Bryher
The smallest of the inhabited islands: a mile of granite hills with the full Atlantic on one side and the calm, sandy Tresco Channel on the other.
Two coasts, one mile apart
Bryher means ‘place of hills’ in Cornish, and it is five small granite hills joined by sand. About eighty people live here, in scattered cottages and a hamlet known, with a straight face, as the Town. Boats come in at Church Quay at high tide and at the Bar at low tide.
The west coast takes everything the Atlantic sends: Hell Bay, Shipman Head and a long line of rocks out towards Bishop Rock. Walk ten minutes east and you are on Green Bay or Rushy Bay, white sand and shallow water facing Tresco and Samson.
Getting to Bryher
By boat only: from St Mary’s, or a few minutes across the channel from Tresco.
Boats leave St Mary’s quay through the day in season. Where you land depends on the tide.
- Lands at
- Church Quay at high tide, the Bar at low
- Runs
- Most days in season, fewer in winter
- Tickets
- Kiosks on the quay, or on board
Bryher and Tresco are a few minutes apart, so the two make an easy day together.
- Crossing
- A few minutes
- From
- New Grimsby
- Also
- On foot at the Low Tide Event
Coming by Scillonian or Skybus, you land on St Mary’s and take the boat across. Most hosts meet the boat and carry your bags up.
- Luggage
- Met at the quay by your host
- Tell them
- Your boat time, confirmed the day before
Eighteen places worth the walk
Church Quay
The high-tide landing, opposite New Grimsby on Tresco and a minute from All Saints’ Church.
Beaches on Bryher
The east side is calm and sandy; the west is for watching the sea rather than swimming in it.
Dogs: Every beach on Bryher is open to dogs all year. Leads in the marked seabird areas from April to September. Dogs on Scilly →
White sand and marram grass on the south side, sheltered in most winds, with Samson just across the water.
15 min from Church QuayBeach guide→Green BayShallow and calm, with sand flats at low tide for shrimping, rock pools and prehistoric field walls.
5 min from Church QuayBeach guide→PopplestonesWave-polished stones and golden sand on the Atlantic side. Better for a walk and a sunset than a swim.
15 min from Church QuayBeach guide→Hell BayThe Atlantic at full force below Badplace Hill and Shipman Head. One to watch in a westerly rather than swim in, and the best storm-watching in Scilly.
20 min from Church QuayBeach guide→A sandy bay at the north end below Fraggle Rock, looking across the channel to Cromwell’s Castle.
The shore running south from the Bar towards Church Quay, good for shells and an easy level walk between the two landings.
Walks worth doing
Bryher is small enough to walk end to end in under an hour, and different at every turn.
The full coast: Rushy Bay, Popplestones, Hell Bay, Shipman Head and back down the channel side past Fraggle Rock.
Up from the Bar to Watch Hill, across the heath of Shipman Head Down and back to Fraggle Rock for a drink.
The southern hills, Bronze Age graves and the view to Samson, finishing on the sand.
From the Town past Great Pool and the Hell Bay Hotel to Popplestones and the Atlantic coast. Best when the swell is running; keep well back from the edge.
Things to do on Bryher
Guided walk · 4 milesBryher circular: Watch Hill, Hell Bay, Shipman Head and Rushy Bay
A guided walk on Bryher with 8 stops, about 4.3 miles (7 km). Your phone takes you round and tells you about each stop as you reach it.
SS Brinkburn: Cotton on Maiden Bower
In December 1898 the steamer Brinkburn, carrying Texas cotton to France, ran onto Maiden Bower in fog. Her crew reached Bryher, and her cotton was salvaged through the winter.
SS Zelda: A Maiden Voyage Ends on Maiden Bower
In April 1874 the new steamer Zelda, on her first voyage from Liverpool, ran onto Maiden Bower west of Bryher in thick fog. Everyone was saved, and her cargo was salvaged over the summer.
SS Minnehaha: The Liner That Got Away
In April 1910 the Atlantic liner Minnehaha ran onto Scilly Rock in fog. Her passengers were landed on Bryher, her cattle swum to Samson, and after four weeks she was refloated.
Wildlife
The north of Bryher is a protected site, and the shallows around the island are full of life.
Seven species breed on the headland, and ringed plovers nest on the open ground of Shipman Down. Watch from a distance, keep to the paths and keep dogs on a lead.
Wind-sculpted heather and rare plants, including orange bird’s-foot, on a protected site covering the north of the island.
Starfish, anemones, crabs and shrimps on the flats of Green Bay.
Bryher’s freshwater pool, sheltered behind the Atlantic coast beside the Hell Bay Hotel. A quiet place to watch wildfowl and waders, and a stopping point for migrants in spring and autumn.
Where to eat
A handful of places, and much of it caught, grown or baked on the island. Book evenings.
Lunch, dinner and homemade cake with views to Tresco. Friday fish and chips is an island institution. Closed Mondays.
Three AA rosettes, bar meals and a big terrace over the Atlantic. Booking essential.
May to September, set nights. Bryher crab, mussels and scallops at wooden benches. Booking essential.
Crab and lobster baps, quiche and fish pie from the Pender family’s own catch, plus takeaway seafood nights.
