Isles of Scilly holidays: small group inclusive tours

Whether you travel to St Mary’s, the Scillies’ biggest island, by boat, small plane or helicopter, the turquoise waters and beach-ringed islands will take your breath away.

Check in to Star Castle Hotel, get your bearings and then meet your GeoCultura Tour Leader and the rest of your group.

We’ll kick off your tour with a guided walk to some of the sights of St Mary’s, including Peninnis Head. The black-and-white Peninnis Head Lighthouse standing guard over the granite cliffs is always an impressive sight, whether it’s basking in the sun or showering in sea spray. Be sure to ask Tour Leader Jess all about it – she’s an expert on lighthouses!

Later, regroup for dinner at Star Castle Hotel. Built in 1593, it’s a complete example of an Elizabethan fort and steeped in history. During the English Civil War, it was even a refuge for the future King Charles II. You’ll sleep extra sweetly tonight knowing that few tour groups get to stay here as the hotel is so popular; it’s one of the many benefits of travelling with GeoCultura!

Hotel: Star Castle Hotel
Group dinner at Star Castle Hotel’s Castle Restaurant

Let’s start the day with a little creativity. Artists Oriel or Maisie of Phoenix Stained Glass will guide you through the process of glass fusing in a private workshop.

Afterwards, hop on a jet boat for an exhilarating ride from St Mary’s to St Agnes – the most south-westerly inhabited part of the UK. Tour Leader Dr Vickie Heaney, a pro ecologist, will take you on a stroll to see seals, seabirds and the exposed granite rocks of this tiny wild island. You’ll also see Oriel’s artwork in situ, in the stained-glass window of St Agnes Church, and get another art fix when we call into the bright and colourful Pot Buoys Gallery to meet eco-artist Emma Eberlein.

We’ll polish off our time on St Agnes with some small-batch ice cream at Troytown, the only dairy farm on the Isles of Scilly. Take your pick from around 30 flavours before zipping back to St Mary’s on the jet boat. You could also stop for a drink at The Turks Head, the most south-westerly pub in the British Isles.

Hotel: Star Castle Hotel
Dinner at Star Castle Hotel’s Castle Restaurant

If yesterday was all about the creative spirit that flourishes on these islands, today's star of the show is the wildlife.

Spend the morning doing the daily rounds with a ranger or conservation officer from Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust. You could be checking in on the small herd of friendly English goats or observing beach nesting sites. Don’t miss your chance to ask everything you ever wanted to know about the array of landscapes and wildlife on the Isles of Scilly, from how donkeys can help manage gorse, to which bat species you might see flitting around at dusk.

Next, we set sail for a private cruise on Calypso II, a pleasure boat that carries a maximum of 12, to Northern Rocks to see seals and puffin colonies*. Skipper Rafe Ward will drop us off on St Martin’s, a 2-mile-long island ringed by some of the finest beaches you’ll ever see. It’s up to you what to do for the next hour or so. Follow the cliff path. Café hop and people watch. Or just lounge on one of those spectacular beaches.

Back on St Mary’s, we’ll gather for a fascinating pre-dinner talk by Richard Larn OBE, an ex-Navy Diver and St Mary’s resident. Richard is also a shipwreck expert – that OBE was awarded for his services to the UK’s maritime history – so he’ll take you beneath the Scillonian waves with tales of the remarkable wrecks that litter the seabed here.

Hotel: Star Castle Hotel
Group dinner at Star Castle Hotel’s Castle Restaurant

*April and July tours only. By September the puffins have moved on.

Another day, another island! After breakfast, a private jet boat transfer whisks you to the tiny island Bryher. Only 80 people have the privilege of calling this place their home.

On a guided walk, your Tour Leader will show you the secluded coves, rugged headlands and Bronze age burial sites that dot the island. You’ll also visit the island’s gallery, crammed with art from local creators. By now, it should be clear to you that Scillies’ sea air and beautiful landscapes can do wonders for creativity!

For lunch, take your pick from the island’s cafes or pick up something from the little stalls set up along the tracks and trails that criss-cross the island. Or, we recommend the lobster and bacon burgers at Island Fish Café or pre-booking a table at Scilly’s only 3 AA Rosette restaurant at the luxurious Hell Bay Hotel.

The jet boat will carry us back to St Mary’s mid-afternoon, for some down time before dinner.

Hotel: Star Castle Hotel
Dinner at Star Castle Hotel’s Castle Restaurant

The Isles of Scilly might seem wild and untameable, but they’re a gardener’s dream – as you’ll find out today.

Today we jet over to Tresco. After a Cornish Origin coffee with wake-you-up waterfront views at The Flying Boat Café, we’ll stroll to the famous Tresco Abbey Garden. Head gardener Andrew Lawson will be waiting to give you a private guided tour of this 19th-century sub-tropical paradise. Twenty thousand plants from more than 80 countries flourish here. What Andrew doesn’t know about succulents and palms isn’t worth knowing! And if Richard’s shipwreck talk captured your imagination, don’t miss the collection of figureheads from Scillonian wrecks in the garden’s Valhalla Museum.

After lunch, you have the option to visit the northern end of the island or the Old Blockhouse, a ruined 16th-century fortification, with a local guide. English Civil War history is tangible on Tresco, and you’ll hear all about the struggle to wrest control of the islands.

Hotel: Star Castle Hotel
Group dinner at Star Castle Hotel’s Castle Restaurant

Make the most of your last breakfast in Star Castle Hotel, check out by 10.30am, then spend the time until you depart doing whatever you please. Perhaps you’ll take one last walk around this beautiful island, return to a gallery to buy that piece of art you’ve been thinking about, or watch the comings and goings on the quay.

However you pass the time, don’t worry about your luggage – it’s taken care of and will be delivered to the quay or airport ready for your journey back to the mainland. We hope to see you on another GeoCultura tour soon.