St Mary's
The island most people arrive on, and most people underestimate. Two and a half square miles of harbour town, Bronze Age hillsides, granite headlands and a beach for every wind direction.
Everything starts on the quay
St Mary's is the largest of the five inhabited islands and the way in: the ferry docks here, the airport is ten minutes from town, and every off-island boat leaves from the quay in Hugh Town. It is also the only island with a secondary school, a hospital and a proper Saturday night.
Walk five minutes out of town, though, and it empties. A coast path runs the whole way round, past the granite carns at Peninnis, the Iron Age houses at Halangy Down and the pale shallows at Bar Point. You can be alone on a beach within half an hour of the harbour.
Thirty-two places worth the walk
Hugh Town
The island's only town, strung across a sand isthmus with a beach on either side. The shops, three pubs and the boats to everywhere else.
Beaches on St Mary's
Whichever way the wind is blowing, there is a sheltered side. Check the tide before you plan a crossing.
Dogs: Porthcressa, Porthmellon and Old Town Beach (9am to 7pm) are closed to dogs from 1 May to 30 September. Town Beach, Little Porth and Pelistry stay open all year. Dogs on Scilly →
Town beach, south-facing, sheltered on a northerly
2 min from Hugh TownBeach guide→PorthmellonSailing centre and the gig sheds, calm and shallow
5 min from Hugh TownBeach guide→Pelistry BayQuiet east coast, sand bar to Toll's Island at low water
35 min or busBeach guide→Crossable at low tidePale shallows at the northern tip, huge at low tide
West coast cove, best in the afternoon light
Steep path down, rock pools, almost always empty
45 min from townBeach guide→Walks worth doing
Elizabethan walls, gun batteries and a view of every island
Boardwalk and two hides between Hugh Town and Old Town
Reedbed boardwalk out to the bay where Shovell was wrecked
Granite carns, the lighthouse and back along the bay
Iron Age village and a Bronze Age tomb above the north-west shore
Highest ground on the island, then down to Toll's Porth
East coast lanes to the sand bar, crossable either side of low water
Bronze Age tombs above the water and the north-coast sands
Quiet lanes, a steep drop to the rock pools and almost nobody about
Right round the island in a day, with a pub at either end of it
Things to do on St Mary's
Harry’s Walls, St Mary’s: Visiting Scilly’s Unfinished Tudor Fort
Harry’s Walls is a free, unfinished Tudor fort on a hill above St Mary’s harbour. Here’s where to find it, how to get there, what to look for and why it was never completed.
St Mary’s Harbour, Isles of Scilly: A Visitor’s Guide to the Quay
St Mary’s Harbour is where most Scilly holidays begin. Our guide covers arriving on the quay, catching inter island boats, watching gig racing, the quay’s 400 year history and practical tips for visiting sailors.
Isles of Scilly Museum: What to See Now and the New Museum Opening in 2027
The Isles of Scilly Museum’s old building is closed, but the collection is still out and about. Here’s where to see it now, what’s on this autumn, and what the new Town Hall museum offers.
Star Castle and the Garrison Walls: A Walking and History Guide
Walk the historic Garrison Walls above Hugh Town. Discover how Star Castle guarded Scilly from Spain, what to see on the full circuit, and how to eat, drink or stay inside the castle.
Where to eat
Old fire station on Porthcressa, tapas and the best seat on the beach
Above Porthloo, long lunches and the view back over the harbour
Two restaurants inside the Elizabethan walls, and the island wine list
Above the quay, wide windows over the harbour and the off-islands
Hugh Town corner pub, nautical clutter and a fire in winter
Bakery and café off Hugh Street, and the pasties people queue for
Café and garden out at Longstone, with the heritage collection next door
Wine grown and bottled on the island, with tours and tastings
Honesty boxes for eggs, veg and flowers on lanes all over the island
St Mary’s in pictures
What St Mary's is known for
Five things you can stand in front of, all within a morning's walk of the quay
Four ships of the line were lost on the rocks off Scilly, with somewhere between 1,400 and 2,000 men. The admiral's body washed ashore in the bay; a stone marks the spot where he was found.
A German liner struck the Retarrier Ledges in fog with 335 lost. Many are buried in the churchyard above the beach, and Scilly kept the story long after the shipping line folded.
The prime minister holidayed on St Mary’s for decades and chose to be buried here, in a churchyard facing the sea rather than at Westminster.
An Iron Age village of stone-walled houses with a Bronze Age entrance grave on the slope above it, both open to walk into, both free.
