St Martins - Isles of Scilly Walking Exploration
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ก.ค. 2024
- As part of our holiday to the Isles of Scilly in Spring, we used the St Mary's Boatmen's Association to travel across to St. Martin's island for a day of exploration on foot. We quickly discovered that St Martins has some of my favourite Isles of Scilly beaches, with my personal favourite on the island being St Martins Par Beach. Backed by sand dunes and a long swathe of white sand, met by turquoise waters, it was exactly the picture that had been painted in my mind before setting off on our Isles of Scilly holiday. We start the day at Lower Town and quickly walk through Middle Town to get to The Island Bakery, St. Martin's for lunch. After a quick peek in the gallery next door, we continued our adventure on foot. We passed Adam's Fish and Chips and unfortunately St Martin's Vineyard and Winery was closed on the day we visited, but looks to be a nice thing to do if open. After enjoying Par beach and making our way to the very end of it, we then headed to the northern side of the island to see St Martin's Day mark. We came back across the island passing farmers fields with bulls through to cut flower fields and stocked up on a few kitchen essentials at one of the island's many honesty boxes before finally boarding back onto our St Mary's Boatmen's Association boat, bound for St. Mary's!
Isles of Scilly AONB | Isles of scilly travel | isles of scilly wildlife | isles of scilly in May | isles of scilly in June | Isles of Scilly Cornwall | Isles of Scilly islands | isles of scilly boat trips | Scilly Isles | Cornwall Beaches | things to do in cornwall | places to visit in Cornwall | Cornwall UK | Cornwall | Daymark | Higher Town Bay | Lower Town St Martin's | St Martins Higher Town Bay | Par Beach St Martins
0:00 Intro
0:58 How many boats to St. Martin's?
3:10 Arrival at St. Martin's
4:53 To the bakery
7:02 Paradise?
10:00 Vineyard
11:25 Par Beach
14:57 To the Daymark
17:42 Honesty Box
18:57 Boat Back
As you'll have seen in the video, one thing we picked up on was how tame the little birds were, and I think it's because so many people feed them out of their hands. We didn't join in as we've been led to believe our human food isn't good for wildlife, but would like to know what everyone else's thoughts are about it.
I thought of the Bears in Yellowstone when I was a kid we would see around 20 bears standing on the roadside wanting food from the people in the cars. Until one day a bear killed a person in a car. People forget these are WILD animals and it's NOT a petting zoo. Then the Park Service ACTED and removed the bears. People need to NOT feed wild animals human food it's not good for them and makes them lazy.
It's so sad when you hear stories of wild animals being killed because of how they've reached to us being in the wrong in the first instance. When I first read your comment I was thinking 'wow, 20 bears along the road, that's amazing', but once I realised it was because they were lured to the food, I'm grateful for the spotting's I had of just a couple of bears in Yellowstone as it was under the right circumstances!
@@WhenAdventureKnox I hope the Park Service did not kill the bears but trap them and transported them to more remoted part of Yellowstone.
I had a two week holiday on St. Martin's back in 1966 when I was 15. There was friend Pete and his "big brother", Jim, who was 18. Back then there were practically no tourists so we had the run of the place to ourselves. Par beach is lovely, but even better is Great Bay and Little Bay, which you can see in this film at 16.34 secs.
I have been wanting to go back ever since and still haven't made it !!
In the years since then I have travelled the World....and seen some lovely places.... but The Scillies hold a special place in my heart and mind.
I'll join you but the cost of the hotel or places to rent are expensive. I used to live there from 1963 to 1986/87 and haven't been back since and I've always promised myself to go back . I live near Porthcawl now . I even worked at the hotel in 1986 when it was being built.
St Martins is probably my favourite of all of the islands. and I think that the Seven Stones Inn is my favourite pub in the entire World (I think you walked right past it 😢)
The tame sparrows hang around the pub and will eat out of your hand. They are cute and I figure that they're not dying out (unlike the London sparrow population which suffers from people keeping cats - despite feeding them scientifically developed 'cat food').
I'm afraid we did walk straight past the Seven Stones Inn... it was the folk music festival and we realised the reason for them needing to run 3 boats was because an event was happening there on that day. As first time visitors, we were just eager to see as much of the islands as we could so skipped trying to get in there... but for whenever we return, I look forward to going into more depth with things we missed... this Inn perhaps being one of them!
I used to live near the bakery. The house on the corner. All the shops where you sat used to be generator rooms . At night time / evening all you could hear was humming from those sheds . Wished you had walked past corner cottage up to day view as would have been nice to see that again. Them 3 cottages that joined together i either worked on all lived in over the past 24 years till 1987.👍
I used to know loads of people who lived there in the 80s. Doubt I know anyone now .
