Isles of Scilly
The Isles of Scilly are located 45 kilometers off the coast of Lands End in Cornwall. This is a beautiful part of England, which is popular with day travelers and vacationers in the summer, but at the end of September, boat and plane flights stop, and only locals remain on the skeletons. The archipelago is the westernmost and southernmost point of England, as well as the southernmost point of Great Britain.
Inhabited islands
The most important fact about the Scilly Islands for day travelers is that there are 5 inhabited islands: St. Marys, St. Agnes, Brier, St. Martin and Tresco. The largest island, St. Mary's, is only six square miles and has a circumference of only 9 miles. The capital of the Isles of Scilly is Hugh Town, St. Mary's is the most convenient island to visit during a day trip to the Isles of Scilly, but Tresco is the most popular among tourists.
Sunny land
The climate on Scilly is quite mild, however, in the colder months of the year, the wind increases and causes stormy conditions. However, due to the sunnier skies over the Isles of Scilly than in the rest of the UK, tropical plants can be found on some islands. The islands are also home to such birds as sandwich terns, willow warblers, sand martins and swallows. You can also find pointy-nosed finches, cormorants, dunlins, plovers, ducks, kestrels and peregrine falcons.
Shipwrecks
Historically, the Scilly Isles have been very dangerous for passing ships and tankers. In particular, the first supertanker sank at the Seven Stones Reef and dumped up to 120,000 tons of oil into the sea. It is known that there were more than 530 sunken ships off the coast of the islands. A tragic accident occurred in 1875, when the German ocean liner SS Schiller crashed off Scilly, killing 335 people. The islanders managed to save 37 people, and the Schiller Shelter was built in memory of them by the German government and as a thank you to the islanders.
A haven for seals
There are about 260 seals in the Scilly Isles in summer and 750 in winter. You can join a seal-watching trip with the St. Mary's Boaters Association to see their favorite spots. The Association provides everyone with the opportunity to swim with seals. It is estimated that about 80 puppies are born on the islands every autumn.
