MISS ELAINEOUS VISITS ST MARY'S, ISLES OF SCILLY (AGAIN!)

 St Mary's was our base when we stayed in the Isles of Scilly, and it's the largest of the five inhabited islands.

We had visited before, in 2020, but only for a day trip- read about that here:- 

http://elainerockett.blogspot.com/2020/11/miss-elaineous-visits-scilly-isles.html

I've also created a YouTube video about the island, link here:-

https://youtu.be/x5r05aUoLeQ

Here's a PDF of the archipelago.

Of the 140 islands, only 55 are visible at high tide.  Five are occupied, and they are: St Mary's, Tresco, Bryher, St Martin's and St Agnes.  Gugh is joined to St Agnes by a tombolo, which is an isthmus, or a kind of sandbar exposed only at low tide.

Leaving Penzance on the Scillonian III ferry service, and the islands lie 28 miles (45km) off Land's End.

Written evidence exists which suggests that it's likely that the individual islands were all once larger, and perhaps joined to form one island named Ennor, until 400-500 AD, when rising sea levels flooded the central plain.

I believe the peninsula to the left of the beach houses open-air Minack Theatre, which is built into the cliffs.  It's actually not that easy to spot from the water.

Land's End, with Longships Lighthouse the spike visible to the left.  It sits 1.25 miles (2 km) off the coast.

Most visitors to the islands stay in holiday lets, and we were no exception.  Here's the outside sign of our charmingly-named apartment on Buzza Street, Hugh Town.  I found the name quite ironic, as all summer I'd had masonry bees trying to nest in my own wall!

This petrol station, launderette and shop was right near us, and I thought it had a real 1970s feel!

Porthcressa Beach was only minutes away from us, and here's the view looking towards the Garrison.

Here's the view looking the other way, towards Penninis Head.

I did have a swim in this bay one day, and whilst it wasn't warm it was certainly bearable considering it was October.

We took an early evening walk out to Town Beach, which is only five minutes walk from Porthcressa Beach...

The RNLI Lifeboat Station sits in the centre of the photo, its landing deck sloping down into the sea...

This pretty little stained glass hut was built to commemorate either the ascension or coronation (silly me didn't make a note) of Queen Elizabeth II, which makes it 70 years old.  She died only a few weeks before we visited.

Looking to the left across Town Beach, and just out of shot lies Rat Island and The Quay.  Rat Island was joined to The Quay by the harbour wall- visible to the right- between 1835-38 and extended in 1889.

The next day saw me take a morning walk along a different beach in Old Town Bay.

Full bay view, and this was the only day we had where the weather wasn't pleasant, and was already looking very overcast...

The geography of Scilly's beaches did look very volcanic- even lunar!

You can spot St Mary's Old Church,; an Anglican Church which is believed to date from 1130, although re-building occurred between 1660-6, with further improvements happening in in 1743. 

A closer view, and Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson (1916-95) had a home on the island and is buried in this churchyard, which still serves as the principal cemetery for islanders.

This photo of the church was taken later that day, and we had to careful not to intrude as a wedding was going on.  Apparently, the church does not even have electricity, but it does look like a suitably attractive and quaint venue in which to get married.

The day was spitting grottiness by then, but the horses didn't seem to care!

St Mary's Church was consecrated in 1838; replacing the old town church as it was considered inconvenient for the population, and in need of repair.

I took this photo of St Mary's Hall Hotel just because I liked the warm and cosy look of it; shrouded and hugged by the kind of tropical plants which flourish here.

Our Lady Star of the Sea is the island's Catholic Church.  The Isles of Scilly's most predominant faith is actually Methodism.

A random lion on a building wall near our apartment...  I took this photo just because I'm a Leo...😀

Walking up to the Buzza Tower; looking down on Porthcressa Beach.

Staring out to the sea to the left of the beach...

Looking the other way down from the hill, with Town Beach, The Quay and Rat Island below, with the Scillonian III in dock.