I've just come across this video. Nothing prepared me for the beauty of these Islands on my first vist. St Martin's is my favourite. The array of sub tropical flowers and the colour of the sea is breathtaking. Thank you for taking me back there.
You're very welcome. I too adored St. Martin's. When we make it back, that will be high on my list of places I want to visit again!
Everywhere looks so idyllic just great for relaxing days. I love the idea of taking a boat each day to a different island an exploring. Great place to explore.
The Isles of Scilly were perfect for taking a boat to a different island each day (bar the day we explored St. Mary's where we stayed) to just explore the places on foot.
The beach area at 07:11 was absolutely beautiful, the shape of the beach, the brilliant white sand and shallow clear water made them boats look so appealing. Shame the vineyard was closed, those prices were very reasonable - I thought they were going to be 3 to 4 times higher, especially with the reduced opening times. I think you're right not to feed the wild animals, makes them lazy and reliant on humans. They're wild for a reason! I laughed when you said 'the crayon' haha!! 😂. There seems to be a lot of honest people on the island, I can't see that working on the mainland 😬. Lovely video, it's great to see your passion when you got off the boat at the end, it was easy to see you'd really enjoyed the day.
I thought the vineyard prices were very reasonable too, but at the same time, because I don't drink, I wasn't sure if I was just making that up, so good to hear from you on that! The debate over feeding the birds really sparked up on a Facebook Group I'm part of and people have made some excellent points about why not to feed them, and even more so now they're suffering from bird flu, so I'm pleased I went with my gut on that one! I couldn't get over the honesty of everyone on the islands - visitors and locals alike. In a few weeks, I have a video where we rent bikes to explore St. Mary's as its a bigger island, and we asked at the bike shop if we'd get locks and the bloke laughed at us 🤣
Very nice - love IoS
Nice. A beautiful place. 😊😊😊 thanks for sharing
We too thought this place was so beautiful, and you're most welcome pleased you enjoyed it
So beautiful beach!! I feel really relaxed and peaceful Watching this!😍😍 Thank you for sharing this my new friend!!
Greeting from Korea👍👍
Hey hey, I think you might be the first person to comment on one of my videos from Korea - so awesome that you've found my channel despite being so far away, and thank you your kind comments, really pleased you feel relaxed after watching this 🙏
Hi Caroline, we are regular visitors to the Isles of Scilly and love it very much. If you ever go back to make more videos make sure you book to go out with the Scilly seal Snorkelling from St Martin's. It is all carried out as not to disturb or frustrate the seals, definitely no touching the seals or diving under the water as you are in their habitat. it is a truly wonderful experience.
Hi Martin, it certainly sounds like it's a great company that aligns with my ethos around wildlife. We'd considered doing it on this trip, but as I'd become very seasick on the last big trip we'd done when snorkelling off a boat, we felt like we needed a bit more time before trying another trip like it again. Perhaps the next time we go out there, enough time will have passed! 🤣
Hi Caroline, another lovely video. Looks like you had great weather while you were there. St Martin's was my mum's favourite island. The northern side of the island is lovely, not particularly rugged; that large beach you saw from the day mark is Great Bay. Lying off the northernmost point of St Martin's is White Island, joined at low tide, which is an interesting island to explore - and is quite rugged!
The birds tend to be tame all around the islands, I hope they don't get fed too much rubbish food. Many thanks for the video.
Hi Cebus. Great Bay (thank you for sharing the name) looked stunning. I'd love to visit and laze away a few hours on that beach on a future trip. I remember reading about White Island and we briefly considered going there first with the tide being low on arrival, but we chose not to as we'd spent a lot of time on Gugh the day before and felt it may have been similar and wanted to see a bit more of the inhabited part of the island. I remember planning this trip and so many people said 'don't try and do it all as you can't' and they were so right.
Beautiful video. Particularly the section on Par beach.
Thank you. Whilst I'd love to be able to take all of the credit for making the video beautiful, I feel like the surroundings did a lot of the leg work - especially Par beach 😍🤣
Great video as usual! 👏
Thank you Bec - I hope you've settled into your new travels are are enjoying them as much as the last lot x
Caroline, You are right people should not feed wild birds or animals human food. We like to park and eat hamburgers at a view point over looking the ocean, but people feeding seagulls there made the gulls very aggressive and now everybody must deal with the gulls. St. Martin's island really looked amazing. Your right all of the UK looks very green. It is just lovely. Thanks for sharing . Can you put some of Andy's pictures on the videos. Stay safe and have fun. Love your channel. Cheers 🍦🍦🧔
I hadn't even thought about seagulls, but on a Facebook group I'm a member of, someone mentioned the impact it has on those guys and you're right, those guys are vicious, but it's not fair to blame them, it's humans to blame for it! I must confess, it was actually the US, and particularly the US National Parks that really educated me as to why we shouldn't feed wildlife, and I've brought it back to the UK with me. I don't feel like the UK does as good-a-job on this side of educating people, not sure if it's maybe because we don't have the likes of wild bears roaming around? I've passed on your request for Andy's photos, but we'll need to see if he gets round to editing them in line with me editing my videos. I'm afraid all of my Isles of Scilly ones are edited and uploaded, but maybe for my next series?
