Birds and boats

In most places, bird-watchers travel to spot camera-shy birds from afar, using binoculars. In the Isles of Scilly, the birds simply walk up to you in a distinctly lairy manner and fix you with a glare. 

Golden Pheasant

Take our first trip ashore to Tresco, a privately owned island, rich in Farrow and Ball painted time-share cottages. On the way to the famous Tresco Abbey gardens, our path was blocked by a rare, gorgeously coloured Golden Pheasant, described by the RSPB as a 'shy bird'- hah. He was convinced we wanted to feed him, stalked around and sulked mightily when we didn't.

When we arrived at the glorious gardens, we splashed out on a pastie and coffee in the outside cafe. 

Mistle thrush

Blow me down if we didn't have another horde of avian visitors, including mistle thrushes, who came within a few inches of our plates and attempted hypnosis with their stony little eyes.

Much later in the day, after we left the gardens (more about them to come) we walked a long way around the island to a place on the map signposted as a cafe. 

Partridge

Cafe

It was an unexpected discovery, a rather groovy bar and restaurant, all sun bleached loungers and designer driftwood. And it had its own resident birds - this time, plump red-legged partridge which tootled around our feet for crumbs. 

The binoculars had weighed down our rucksack for nothing.

Back to the gardens. 

They're world famous for their exotic plant species, blessed by the warm climate of the Islands. 

On show were palms, giant cacti, lush succulents and many scented Mediterranean plants we had seen in Deirdre's Spanish garden. We never did locate the bee hives, but the sound of a deep buzzing hung over the place. You could spend a day in there and still be surprised by fresh vistas and outlandish flowers.

Tresco Abbey Gardens  

Many vessels have foundered on the notorious rocks and ledges of these islands, and the man who founded the Tresco Abbey Gardens in the 19th century started collecting relics of these wrecks. It's a fantastic, and sobering collection of figureheads and decoration from unlucky ships. It includes a bronze cannon from HMS Association, the flagship of Sir Cloudesley Shovell whose navy fleet went down in 1707 with 1400 sailors lost off the Scillies, all because of a simple navigational error.  





And it's no fun being around there when the weather kicks up. That's why we left Tresco this morning, to escape big easterlies which are predicted. The passage, motoring out from New Grimsby Sound and over the top of the IoS was extremely bumpy, with Sirena IV rolling wildly, and that was in no wind at all. But we shouted  'au revoir' to the islands, because even if they are tricky to sail, they are too good to leave forever.