Buzza Tower was first built in 1821, and used as a windmill.  The seating was added in 1912, when the tower was restored as a memorial to Edward VII.

Here's the SuperDean having a nosey around and getting a bit of shelter.  You can see how wet the day now was by the raindrops infesting my camera lens.

Nowadays, it is used as a camera obscura (to study eclipses without damaging the eye).  It has been open to the public since 2014, but there was no sign whatsoever of life inside on this day. 

This is the remains of Peninnis Mill.  I initially thought this might be a burial chamber as there are over eighty entrance graves recorded on the islands, and most date from the late Neolithic period to the middle Bronze Age (c.2500-1000 BC).  The size of the graves reflected the social standing of the person buried within.  Multiple interments did take place within a single site, however.

Power station chimney...

Old Town Bay was visible as we made our rustic way towards the lighthouse...

Peninnis Lighthouse was powered by oil gas and first lit in 1911, then converted to automatic acetylene operation in 1922.  It stands 14m (45 ft) tall.

Rat Island and the new harbour arm...

On a more clement day we walked to Carreg Dhu garden, which is more to the centre of the island and is cared for by community volunteers.

I like the way the glare from the sun "kissed" this photo...💛💙💜💚

Once a disused quarry, it is now a beautiful sub-tropical garden...

A closer view of the tree, and SuperDean HAD to get his fat swede into the shot...

A small group were busy undertaking their yoga moves just behind this tree and mini-pond...

The gardens were set up in 1986, with donations of plants and shrubs sent from Tresco's Abbey Garden...

It is considered to be small and understated, compared to the aforementioned Abbey Garden, but I believe that's where its charm lies...

Carreg Dhu means Black Rocks in Kernewek, the ancient Cornish language.

I loved the starkness of this evergreen with the sun peeping through; throwing it into silhouette...

Anyone is welcome to tend the garden, and it's a space everyone can enjoy.

This was my favourite little alcove, and had something of a fairytale element about it...

Belladonna lilies, fuchsias, daffodils, geraniums and camellias are listed as living here, but these flowers look like hydrangeas...

This is Porthmellon Beach, and it looked the most rugged of the beaches I saw...

The next three photos come as an addition to the blog after my third visit to the islands, in 2023.

We walked across farmland and beside hides to Porth Hellick Beach (as rugged as the previously mentioned beach, but in a different, rockier way) on the eastern side of St. Mary's.  Our mission was to check out this chap, known as Loaded Camel Rock.

It's easy to see how he got his name, and he is one of many strange formations on the islands...

Apparently some dim tourists think he is man made, and ask how long it took to make him- 'Oh, about six million years,' is the answer to that question!

😆 

This view is taken from the Old Quay; a small arm which reaches out to the side of the quay.

Porthcressa Beach, and overlooking the Atlantic Ocean on the way to dinner.

💙

This semi-derelict hut was up near Woolpack Point Battery.  Interestingly, a couple of days later the gate was padlocked shut...

We were shooed out by someone the second time we came up here.  As it's heritage land, could the Woolpack Point Battery have squatters?

Standing on Woolpack Point Battery, with St Agnes and Gugh over the water.

Accessing the Garrison for the second time, via a new way which led off a street...

...Through a Lilliputian doorway, with the 6'2" SuperDean offering up a height comparison...

Having to duck through the access tunnel...

...And arriving up a set of stairs into Sally Port.

The Garrison fortifications date back to 1593, following the Spanish Armada, with additions throughout subsequent centuries as other threats emerged...

The cannon on display date from the 18th and early 19th centuries...

Town Beach to the left, Porthcressa Beach to the right...

The site is managed by English heritage, and nowadays visitors can walk much the length of the Garrison Walls, which are very well-preserved.

This looks like a sentry box...

A closer view of the gate, and the nucleus of the Garrison was always Star Castle, now a hotel...

I like the way tropical flowers have taken a hold in this nook...

Overlooking Porthcressa Beach and I will spend more time walking the Garrison Walls the next time I visit.

