Scilly Isles family holidays: a guide to visiting the Isles of Scilly

Scilly Isles family holidays: a guide to visiting the Isles of Scilly

The Isles of Scilly remain a bit of a mystery to even the most seasoned British traveller. You might know someone who took a Scilly Isles holiday many years ago or perhaps you’ve seen the Isles’ turquoise waters and white sand beaches in a brochure or on Instagram. Maybe you’ve heard about the Scillies’ “seaside of yesteryear” appeal or perhaps you just know that the Scilly Islands are an awfully long way from the rest of England. But what are Scilly Isles holidays really like? And how do you get to the Scilly Isles? I’ll be answering these questions and many more in this guide to planning family holidays in the Scilly Isles.

Why go? What to do in the Scilly Isles…

I would sum up the Isles of Scilly as this: a perfect balance of quality time for both parents and children. The Scilly Islands are so quiet and safe that children can play independently while parents can truly relax. If you’d like to find out more about our Scilly Isles holiday with kids, read my post about why we loved the Scillies.

The main attractions of a Scilly Isles holiday are beaches, walks, food and relaxation. We visited a different beach each day, most of them only had a handful of other visitors on them. We enjoyed walks across the islands and we ate at some brilliant restaurants, pubs and cafes. We built sandcastles, hired kayaks and tried stand up paddle boarding.

view of island town in the scilly isles
Hugh Town, St Mary’s, Scilly Isles

Are the Isles of Scilly expensive?

As with most things in life, you get what you pay for. This may sound like a cliché, but if you’re after unspoilt beaches, a slow pace of life and plenty of time to spend together as a family, the Scilly Isles are pretty good value – you don’t need to travel half way round the world on an expensive flight to a deserted tropical island.

If you travel by ferry, stay in an apartment and self cater, you can have a reasonably priced Scilly family holiday. Here’s a quick run down of approximate costs:

Ferry £300

Scillonian park and ride car park at Penzance for a week £45 (you cannot take your car)

One week in self catering accommodation, sleeping a family of 4: £900

Total: £1,245

Most produce has to be imported to the Scilly Isles but we found the food in the Co-op at Hugh Town to be reasonably priced. There is a wide range of cafes and restaurants, with plenty of good value options.

When is the best time to book Isles of Scilly holidays?

Plan ahead. I struggled to find the right Scilly Isles accommodation for our family holiday ten months in advance (admittedly, we booked three separate units so it was a somewhat complicated requirement). A lot of the best places are very hard to come by as the previous year’s guests get first dibs before the accommodation is released to the masses. I met several families who have been returning to the same Isles of Scilly accommodation for ten or more years. So, book as far ahead as you can. And secure your means of transport early too.

Which Scilly Isle should you stay on?

Of the 140 or so isles, there are five inhabited Scilly islands to choose from. Although the islands are all within a short ferry crossing of each other, they are all distinctly different and hold a separate appeal.

We stayed on St Mary’s, which is the largest island and has by far the widest selection of accommodation and facilities. Of the total 2,200 Scillonians (Scilly residents), half of them reside in Hugh Town, the capital of St Mary’s. Much of the Scilly Isles’ accommodation can be found in Hugh Town and it’s where the ferries and inter-island boats dock. St Mary’s has some lovely sandy beaches and a surprisingly diverse interior of woodland, wetland and farmland.

sandy rocky beach Porthloo St Marys Scilly Isles
Porthloo, St Mary’s

The other four Scilly islands are known as the off-islands. Privately-owned Tresco is the place to stay if you prefer a bit of luxury, its Ruin Beach Cafe overlooking the sailing club has an air of affluence about it and the Treco holiday properties are a cut above what you’ll find on the other islands. Tresco has some impressive ruins along its coastline and many visitors come to explore the well known Abbey Gardens. Exotic-looking plants thrive all over Tresco and I was surprised by how incredibly quiet it was after St Mary’s… and St Mary’s was pretty quiet.

Archway surrounded by flowers in Tresco Abbey Gardens
Tresco Abbey Gardens

St Martin’s is the island to head for if you’re after those incredible Caribbean-esque beaches. They’re backed by colourful heathland crisscrossed by sandy footpaths. Life is distinctly slower here and the island has just a scattering of houses. If visitors regret taking the term “bare-foot island” too literally, St Martin’s has a shoemaker, you’ll find his tiny workshop (reminiscent of that used by Grimm’s elves) next door to the delicious island bakery.

person walking on empty sandy beach with rocks in background
Great Bay, St Martin’s

The two smaller isles of Bryher and St Agnes are perfect for a proper Scilly escapism experience. Rugged St Agnes is the most westerly isle and has the smallest selection of Scilly holiday accommodation, it’s joined by a sandbar at low tide to uninhabited Gugh.

