Busman's Holiday

After a good night's sleep we headed ashore to catch a ferry to visit the island of Tresco.
This was going to my first time on a ferry here as up to now I had always found my own way around. I was looking forward to having a day off.

As the ferry approached New Grimsby Sound between the islands of Bryher and Tresco, it had to slow as there were swimmers in the water ahead of us. They were taking part in a 37 km race around the islands and the only way to do that was to swim from island to island and run while on dry land.

In the 1834 the islands were leased to Augustus Smith who did much to improve the lives of the islanders and in Tresco, built his house 'Tresco Abbey' and like Garnish Island in Glengarriff, created gardens where he could grow plants and trees from around the world that thrived in the mild climate of the islands. The family still live in the Abbey.
We walked to the famous gardens and after our walk around we had lunch in the café. Luckily there was a good amount of shade in the gardens as it was after getting very hot.
There is a nice museum that had to be visited of figureheads and other bits and pieces from the various wreaks that litter the seas around the islands.

We later had to walk to the south of the island to catch the ferry back to St. Marys as it was now low tide and too shallow to by picked up in New Grimsby.

Dinner took place in 'The Mermaid' washed down with the odd pint . . . . . . . . .for medicinal purposes of course.Read more