St Agnes
The most south-westerly inhabited island in the UK: a 1680 lighthouse, a pebble maze, a sandbar to Gugh and nothing beyond but the Western Rocks and the Atlantic.
Small, far and well worth it
St Agnes has no hotel and one lane, with Higher, Middle and Lower Town and Troy Town strung across the north of the island. Boats land at the quay by the Turks Head, and at low tide a sandbar, the Bar, joins St Agnes to Gugh.
The old lighthouse, built in 1680, stands at the island’s highest point. To the west are Periglis, the Troy Town Maze and the view out to Annet and Bishop Rock; to the south the heath of Wingletang Down runs down to Beady Pool.
Getting to St Agnes
By boat only, from St Mary’s quay.
Boats leave St Mary’s quay through the day in season.
- Crossing
- About 20 minutes
- Lands at
- St Agnes Quay, Porth Conger
- Tickets
- Kiosks on the quay, or on board
The quay sits at the neck of the Bar, a minute from the pub and five from Covean.
- Pub
- 1 minute
- The Bar
- 5 minutes
- Troy Town
- About 20 minutes
Coming by Scillonian or Skybus, you land on St Mary’s and take the boat across. Hosts usually meet the boat for bags.
- Luggage
- Met at the quay
- Tell them
- Your boat time
Nineteen places worth the walk
St Agnes Quay
Where the boats from St Mary’s land, at Porth Conger, a minute from the Turks Head.
Beaches on St Agnes
Small, rocky and quiet, with a sandbar that comes and goes with the tide.
Dogs: Every beach on St Agnes and Gugh is open to dogs all year. Leads in the marked seabird areas from April to September. Dogs on Scilly →
A sandbar to Gugh with water on both sides. Walkable around low tide; check the tide before you cross.
5 min from the quayBeach guide→CoveanA secluded east-facing cove down a narrow path through trees. Clear water and good snorkelling.
10 min from the quayBeach guide→PeriglisWest-facing, with rock pools and the Western Rocks on the horizon. The campsite overlooks it.
15 min from the quayBeach guide→Beady PoolA small rocky cove on Wingletang, famous for the glass beads from a 17th-century wreck.
25 min from the quayBeach guide→Porth KillierA quiet cove on the north coast by Big Pool, good for wading birds.
15 min from the quayBeach guide→Walks worth doing
Everything is walkable in a day, and the coast path goes all the way round.
The whole coast path: the quay, Periglis, Troy Town Maze, Wingletang Down, Beady Pool and Covean.
Over the sandbar at low tide to Kittern Hill, the Old Man of Gugh and Obadiah’s Barrow. Come back before the tide turns.
Down onto the heath past the Nag’s Head to Beady Pool, and back by Covean.
From the Turks Head across the island to Periglis for the sun going down behind the Western Rocks.
Things to do on St Agnes
Guided walk · 4.5 milesSt Agnes and Gugh circular
A guided walk on St Agnes with 10 stops, about 4 miles (6.4 km). Your phone takes you round and tells you about each stop as you reach it.
SS Headlands: Torpedoed South of Scilly
On 12 March 1915 the steamer Headlands, bound for Bristol with ore and fruit, was torpedoed by U 29 south of Scilly. Her crew all survived.
SS Earl of Lonsdale: Fog Below Troy Town
In June 1885 a cargo steamer bound for Bristol ran in among the rocks of St Agnes in thick fog. Her crew survived, and her cargo of beans fed island livestock.
SS Italia: The Collier Lost Below Wingletang
On a foggy day in May 1917 the Italian collier Italia ran onto the rocks south of St Agnes, unnoticed while islanders helped another wreck. She was identified again in 1964.
Wildlife
The last stop before the Western Rocks, and one of Britain’s best places for rare birds.
Puffins, Manx shearwaters and storm petrels breed on Annet, the bird sanctuary just offshore. See them from a boat trip.
Autumn brings birders from all over Britain looking for vagrants blown across the Atlantic.
Freshwater pool in the north-west, with waders and wildfowl.
Heather, gorse and rare plants on the granite downs of the south.
Where to eat
A pub, a café, a farm ice-cream parlour and a shop. Most close in winter.