Bryher benefits from its close proximity to Tresco. Its east coast is sheltered and perfect for swimming while its exposed west coast is great for admiring the powerful force of the Atlantic. Whichever island you choose to stay on, there are daily boat trips between the isles, journey times are between 10 and 20 minutes.

sandy causeway between two islands in scilly isles
Low tide between St Agnes and Gugh, Scilly Isles

Scilly Isles accommodation

The Isles of Scilly have a reputation for being expensive. Some of the holiday properties certainly are, especially if you’re after a house with a garden. However, private outside space isn’t essential when you take a holiday in the Scilly Isles as you can find your own piece of solitude very easily at one of the beaches (and you’re usually no more than a ten minute walk from one).

Choose from camping, glamping, simple one bedroom apartments to luxurious villas, B&Bs or hotels. There’s even live-aboard sailing available. Some properties are marketed by their owners while others are bookable through an agent. Most of them are listed on the Isles of Scilly website. Here’s a list of the main letting agents:

Scilly Self Catering
Sibleys Island Homes
Come 2 Scilly

You can also book Scilly Isles accommodation through Booking.com. If you click on this link and go on to make a booking I will receive a small commission.

We stayed at 14 Silver Street, a townhouse in Hugh Town overlooking Porthcressa Beach, which was very spacious for our family of four. As our extended family were holidaying with us (but at separate places), everyone would convene at our house for dinner after having an evening drink at the nearby cafe Dibble and Grub across the road at Porthcressa Beach. It was brilliant having everything so close at hand.

beach with seaweed on the sand, isles of scilly
Our local beach Porthcressa, St Mary’s, perfect for family holidays in the Scilly Isles

If you’re used to luxury, fear not. On Tresco there are two collections of luxury cottages (sleeping up to 10) along with an indoor pool and spa. The Star Castle on St Mary’s and Karma St Martin’s are good quality family-friendly hotels. If you’re travelling without children, Hell Bay on Bryher sounds amazing.

At the other end of the scale, there are Isles of Scilly campsites on all the inhabited islands except Tresco.  Peninnis Farm on St Mary’s has some lovely glamping units while Troytown Farm on St Agnes features tent pitches overlooking the farm’s beach plus pre-erected bell tents and several holiday cottages. If camping’s not your thing, you can stay at the lovely Longstone Lodge hostel on St Mary’s which is excellent value.

Getting to the Scilly Isles

There are currently three ways to travel to the Scilly Isles from the mainland: by aeroplane, ferry or helicopter. The flights are expensive relative to the distance (it’s 28 miles from the mainland) so if you’re a family it is far more cost effective to use the Scilly Isles ferry even taking into account the additional costs of fuel and pre- and post-travel accommodation. Also bear in mind that the maximum luggage allowance for the Scilly flights is 15kg versus 25kg on the ferry.

Scilly flights by plane and helicopter depart year-round while the ferry stops operating over winter. Scilly Isles flights can be delayed in cloudy weather – my parents had to wait several hours for their flight back to the mainland in August.

Rail travel to the Scilly Isles

The car journey from most parts of the UK to Cornwall is slow so if you’re not combining your holiday in the Scilly Isles with a break in Cornwall, it’s worth considering the overnight sleeper service from London to Penzance. The train departs Paddington at 23:45 (you can board an hour before) and arrives into Penzance at 07:50 the following morning. It’s around a ten minute walk to the ferry terminal from the station (taxis are available). There’s also an hourly daytime service which takes approximately five hours but the overnight journey sounds more fun and is a great option if you want to maximise your days off from work.

If you’re not keen on taking such a long rail journey, you can take a train from London Paddington to Exeter (around 2.5 hours) and then hop in a taxi to Exeter airport for the short flight (one hour) to the Scillies from there.

The Cornish coast viewed from the Scillonian ferry on the way to the Scilly Isles
The Cornish coast viewed from the Scillonian ferry on the way to the Scilly Isles

Scilly Isles ferry: the Scillonian

(Journey time 2 hours 45 minutes)

Firstly, you cannot take your car to the Scilly Isles. The Scilly Isles ferry only accepts residents’ vehicles. You can take your bike, your surf board and your child’s buggy. Just ensure you book these in advance as there is limited space on board the Scilly ferry.

The cost to travel on the Scilly Isles ferry is approximately £100 per adult and £50 per child for a return trip. There are several decks and a couple of cafes on board the Scilly ferry. You get lovely views of the south coast of Cornwall as you leave the mainland. We saw St Michael’s Mount, the Minack Theatre and Porthcurno Beach, all of which we’d visited the previous week. Whales and dolphins are frequently spotted from the Isles of Scilly ferry although we didn’t see any on our crossings.

