Tresco

Tresco is a truly magical island. One of the most magical places in the UK probably. Where the fabulous sub-tropical gardens bathed in sunshine have no trouble at all in convincing the enchanted visitor that he or she is somewhere far more equatorial.

Indeed the 17 acres of Tresco upon which the Abbey Gardens grow have a Dr Who 'Tardis' feel to them. Observe the area from the outside, and you cannot believe there'll be so much to see once you're inside. So cleverly has the interior been planted and planned, that miles of intricate pathways seem to weave through the dreamy demesne.

Which brings us to Augustus Smith, the indomitable Hertfordshire squire and banker who leased the island from the Duchy of Cornwall back in 1834. For it was he who built the pile on the other side of the lake, he who planted the paradise-on-earth gardens, he who imposed the first compulsory education in Britain on the island, and he who did just about everything else that makes Tresco the place it is today.

At first the wild and lawless islanders were not too keen on a mainlander with new-fangled ideas arriving from the Home Counties. They were undoubtedly niggled by his somewhat authoritarian practises, like the fact that suddenly their kids were being charged a penny a week for attending school, or two pennies a week if they did not.

But Smith knew what he was doing and for 40 years he channelled all his energy and finances into his Tresco project. He may have seemed a killjoy at the time, abolishing smuggling and lawlessness, but he did embark upon an ambitious building programme and he pulled up the island's agricultural socks.

It was his nephew Captain Thomas Algernon Dorrien-Smith who later introduced the profitable cut-flower industry, and other Dorrien-Smiths have been nurturing Tresco ever since.

Passing Abbey Pool we keep to the coast path and make our way up the island's attractive eastern side until we reached the blockhouse at suitably named Blockhouse Point.

Climb up the low hill to this relic and it seems hard to imagine the blood spilt here in the English Civil War. Apart from the building's modest, half-ruined ramparts there's nought but views. The white sand beaches of Tresco's eastern edge, the various other easterly isles of Scilly - dominated by St Martins - and the horseshoe bay of Old Grimsby which nestles quietly to the north-west.

Note that all maps on this site are only indicative. You should never set out without the correct OS map.

Basically this is a hike around the island - and a very worthwhile, picturesque and interesting six-miler it is too if you follow the coast path - but further if you criss-cross the tiny lanes and meander along the myriad paths through the Abbey Gardens.

Grim forts amid splendid gardens There is a wilder, savage, less-tamed side to the story of Tresco. Read on...

The island's splendid hotel spreads itself along the northern shore of this bay and you'll see community centre the set back from the beach and there are old cottages adding an authentic touch of yesteryear, along with 19th century St Nicholas' Church.

So peaceful and pleasant is the scene that, apart from the Civil War, it is impossible to conceive of the terrible fact that 112 pirates were beheaded in a single day on Tresco in 1209. Despite the bloodshed piracy flourished here until the 17th century - goodness knows how many other people died at the sword.

The sunny stroll over the hill past Dolphin Town to New Grimsby banished all thought of violent deeds. For a moment, at least. Then it was back into the island's violent past. Cromwell's Castle dominates the straits which divide Tresco and Bryher, and it is open for hikers to wander in and explore. Climb the circular stair and you really will feel king of the castle as you command the narrows, which make up the most picturesque anchorage in Scillonia.

Having won the Battle of Tresco in 1651, the Roundhead's built this impressive fortification to defend the channel from the marauding Dutch, and it is quite evident that any Lowlander sailing in here must have either been desperate or mad.

You can visit King Charles' Castle a few hundred yards above on the highest point of the island, and from there make your way to the most northerly limits of Tresco, before returning back down the eastern shore past the beach at Gimble Porth.

Cross between the Old and New Grimsbys once again and a lane will take down the island's western edge and introduce you to the impressive woodlands of the Abbey where you can spend the rest of the day enjoying those magical gardens.

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