The island is home to many species which survive purely because this is a subtropical environment.  This tree had a Japanese feel to it...

Uninhabited Samson is the camel-hump island in the centre of the picture.  You can take tours to it, and I might have to give that a go next time I'm here...

The Isles of Scilly Museum shows a wide range of artefacts and a rich history of wrecks.

This cabinet was about Harold Wilson, and included his telephone, which was kept at the Custom and Excise house, and allowed him to have direct contact with No.10 Downing Street during his holidays.

A cabinet commemorating the Isles of Scilly visits of our dear Queen, who'd passed away only weeks beforehand.

The Pilot's Gig was a restaurant and bar.  Here is a plaque of a traditional Scillonian Gig (a six rower craft once used as a general work boat) which sat above their bar.

Stained glass window, and gig racing is still a regular Scillonian sport...

Stained glass puffins, and the Pilot's Gig do FANTASTIC pizzas...

Stained glass window representing a gig...

Olde-worlde range...

In the Atlantic Inn, I read Coddswallop (sic) corner as "Oddswallow Corner!"

I would...😉

I did like Bullshit Corner, in the Mermaid Inn...😁

There must be something about this corner, as the first time we came to this pub, during our day trip, this seat was occupied by a moaning old cow.  Then, when she left, a party containing a whinging man took her place.

We tried our best to break the chain and be happy when we sat here!😁

The Scillonian III could not sail on the day we were to leave, due to gale force winds, so we had to consult with Tourist Information and managed to get a lovely, friendly B&B called Nancherrow for the night.

Here's the rainbow that tried to peek out later in the day, with this view overlooking the airport on the horizon.

Harold Wilson's home was right near our B&B.  It is considered the most boring house on the island!

We sat on the upper deck for a while as the boat left the islands.  You can make out the Daymark of St Martin's at the end of the land, if you peer...

The setting sun, once we were in sight of the mainland...

We also had to face a train strike and a limited service the next day, so once we'd settled back in Penzance we headed out for a shot or two...😉

This was my little present to self- two pretty bracelets in an organza bag, from a souvenir shop called Tideline on St Mary's.

Isles of Scilly, I am booked to return next autumn, and there's plenty more I need to see and document.

Until then...

TTFN

The Miss Elaineous

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THE HAUNTING OF THORES-CROSS by KAREN PERKINS

 THE HAUNTING OF THORES-CROSS

BY

KAREN PERKINS

THE BLURB:-

A haunting historical thriller set in Britain's North Yorkshire Moors about isolation, superstition and persecution, The Haunting of Thores-Cross explores 18^th century life in a picturesque but isolated village in the North Yorkshire Moors.

When a vulnerable young girl is ostracised within her community and accused of witchcraft, the descendents of her neighbours will suffer for centuries to come.

THE REALITY:-

Was it really necessary to spell out the North Yorkshire Moors twice in the blurb? I think not, and its an oversight by the publishers (yes, I know I'm being petty!) This is a setting I have some affinity with, having loved the tales penned by the Bronte sisters, and also some of the work by Yorkshire blockbuster writer gal Barbara Taylor Bradford. It's also were I went this year, for my graduation from my (distance learning) MA and also where I will go to next year, for a break in Filey. The landscape and scenery of this area were beautifully documented, as were the regional accents used by (it seems) all of the characters in this novel. I loved the idea of a hidden village, sitting beneath the man-made flooded dam.

This definitely had something going for it as I finished it in only a few days, but I felt more for the historical settings and the character of Jennet than I did for modern-day Emma. I can certainly understand Jennet's wrath at those who'd hurt her, following the awful bad luck she had of (spoiler alert!) losing both parents at once and then her twins. I loved her vindictive nature- she wasn't about to take certain things lying down, and can certainly respect her glee when it seemed that some of her curses appeared to be working. Go, gal! Unfortunately, given the grim superstitions of the time it meant she was accused of being a witch, and that spelled her downfall.