Yes, the Scilly Islands ferry can be a bit of a bumpy ride: my kids were sick on the outward journey as it was quite a windy day. However, they soon recovered and have since reported that they’d be quite happy to do it again (the sailing, not the vomiting).

If you’re arriving at Penzance by car, drop your luggage and passengers at the dock and then park your car in the pre-bookable car park which is about 1.5 miles away. There is a shuttle service to return drivers to the port. At the port, there are basic toilets but no café.

Luggage is loaded into big metal containers while passengers board the Scilly ferry. It is essential that you pre-book all luggage (eg bikes, body boards and so forth) in advance as you cannot carry large items onto the ferry as hand luggage. I forgot to pre-book my boys’ bikes and we had a bit of a last minute panic trying to arrange for them to be added on to our booking, the Isles of Scilly staff in their office across the road were friendly and helpful. The general mood at the dock was refreshingly informal and relaxed, quite a contrast to the usual bun fight of peak-time holiday travel.

Getting to Penzance for a Scilly Isles holiday

The Scilly Isles ferry usually departs at 9:15am so you’ll need to stay somewhere nearby the night before. We decided to spend a week on the Lizard Peninsula in south west Cornwall so we only had an hour’s drive to reach Penzance. On the return journey, you usually arrive back into Penzance at 7.15pm so you’ll need to consider whether you want to book somewhere to stay for that evening or beat the traffic and drive home.

Bear in mind that driving through the west country during school holidays is a slow process. Those in the know either drive in the evening or at the crack of dawn. On a “good day”, it should take around five or six hours from London without stopping. We set off from our home in East Hertfordshire at 5am and after a leisurely breakfast in Honiton (the Boston Tea Party does an excellent brunch and has a lovely garden), we had reached the Eden Project by 11am. We were all a bit tired by the end of the day but it was worth it to avoid the notorious Stonehenge traffic jam.

child walking on rocky beach with plane coming into land, scilly isles family holiday
Flight coming in to land on St Mary’s

Isles of Scilly flights from Land’s End, Newquay and Exeter

(Journey time 20, 30 and 60 minutes)
Expect to pay per adult return approximately £160 from Land’s End, £200 from Newquay and £336 from Exeter. There is a slight reduction for children. Flights are on 8 or 19 seater aircrafts and you’ll get some impressive views of the islands as you fly into St Mary’s.

Scilly Isles helicopter from Land’s End

(Journey time 20 minutes)
After a 6 year hiatus, there is once again a year-round helicopter service from Land’s End to the Scillies. A return fare starts at £215 per adult, no reduction for children, infants are £53. Although there is a helipad on Tresco, currently you can only book a flight into St Mary’s. The helicopters can seat 10 passengers.

Approximate cost comparison for a family of 4 travelling to the Isles of Scilly:

Ferry from Penzance £298
Flight from Exeter £1,171
Flight from Newquay £800
Flight from Land’s End £640
Helicopter from Land’s End £860

Isles of Scilly day trip

If you’re just after a taster of what the Scilly Isles have to offer, a day trip from Cornwall is a fun outing. If you want to get the most from your day trip to the Scilly Isles, it’s best to fly by plane or helicopter but it’s also possible to visit in a day on the Scilly Islands ferry.

Holidays in the Scilly Isles Travelling to the off-islands
Holidays in the Scilly Isles: Travelling to the off-islands

Holidays in the Isles of Scilly: arriving at St Mary’s and travelling to the off-islands

If you’re arriving via the Scillonian ferry at St Mary’s, you can pay a small charge to have your luggage transferred to your rental property. However, if you’re staying in Hugh Town it can be just as easy to walk to your property and drop off the luggage yourself. If you arrive at the airport, there are taxis to take you to your accommodation. If you’re arriving before the check in time, your front door is usually unlocked so you can drop off your luggage if the property is still being cleaned.

If you’re staying on the off-islands of Tresco, St Martin’s, St Agnes or Bryher, your luggage will be labelled accordingly when you board the ferry at Penzance so it will be automatically transferred at St Mary’s on to an inter-island ferry to your destination. If you’re flying to St Mary’s and taking a boat to an off-island, a taxi will take you and your luggage to the dock. Boats to the off-islands run in the morning and the afternoon so there’s usually no more than a couple of hours wait for your connection. At the dock, there’s a good café with lovely views of the harbour and you’ll find left luggage facilities and toilets.

boats in harbour at St Marys, scilly isles
Holidays in the Scilly Isles St Mary’s Harbour

Getting around the Scilly Isles

Your main modes of transport on the Scilly Isles are: by foot, by boat, by bike or by golf buggy. Most probably in that order.