Coffee, light lunches and afternoon tea in a former flower shed, with occasional supper nights. Book suppers.
Fresh bread, pasties, a deli counter and tatty cake, plus Saturday pizza nights.
Bryher in pictures
What Bryher is known for
Four thousand years of people on a mile of granite
More than 130 low platform cairns laid out across the heath, and burial chambers on Samson Hill and Gweal Hill.
A rampart cuts off the storm-battered headland at the north tip. In 1999 a grave with a sword and a mirror was found on the island.
Bryher, Tresco and Samson were once joined. At low tide old field walls still show on the sands of Green Bay.
A Cromwellian battery at Works Point was built at the same time as the one at Carn Near on Tresco, to defend the channel.
First dedicated in 1742, enlarged in 1822 and given its tower in 1860. It also served Samson until that island was abandoned.
The film of Michael Morpurgo’s novel was shot here. The birdman’s cottage stood on Samson Hill and was burned down for the plot.
Shipwrecks off Bryher
8 wrecks on our map lie off Bryher. Here are the five best known.
SS Delaware
Mincarlo, Norrard Rocks, west of Samson and Bryher
Lives lost About 47
SS Minnehaha
Eastern side of Scilly Rock, west of Bryher
Lives lost None recorded
The island year
The boats, the Crab Shack and the campsite follow the season. Winter here is quiet, dark-skied and wild.
Seven species breed on Shipman Head. Stay back from the nesting areas.
Bryher crab at the Hell Bay Hotel’s summer shack, on set nights through the week.
A few times a year the channel dries enough to walk to Tresco, with a pop-up party on the sandbar in the middle.
Few boats and very few visitors. Big seas on Hell Bay and very dark skies.
Getting around the island
There are no cars to hire and bikes are not worth bringing. Everywhere is on foot.
Tracks are concrete or rough, with loose gravel in places. Nowhere is far from the Town.
Boatyards on the channel hire small boats and kayaks for paddling to Samson or around the islets.
Most hosts meet the boat and take bags up by tractor or Land Rover. Tell them your boat time.
Church Quay at high tide, the Bar at low tide. Check the board each day for where trips leave from.
Practical basics
The unglamorous things worth knowing before you land.
Bryher Shop and Post Office in the Town, with bread, groceries and a deli counter.
Eggs, vegetables, strawberries, chilli and fudge from stalls around the island. Bring change.
There are no street lights. Bring a torch for evenings.
Hell Bay Hotel and some cottages take dogs. Keep them on a lead near seabird nesting areas in spring and summer.
Dogs on Scilly →Where to stay
Beds are few, so book early. Everything is a short walk from both quays.
Twenty-five suites above an Atlantic cove, with a heated outdoor pool, spa, yoga studio and sculpture in the grounds.
Granite cottages, chalets and a small guest house, many looking across the channel to Tresco.
Pitches between two hills with sea on both sides. The shop will deliver to your pitch.
Getting about with limited mobility
Bryher is hilly and the tracks are rough. The quays and the channel side are the easiest parts.
Concrete lanes through the middle, rough and sandy tracks elsewhere. The west coast and Shipman Head are rocky.
At low tide the landings can involve steps. Talk to the boatmen before you set off.
The channel side from Church Quay to Green Bay and the Town is the most level part of the island.
There is no island transport for visitors. Ask your accommodation about help with bags and arrival.
If you only have a day
Planned around the boat from St Mary’s, or a short hop from Tresco
The Bryher most people come for.
Boat from St Mary’s to Church Quay or the Bar
Up Watch Hill for the view
Shipman Head Down and Hell Bay
Hell Bay Hotel terrace or Fraggle Rock
Popplestones, then back for the boat
Calm water, sand and a picnic.
Land at Church Quay
Bread and tatty cake from the Bryher Shop
Rushy Bay, with Samson across the water
Samson Hill, then Green Bay at low tide
Crab bap from Island Fish before the boat
The two are a few minutes apart by boat.
Tresco Abbey Garden
New Inn or the Ruin Beach Café
Boat across the channel to Bryher
Watch Hill and Fraggle Rock
Boat back to St Mary’s
Times are the usual pattern rather than a promise. Check the board on the quay for the day's boats, and the operator for your flight.
Common questions
Asked most often about Bryher: boats, tides and where to eat.
How do I get to Bryher?+
By boat from St Mary’s quay, or across the channel from Tresco in a few minutes. Boats land at Church Quay at high tide and the Bar at low tide.
Which quay will my boat leave from?+
It depends on the tide. Check the board on the quay each day, and confirm the return quay before you set off walking.
Can you walk to Tresco?+
Only on the very lowest spring tides, a few times a year. The Low Tide Event is the organised way to do it. Otherwise take local advice: the tide comes back quickly.
Is Bryher good for a day trip?+
Yes. You can walk the whole island and have lunch in a day. Combine it with Tresco for two very different islands.
Is it safe to swim at Hell Bay?+
No. Hell Bay takes the full Atlantic swell. Swim on the east side, at Rushy Bay or Green Bay, where the water is calm.
Ready to leave Bryher?
Tresco is a few minutes across the channel. For everywhere else, you will usually go back through St Mary’s.