The island’s pub, above the quay with views over the water. Book for dinner in summer. Closed in winter.
The post office and general store, for groceries and picnics.
St Agnes in pictures
What St Agnes is known for
Lighthouses, labyrinths and more than one shipwreck
Obadiah’s Barrow entrance grave and the Old Man of Gugh standing stone.
A Dutch merchant ship was wrecked here, and its glass beads still wash up in the sand.
One of the oldest lighthouses in Britain. Coal fired until 1790, it went dark in 1911 when Peninnis took over.
Many of the sailors drowned in the 1707 naval disaster are said to be buried on the island’s playing field.
Said to have been laid out by the lighthouse keeper’s son, though it may be much older. It has been rebuilt since.
The only inhabited island in Scilly without one: just B&Bs, cottages and the campsite.
Shipwrecks off St Agnes
18 wrecks on our map lie off St Agnes. Here are the five best known.
HMS Association
Gilstone Ledges, Western Rocks
Lives lost About 680 to 800
Hollandia
Broad Sound, east south east of Gunner Rock, west of Annet
Lives lost 276 to 306
Thomas W. Lawson
Shag Rock, off Annet (survivors found on the Hellweathers)
Lives lost 17
The island year
Seabirds in spring, beaches in summer and rare birds in October.
Boat trips from the quay go out to Annet and the Western Rocks for puffins, shearwaters and storm petrels.
Boats every day and the Turks Head at its busiest. Book the campsite early.
St Agnes is one of the best places in Britain for rare migrants, and draws birders every autumn.
The pub and café close and boats are fewer. Check before you travel.
Getting around the island
There is no transport to hire. It is a short walk from one end to the other.
The quay to Troy Town is about 20 minutes. A lane crosses the island and a path goes all the way round.
The sandbar to Gugh covers quickly on a rising tide. Check the tide times and allow time to come back.
Hosts usually meet the boat for bags. Tell them your boat time.
St Agnes Boating runs trips to St Mary’s and out to the Western Rocks and Bishop Rock.
Practical basics
The unglamorous things worth knowing before you land.
There are no street lights. Bring a torch.
The nearest GP, pharmacy and hospital are on St Mary’s.
Where to stay
No hotel. A campsite, a few B&Bs and self-catering cottages. Summer books up early.
A campsite on a working farm above Periglis, with ice cream and fresh milk on site.
A handful of small B&Bs across the island.
Granite cottages and flats, mostly let by the week in season.
Getting about with limited mobility
The lanes are narrow and mostly firm. Coast paths and Gugh are rough and uneven.
Landings depend on the tide and can involve steps. Talk to the boatmen before you set off.
A single lane runs from the quay past the lighthouse to Lower Town and Troy Town.
The Bar is closest to the quay. Covean, Periglis and Beady Pool involve rougher paths.
There is no island transport for visitors. Ask your accommodation about help with bags.
If you only have a day
Planned around the boat from St Mary’s, out mid-morning and back mid to late afternoon
The best of St Agnes in a day.
Boat from St Mary’s
Coast path west to Periglis and Troy Town Maze
Troytown Farm ice cream
Wingletang Down and Beady Pool
A drink at the Turks Head before the boat
Time it around low water.
Land at the quay
Across the Bar to Gugh
Kittern Hill and the Old Man of Gugh
The Turks Head
Swim at Covean
Short walks and long stops.
Covean for a swim
Coastguards Lookout
Rock pools at Periglis
Back to the quay for the return boat
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 St Agnes: boats, the Bar and where to stay.
How do I get to St Agnes?+
By boat from St Mary’s quay, about 20 minutes. Boats land at the quay by the Turks Head.
When can I walk to Gugh?+
Around low tide, when the Bar is uncovered. Check tide times and come back well before the tide turns.
Is there a hotel?+
No. St Agnes is the only inhabited island in Scilly without one, but there are B&Bs, cottages and a campsite.
Can I find beads at Beady Pool?+
Sometimes. Glass beads from a 17th-century wreck still turn up in the sand. Please leave the rest of the beach as you find it.
Is anything open in winter?+
Very little. The pub and café close for the winter, and boats are less frequent.
Ready to leave St Agnes?
For the other islands, you will usually go back through St Mary’s.