The Isles of Scilly are perfect for walking. You’re never more than ten or so minutes from a beach or a café. There are proper paved roads on St Mary’s and a few on Tresco so golf buggy and bike hire are popular there, but on the other isles you’ll find mostly tracks and paths.

St Mary’s Bike Hire has a good range of bicycles along with child seats, trailers and tag on bikes. Bikes and buggies should be booked in advance. Bikes can generally not be taken on the inter-island ferries although we were allowed to take our kids’ small bikes (useful for our day trip to Tresco). You can skipper your own boat (there are two operators based on Bryher) or take the scheduled boats to other islands. If you’re only staying a few days on the Scilly Isles, the three isles in one day excursion offers a great overview of the Scillies taking in St Agnes, Tresco and Bryher.

Child running along pathway overlooking the sea, Scilly Isles family holidays
Pathways crisscross the Isles of Scilly

Family holidays in the Scilly Isles: what to take with you

Try to travel to the Scilly Isles as light as possible due to the luggage restrictions (15kg on the flights). We left half our belongings in the car at Penzance (we’d spent the previous week at a cottage in Cornwall) and it felt quite liberating to just take a few bags with us.

There are several clothes shops and a good sized Co-Op on St Mary’s so you should be able to pick up any essentials there if you’ve forgotten anything. Each of the off-islands has a grocery shop and scattered across the isles are honesty stalls selling everything from chillies to agapanthus plants. We did take our kids’ bikes as I was worried we wouldn’t find one small enough for our tiny but intrepid four year old. The sea is quite chilly so we were glad to have packed our wetsuits.

child paddling in the sea, Scilly isles family holiday
Enjoying the water in the Scilly Isles

Scilly Islands weather

As with any group of islands, the weather can change frequently and quickly on the Scilly Isles. It is often reported that the Scillies have a micro climate and receive more favourable weather than the mainland. We visited the Isles of Scilly in a week with mixed weather: we had a bit of wind and rain as well as some lovely hot sunny days.

And finally, dog friendly Isles of Scilly…

There were loads of dogs on our Scilly Islands ferry and dogs can also be taken on certain Scilly Isles flights. It is a brilliant destination for dogs, some beaches having year round access for your four legged friend. There’s a good range of Scilly Isles accommodation which allows dogs.

Want to find out more about family holidays in the Scilly Isles? Read about what we enjoyed most on our trip to the Isles of Scilly.

The travel details and prices I have detailed were correct as of 2018 but if you’re planning a Scilly Isles holiday, please do check with Isles of Scilly Travel for up to date information.

Have you taken a Scilly Isles holiday? Let me know in the comments below.

If you’re driving in the UK, make sure you take a look at my post about family-friendly places to stop just off the motorway. It covers everything from play areas to picnic spots, castles to nature reserves.

looking for UK holiday inspiration? Have a read of my blog post about family friendly short break ideas. I’ve also written about my favourite UK beach breaks in case you’re looking for seaside ideas.

And if you’re keen to travel further afield, I’ve written a detailed article on the best beach towns in Europe.

guide to familiy holidays on the scilly islesguide to familiy holidays on the scilly isles

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23 thoughts on “Scilly Isles family holidays: a guide to visiting the Isles of Scilly

  1. Live aboard sailing on the Isles of Scilly? How special does that sound? It looks just idyllic and I can see why all the good places get booked up in an instant. I will admit, I don’t think I could have placed on a map where in the world these were until your clarification. Thank you so much for illuminating my wanderlust. Cheers from Copenhagen. #FarawayFiles

    1. It’s amazing in this age of connectivity that the Scillies remain so firmly off the radar, very lucky too!

  2. Your pics are gorgeous and the Isles of Scilly look so unspoilt! The only thing which kept us from visiting is water temperatures, we have been v lucky (read picky probably 🙈) on our travels with warm seas and not very fond of English ones… What are your thoughts? #MondayEscapes

  3. Would love to visit the Scilly Isles. I remember when I friend told me she was going to ‘Silly’ on her honeymoon, I had no idea what she was talking about! Looks like helicopter would be the ultimate way to get there (albeit pricey)
    #fearlessfamtrav

  4. I’ve been wanting to visit the Scilly Isles for a long time – they look so beautiful. This is such a helpful, informative post as I really didn’t know much about how to get there, what there is to see and do on each island or how to get around. Pinnin for later – I’m determined to get there one day!

  5. What beautiful photography! I’ve head such wonderful things about this corner of the UK, but it always seems such a trek for us to get there. You’ve certainly temped me though!
    Thanks for linking up to #fearlessfamtrav

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