Well over a hundred six-oared gigs race in from Nut Rock to St Mary’s quay across the first weekend of May. Beds on the island go a year ahead.
Shipwrecks off St Mary's
9 wrecks on our map lie off St Mary's. Here are the five best known.
Bartholomew Ledges wreck
Bartholomew Ledges, St Mary's Sound
Lives lost Unknown
HMS Association
Gilstone Ledges, Western Rocks
Sir Cloudesley Shovell came ashore at Porth Hellick, St Mary's, where a memorial stone marks the spot
Lives lost About 680 to 800
The Wheel Wreck
Crow Sound, about 300 m south of Little Ganinick
Lives lost Unknown
Friar Tuck
Newford Island, St Mary's Pool, St Mary's
Lives lost None recorded
MV Cita
Newfoundland Point, near Porth Hellick, St Mary's
Lives lost None recorded
The island year
When to come, and what is happening when you do. Boats and flights thin out sharply from November, and the off-island services all but stop.
The flower fields are cut and boxed for the mainland. Quiet, cheap, and often startlingly mild.
A week of guided walks across the islands, with boats laid on to reach the off-island routes.
The islands fill. Book beds and crossings a year in advance if you want to be here for it.
Six days of music across the islands, in the pubs, the parish church and the new cultural centre.
Every off-island runs daily, the Scillonian sails six days a week, and the evening trips to St Agnes start up.
A week of island food and drink, with growers, boats, the vineyard and the brewery all opening up.
One of the best landfalls in Britain for rare birds. Higher Moors and the airfield fill with birders.
Scillonian III lays up, Skybus flies a reduced timetable, and the off-island boats run only when there is a reason to.
Getting around the island
St Mary's is under three miles across, so most people walk. These are the alternatives.
Nowhere on the island is more than about 45 minutes from Hugh Town. The coast path is signed and mostly level.
The community minibus runs a circuit out through Old Town, the airport, Maypole and Telegraph in the main season. About 17 minutes the whole way round, and one flat cash fare however far you go.
Several operators, all of whom meet the Scillonian and the flights. Book ahead for an early departure; numbers are posted at the quay and the airport.
Hired in Hugh Town, and the best way to reach Pelistry or Bar Point without the walk. The hills are short but real.
Road-legal buggies for hire, popular with anyone who finds the lanes hard going. Book well ahead in summer.
Bags are moved between the quay, the airport and your accommodation for you, so ask when you book rather than carrying them up Hugh Street.
Practical basics
The unglamorous things worth knowing before you land.
A Co-op and a handful of smaller shops in Hugh Town, with a bakery for pasties and bread. Sunday hours are short, and the shelves thin out before the freight boat comes in.
Cards are taken almost everywhere, but carry some cash for honesty boxes, farm gates and the boatmen. St Mary's has just one cash machine, under the archway by the Post Office in Hugh Town, so draw what you need before a bank holiday or a busy weekend. The Post Office counter also does cash withdrawals.
4G in and around Hugh Town, patchy on the north end and at Deep Point. Most places to stay have wi-fi; do not count on signal on a boat.
St Mary’s has a GP surgery and a small hospital. Anything serious goes to the mainland by air ambulance, so bring enough of your own prescriptions and travel insured.
The Isles of Scilly Tourist Information Centre sits behind Porthcressa beach, with boat tickets, maps, bus times and the day’s weather in one place.
Tourist Information Centre →The house above the garden is the leaseholder’s family home and is private. The garden and priory ruins are what you can visit.
Banned from Porthcressa, Porthmellon and Old Town beaches from 1 May to 30 September, and on a lead on some Hugh Town streets between 8am and 6pm over the same period. Every other beach is open all year. Fine on the Scillonian and Skybus, and on the tripper boats for a small fee, but not on the helicopter.
Dogs on Scilly →Waterproofs whatever the forecast, shoes you can walk five miles in, and a torch, because the lanes have no street lighting.
Plan your trip, with a packing list →Where to stay
Beds are finite. August and the gig weekend go early; February and October are quiet and cheaper.
Star Castle inside the Garrison walls, Tregarthen’s above the quay and the Atlantic on the harbour front. Dinner included at some, and all within walking distance of the boats.
Mostly family-run, mostly in Hugh Town and Old Town, and mostly booked by returning guests. Breakfast is generous and the owners know the tide.