Very beautiful and informative video. I have visited these islands a couple of times and have loved it. I am from Norway and I find the whole of England a lot greener than my own rocky country, and the Isles of Scilly are probably one of the lushest and greenest parts of it. But I cannot say which one is the greener of them. I agree with you about not feeding birds. Our food is not appropriate nutrition for them, and they become a nuisance... Thank you for sharing.👍🏻😊
Hi Torunn. Thank you for such kind words about the video. 🙏 Really interesting to learn that you've visited the islands as I found most visitors to be from the UK with the exception of cruise ship passengers. Did you visit as part of a cruise or an independent traveller? I think you're the first person to have commented on any of my videos who is from Norway, and it seems very fitting as Andy and I are toying with the idea of visiting Norway, but it's proving to be a bit tricky balancing logistics with budget. It's been on my bucket list for years!!
@@WhenAdventureKnox Thank you for you lovely reply 🤩 The first time I visited was during a 3 weeks solo travel in Southern England in 2016 and I had managed to get accommodation for 3 nights on St. Mary's. The second time, I spent 8 nights on the islands with a friend in 2019 after she and I had walked a part of the South west coast path from St. Ives to Penzance. We walked the paths around all the inhabited islands and I also got to join a guided tour snorkelling with seals 🥰 We plan on coming back another year. Do come to Norway. Most of it is quite different from the UK 😄
Those both sound like lovely trips, but from having spent a week there and having the feeling of missing out on seeing a fair few things, I can understand why you returned with a friends for another 8 nights. We ummed and aahed over snorkelling with the seals but decided against in putting unique things to the islands as a priority. Plus I suffered quite bad sea sickness the autumn before when doing a snorkel boat trip on the red sea, and I think a little more time needs to pass before I muster the courage to do another snorkel boat trip 🤢
@@WhenAdventureKnox The snorkelling was a real adventure, and I'll recommend it. But there are so many things to explore on the islands, so I need several more trips in the future 😍 Our first goal is to complete the South West Coast Path, which will take some years. We travel from Norway for a week or two in the summer. And we have so far walked from Westward Ho! to Falmouth during 4 trips 🙂I would think that a boat trip in the Red Sea is quite different from the one from St. Martin's. But of course, you have to want it and to feel OK. We went in a small rib boat, out to one of the Eastern Isles, Menawethan, and the seals were really inquisitive and fun to be around. I actually have a video on TH-cam from that experience 🙂 I have subscribed to your channel for a while, but I think these are my first comments 🙂
We went to st,martins for the day my brother & myself and it cost £26 for two pints and 2 ploughman's lunches at one of the only two cafes on that Island (that been the cheapest one) / little Arthur cafe ;
I'm not an alcohol drinker so never really sure about price comparisons, but given that beer is alcohol, I feel like that price is similar to what we'd pay here in London (maybe) doesn't sound too bad, especially if it was a sit down cafe! Aaaah I wish I could be back on St. Martins!
It was £1.20 a pint in 1987 and that was expensive then . It is when you only earn less than £60 a week on the island.
How are you doing mrs Caroline thank you for sharing your trips with us as always iam gathering main information about places you visited briefly here it’s there are top beaches of Isles of Scilly great bay st martians , bar st angles, bar point st Mary , Samson flats Samson adventures of Samson neigboring islands to uninhabited island . There are turquoise water pale fine and scilly beaches are beautiful enough to rival any other n world there are more than 35 such examples spread across archipelago. To get st martins play trip scillon and ferry sky bus fixed wings planes , island helicopters , sky bus Isles of Scilly own schedule airline with flight from Exeter, newquay and day trips whether you fly sail or both . St martins offers perfect getaway for all tastes and budgets 4 stars campsites farm cottages chalets fat bed breakfast options or holistic hideaway award winning. St martins ceremonial county Cornwall south west region of Isles of Scilly unitary authority Cornish means dappled island . Three main settlements on island higher town , middle town , lower town.
Hi Khatoon, I'm well thank you, I hope you are too. I feel like your research is pretty spot on when it comes to the Isles of Scilly. For me, it's the fine white sand, turquoise waters and the hospitality of the locals that stick with me the most!
