MISS ELAINEOUS VISITS ST MARTIN'S...

St Martin's was the second Isles of Scilly off-island we visited.  
Each inhabited island has its own kind of unique selling point.  For St Mary's (our home for the week) I would say it's fishing and being the main hub and point-of-contact with the mainland.  Tresco is fantastically verdant, St Agnes remote and unspoilt and Bryher about farming.  These are only generalisations, but to me St Martin's was about its magnificent beaches- the tropical white sands and clear turquoise sea are enough to rival anything abroad.

I have also created a YouTube vlog about the island, link:-

https://youtu.be/dBVcUKAqOkM

We landed at Higher Town Quay (which is actually further south than Lower Town Quay!) and stepped off the slipway overlooking Par Beach.

The three main segments of the island are Higher Town, Middle Town and Lower Town.  We walked down the only proper road to the latter, where we were getting picked up. 

Standing on the beach and looking down to the Eastern Isles, and birdwatching boat tours regularly run around that section of the archipelago.

View out as we climbed the path and looked back over the water...

A cow minding its own business, with St Mary's and Tresco over the water behind it.

Cannon and compass...

I believe the building is the public khazi, but it is situated in quite a picturesque setting...😁

View right, and we turned left rather than right as there looked like there was more to see that way, which was a mistake because it meant I missed out on the Island Bakery, which I later found out sold crab sandwiches.  I'd got my islands confused, and thought it was only Bryher that had these delicious specialities (as the tourist map suggested) on offer...😕

The Daymark is 11m (36ft) high and 4.8m (16ft) in diameter and is made of rendered granite.  It sits on the highest part of St Martin's and- on a good day- you can see over to the mainland from it.

I only found out that latter fact after I was home- I'd decided that it was enough for me to see the Daymark; I didn't actually need to touch it...

Now I could kick myself!

Daymarks are a navigational aid for sailors and pilots and are painted distinctively to maximise their daylight visibility.  This is the oldest surviving daymark in the country 

The next few photos are a 2023 update, when we did make the long trek upwards to the Daymark.  This time it was drizzly and misty.  There was no chance of seeing the mainland- on this particular day I could barely see the sea below!

 

This Daymark was erected in 1683 by Thomas Ekins, the first steward of the governing Godolphin Family to live on the islands.  Its (blocked) door incorrectly states the date as 1637...

Incidentally, we went up on deck on the Scillonian III a few days later, when we left the islands.  I could see the Daymark behind us, and on the horizon there was this grey smudge.  Given the state of the sky, which was a mixture of blueish grey stripes (to give you some idea, the photo below shows St Mary's, and Peninnis Lighthouse as we bid farewell),  I wasn't sure if it was land.  But, as we got closer, that shape clearly morphed into Cornwall.

Apparently monks looked after a fire beacon from around the 15th century.  Pre-daymark, this acted as a navigational aid.  They would have lived and worshipped around this area, and the foundations of an early Christian chapel are visible early on in the season, before the heather has had a chance to grow voraciously.  These building remains are of a Napoleonic signal station.

The road might look lengthy from this angle, but it isn't- the island is only 2 miles long by about ¼ mile wide, and only 136 people reside here.

It was nice to see a traditional red telephone box, but I didn't check to see if it worked or not...

Sunflowers outside the Middletown Barn, which showcases art and produce from the Isles of Scilly.  It uses an honesty box (I saw plenty of these across the islands) as its till.

The main road splices the island in half, and at first I thought this was a runway...  

But, on closer inspection, it's a cloche covering whatever fruit, vegetables or flowers are growing there.  There is also a vineyard on the island, which produces red, rosé and white wine. 

The Karma St Martins Hotel is refined and exclusive.  Rooms start at £197 per night; autumn rates...

The beautiful view from their terrace overlooks Teän, St Helens, the Round Island Lighthouse and Tresco.

Lower Town Quay follows on from this track, with a view overlooking Tresco.  To the left of the photo, right of the rocky island peaks, is the Old Block House on Tresco.  It was built between 1548 and 1554, and acted as a defensive fort to protect adjacent Old Grimsby harbour.

Lots of little friends decided to join us, but I wasn't sure which breed they were...

...Some kind of martin (quite appropriate!), tit or swallow would be my guess?

Note: I've since learnt that these abundant birds are called turnstones.

The Seven Stones Inn is the only pub on the island, and we sat and chilled out with a glass of cider... 

We did sit in their beer garden for a while, and this tree appears to be being utilised as a children's play area. 

Overlooking Teän, which is also popular with birdwatchers due to the presence of puffins, and St Helen's, which was once a pest house to receive patients from quarantined ships.

Round Island Lighthouse was built in 1887, and sits atop a lump of granite.  It is one of six lighthouses associated with the Isles of Scilly, the others being the aforementioned Daymark; Bishop Rock; Wolf Rock; Peninnis and St Agnes.

Lower Town Quay is nothing more than a slipway- at first we didn't believe it was an adequate pick up point.  But it was, and if people are visiting an uninhabited island for whatever reason, then they will get a landing directly onto a beach via a gangplank.

I did wonder why there were pieces of glass on the beach- until I poked one and realised it was a jellyfish!  Thankfully I didn't brush against a tentacle...

Here's a close-up of one of our marine friends, and they didn't put me off having a paddle.  The water was warm enough for me to want a swim that day once we were back on St Mary's.

St Martin's I will return- next time I will cross the rugged path up to the Daymark, and I will make sure I get my crab sandwich.🦀

Until then...

TTFN

The Miss Elaineous

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