Granite cottages, flats over Hugh Street and farmhouses out at Holy Vale and Maypole. Saturday-to-Saturday in season; short breaks off-peak.
On the headland above the town, inside the old walls, with the sea on three sides. Pre-erected tents as well as pitches, and no cars to worry about.
Getting about with limited mobility
Hugh Town is flat and most of it is manageable. Beyond the town the lanes climb and the coast path has steps and stiles. This is what we know; tell us what we have missed.
The Scillonian berths at St Mary’s Quay and passengers walk off down a gangway; the gradient changes with the tide. Tell Isles of Scilly Travel when you book if you need assistance boarding, and wheelchair users should ring rather than book online.
St Mary’s Airport is small and level, with assistance available if arranged in advance. The aircraft have a small step and narrow doors, so speak to Skybus about transfers from a wheelchair before you travel.
Flat, short distances, dropped kerbs in most places. Hugh Street has a narrow pavement and no traffic to speak of. Porthcressa has a level promenade behind the beach.
Porthcressa and Town Beach are reached on the level. Porthmellon has a slipway. Most other beaches involve steps, a steep path, or both.
Road-legal golf buggies are hired by the day and are the usual answer to the hills. Some taxis carry wheelchairs, but ask when you book rather than on the day. The wheelchair-accessible Buzza Bus is a residents’ dial-a-ride, not a visitor service, so do not plan around it.
Boarding an open boat means a step down from the quay onto a moving deck, and at some off-islands a beach landing. The boatmen are practised and will help, but tell them in advance so they can pick the right landing.
The Lower Moors and Higher Moors boardwalks are firm and mostly level, and the lane out to Carreg Dhu is manageable. The coast path is not: expect steps, stiles and uneven granite.
If you only have a day
Built around the boat and plane times, so the walking actually fits
A day-trip sailing gives you about five hours, and the Skybus day return less. This is the short version.
Off at the quay, straight up to Hugh Town for a coffee and the Co-op for lunch
Through the Garrison gate, round the walls and Star Castle, out to the batteries
Down to Porthcressa for a swim and lunch on the sand
Galleries and Hugh Street, or the walk out to Peninnis lighthouse
Back on the quay half an hour before your sailing
A day from your own bed on St Mary’s, using the bus one way and your feet the other.
Bus or taxi out to Telegraph, the high ground, for the view over all five islands
Down the west coast to Bant’s Carn and the Iron Age village at Halangy Down
North to Bar Point for the pale shallows, then the Innisidgen graves on the way back
Late lunch at Juliet’s Garden above Porthloo, looking back at the harbour
Lower Moors boardwalk and the hides into Old Town, and the churchyard
Peninnis Head for sunset, twenty minutes from town
Short distances, sand at both ends and a boat in the middle.
Porthmellon for the sailing centre, kayaks and a shallow paddle
Boat from the quay to the Eastern Isles for the seals, an hour and a half, back by lunch
Chips or a crab sandwich on the town beach
Buzza Hill tower and the camera obscura, then ice cream on Hugh Street
Porthcressa until they have had enough
Times are the usual pattern rather than a promise. Check the board on the quay for the day's boats, and the operators for your flight or sailing.
Common questions
Asked most often about St Mary's: boats, beaches and how long to stay.
How do I get to St Mary's?+
Scillonian III sails from Penzance to St Mary's Harbour in about 2 hours 45 minutes, spring to autumn. Skybus flies from Land's End (20 minutes), Exeter (an hour) Monday to Saturday all year, and Penzance Helicopters fly to St Mary's and Tresco in 15 minutes.
Do I need a car on St Mary's?+
No. The island is under three miles across and the whole of it is walkable. There is a circular bus, taxis, and bikes and golf buggies to hire. Most visitors never need more.
Which is the best beach on St Mary's?+
Porthcressa for convenience and a sheltered swim, Pelistry Bay for quiet and the sand bar at low water, Bar Point for the pale shallows at the north end. Pick the side of the island that is out of the wind.
Can I do the other islands from St Mary's?+
Yes. This is the island everything leaves from. Boats to Tresco, Bryher, St Martin's and St Agnes run from the quay daily in season, typically out at 10:15 and 14:00 and back by 16:45.
How long should I stay?+
A day trip shows you Hugh Town, the Garrison and one beach. Three or four nights lets you walk the coast properly and take a boat to two or three of the off-islands.
Ready to leave St Mary's?
Boats to the four off-islands leave the quay every morning in season, out at about 10:15 and back by 16:45.