The Isles of Scilly are an underrated travel destination

The Isles of Scilly are well worth the trip

The Isles of Scilly are a ferry ride away from the mainland.

If you board a ferry from the Cornish town of Penzance and head west for just three hours, you’ll find yourself in the Isles of Scilly. This archipelago consists of dozens of islands, five of which are inhabited – and the experience of being there is like little else in the UK. In a 2013 article, Valerie Gladstone noted that the islands “hold one of the densest concentrations of archaeological sites in Britain. ” — and that’s before you get into the castles, exotic gardens, and shipwrecks that Gladstone describes there.

The distance of the islands from the mainland has other benefits. One Condé Nast Traveler in 2021, Annabelle Spranklen observed that “(the days) are often miraculously full of uninterrupted sunshine, and the night sky, devoid of city light pollution, is inky and bright.” Spranklen also compared the islands to “Cornwall before the second home ownership boom”, hailing the archipelago for the friendliness of its residents.

If the scenery and residents aren’t enough, the region’s history might be enticing. In a recent JSTOR Daily report, Rob Crossan chronicled the islands’ complex history, which includes everything from the site of a horrific shipwreck in 1707 to the islands’ status as a royalist outpost during the English Civil War a century earlier.

It’s worth noting that the ferry isn’t the only way to get to the Isles of Scilly — Skybus operates flights between the islands and the mainland all year round, with increased frequency between March and November. For football fans, it’s also worth mentioning that the Isles of Scilly are home to the smallest football league in the world. It is still a distinctive feature of a singular part of the world.