Last part of my research there are two quays higher town used at high tide and lower town used at low tide in high town there are post office vineyard island north it’s joined by tidal causeway White Island . White day mark was erected in 1683 by Thomas ekins first steward of god ophin family to live on islands rendered granite circular blocked arched entrance door contains incorrect date of 1637 was painted white in 1822 but by 1833 had been painted red now painted in bands of red and white despite modernity day mark alongside some prehistoric cairns is scheduled ancient monument day mark on highest point of st martins second highest point of Isles of Scilly islands only ordnance survey triangulation st martins is situated by day mark . There are two churches in st martins island Anglican parish church , Martin Methodist church both located in higher town area st Martins is one of five civil parishes of Isles of Scilly which are also wards included several union habitated islands rocks including eastern isles great ganilly English island and White Island council of Isles of Scilly as other of island wards civil parish is not have council or meeting. I looked up for meaning of honesty box it’s method of charging for service such as admission or car parking or product flowers which relies upon each visitor paying at box using honor system day mark is visible to pilots as navigation guide in daylight thank you for giving us chance to read learn new information improve our English language as well bon voyage best wishes for you your family friends
We were dropped off at lower town in the morning due to low tide and picked up from higher town in the afternoon, like you say due to high tide. I'd have loved time to go across to White Island but we just ran out of time. I heard instead of being pronounced like the colour white, it's pronounced 'wit'. It's interesting to learn you looked up the definition of 'honesty box'. I appreciate my travel in the Middle East isn't very extensive, but when I was in Jordan, one thing that was very clear was how honest people were and I didn't have the 'pick-pocket' worries in Amman the way I do when I'm in big European cities as it felt like no one would consider stealing! It's got me curious, in Saudi Arabia, do you have anything like honesty boxes?
We had a fortnight's holiday on St Martins in 1962. Yes, 60 years ago. We enjoyed it so much we went back again in 1963. There was no bakery then. Only an old shop that sold "survival" rations - nothing fresh. We live on corned beef & Lyons individual fruit pies, (50% sugar at least!). Milk straight from the cow, (unpasturised), in a bucket, butter from the cream, no running water, & shall I tell you about the dry toilet? Yikes! But if you live on survival rations, you only need to go once a week. If that.........
Wow, it sounds like a visit to the Isles of Scilly was very different back in the 60's. Part of me would have loved to see life back then, especially with the lighthouses still occupied, but it was the sound of the food that did it for me. I'd have coped better with no running water and a dry toilet, but I'm such a foodie, corned beef and 50% sugar fruit pies don't sound like too much fun! That said, it still sounds wonderful if you went back for a 2nd year!
@@WhenAdventureKnox We didn't go for the food. I don't think "foodies" were around so much then as they are now. The lighthouses were manned then, as you point out. We used to see the Trinity Lighthouse Vessel going to Round Island Lighthouse, near St Martins. I have been out to the Bishop Rock, but much later. It was a calm day, but the swell was desperate. Nowhere to vomit in a packed launch! The food was OK. I was at boarding school anyway at that time, & would have sold my soul for a Lyons fruit pie. We noticed a difference between 62 & 63; more tourists. And especially in 65, because Harold Wilson (PM) had "discovered" Scilly.
A group of us actually saw him in 1975 as he passed by us on the path.
I think you're right, 'foodie' is a very modern thing. Believe it or not, I've had to Google what a lighthouse vessel is - how didn't I know about them? This is one of the things I love about travelling, or just talking about traveling, all of the new things you learn! Really interesting to hear how the popularity of the islands rose in such a short space of time, and amazing that you walked past Harold Wilson out there too!
I was born on the island in 1963 👍
Interesting! Which town? Upper, middle or lower? I suppose the midwife had to come by boat?@@ajwalou-nack2343
another nice video, but please leave the Boatmens assoc alone, all the boats skippers are men, so fair enough!😊 we can be feminist elsewhere😂..We were told that the tiny fields are to protect the crops from Atlantic gales and salt spray that hits the islands.
Thank you Ruth. It was just a bit of tongue in cheek comment about the name. I think in part too, because I am the Careers Leader at my school, and a big push is to get our students challenging stereotypes of what a person can and can't do, its just engrained on me to pick up on this and challenge it. That said, absolutely everyone who we came across who worked as part of the Boatmen's association was nothing but lovely. Really informative, learnt loads from them, great when needing assistance getting on and off the boats, and of course we couldn't have explored all those islands without them. I'm now feeling a little guilty about the comment 🤦♀️ The small fields with hedges for borders make a lot of sense with the sea winds and salt spray - especially since many of the crops are flowers!
hahaha 'boatsmen' Wokey BS ...... Shame, it was a nice vid until then....
Such a wannabe presenter..spends more time waffling into the camera as opposed to showing us anything.. irritating.