accompanying sense of smugness.
The official promo...
Sure, this is a sponsored event but it does show off the scenery rather well...
Getting To The Isles Of Scilly, Maps & Guides
Getting there: Sleeper train from London to Penzance (9.5 hrs), followed by flight (0.5 hr) or ferry (3 hrs). Or fly from Newquay (0.5 hr) or Exeter (1 hr)
Travel times from where you are: See the Isles of Scilly on Google Maps.
Maps: Find the right Ordnance Survey maps and / or get a month's free subscription to their excellent OS Maps app.
Guidebooks: Bradt Cornwall & Scilly guide.
Walking route guidance: This from Visit Isles Of Scilly, and they've got a walking festival twice a year called - obviously - Walk Scilly.
Tourist board: Visit Isles Of Scilly. Great online / orderable guide here.
Even More Isles Of Scilly Adventure Inspiration
Port Conger, St Agnes, Isles of Scilly (Neil Duggan/Shutterstock)
For starters, have a look at the Guardian's guide to the Isles of Scilly. A similar intro from Wanderlust is quite good too.
The BBC's excellent Ramblings podcast has - of course - made it to the Scillies. This time, they're on the island of Bryher.
What Next?
Click here to see 49 other Great British adventure locations and tell us about your adventures, plans and suggestions for these pages.
Britain's Best Outdoorsy Bits... Mapped!
Liking what you see, but fancy keeping it old school with an actual paper map? Our Joyously Busy Great British Adventure Map features all of Britain's best outdoorsy bits (including the Top 50), plus some enjoyably random and vaguely useful stuff too. Available either as a 2-sided fold-out map or a framed wall map (office furniture and fake plants not included).