I did like Emma, but with her parts of the story seemed to get far fetched. Did she really believe she was carrying Jennet's child and not her own, and that Mark, the father of the baby (and not her husband- rather, the husband of her friend who lived in Jennet's old cottage) was actually Richard Ramsgill? Having recurring dreams dictating the past is one thing, but actually carrying around this belief sounded plain daft. I also can't believe that Kathy and Dave readily accepted their spouses' affairs so easily. This author has been likened to Barbara Erskine, and that's another author whose stories start interestingly and with enough realism to carry them, but end up turning into something away with the fairies. I'm not sure that approach is my kind of reading, but I'd be prepared to give both Perkins and Erskine another go.

MISS ELAINEOUS VISITS BRYHER...

Bryher was my final Isles of Scilly off-island visit and I travelled solo once again, as the SuperDean didn't want to come out and play.  It's one of the smaller inhabited islands; being 1.2 mi (2km) long by 0.62 mi (1km) wide, and only 84 people reside here.

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

https://youtu.be/dvXnoByuUoU

Bryher sits right next to Tresco and this photo taken from the boat as I approached shows the southern end, with Tresco Abbey visible to the centre of the photo. 

New Grimsby Harbour is to the left of the beach in the centre of the photo, and it's where we'd alighted when we'd visited Tresco.  The two islands are so close that two-island day trips are often available and sandflats can be exposed during low tides.

To me, Bryher was the island that seemed the most about farming- possibly due to the presence of Veronica Farm, which offers holiday lets, and makes extraordinary fudge.

As this group of gals was right near the farm, I think we can safely assume that their contribution is an essential part of that business! 😀

I took a path that seemed quite low down, and which ran parallel to the sea, and popped into the farm.

They sell their fudge, amongst other things, in this little shed.  It's a big version of an honesty box!

I chose the rum raison and it was very good.  It had quite an unusual texture as it's crumbly, and melt-in-the-mouth.  I prefer this to chewy fudge which puts your fillings at risk! 

I trudged down the main central roads.  The residents tend to live around quite a narrow zone between the shores and hills, and to the south of the island, as the north and the outer edges are too exposed to the temperamental elements to be cultivated.

All Saints' Church is the most westerly Anglican church in England, and dates back to 1742.

The quay I'd alighted from is called Church Quay (one of two quays on the island) and is so called because of its proximity to the church.

All four stained glass windows were replaced by local Oriel Hicks in recent times, with the work being completed in 2007.  They represent sayings of Jesus Christ, and this one is supposed to be lilies in a field.

The church is open every day, although services only take place on Sundays throughout the summer season, and on special occasions.

The church has been a listed building since 1975.  Of course, macabre little me just had to take a graveyard photo! 

Looking towards the water, with Anneka's Quay to the right.  This quay is also known as Bar Quay, and dates from 1990, when it was built- by volunteers- for the television programme Challenge Anneka...

Hangman Island (I've also seen it written down as Hangman's Island), Cromwell's Castle and King Charles's Castle (with the latter, I don't think they're referring to the current chap...😁)

It was easy to view Cromwell's Castle- which sits on Tresco- from Bryher's east coast.  Built by naval officer Sir Robert Blake between 1651-52, right at the end of the English Civil War (1642-1651), it was named after Oliver Cromwell; leader of the Parliamentarians.

Island Fish, with it's picturesque outdoor seating area.  There is also a crab shack on the island, but it was all boarded up for the winter.

Looking down from the main track, and apparently, sea levels would only need to rise a few metres for the southern part of the island to turn into its own archipelago of five or six islands.

When I heard there was a phone box museum on Bryher, I assumed it was a museum containing phone boxes, and not a museum within a phone box- silly me!

It's a pop-up museum which was set up in 2018 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the film When the Whales Came, and features memorabilia regarding that film...

The film was based on Michael Morpurgo's book, which was set on the island.  The film starred Helen Mirren and was shot here in 1988...

The flatness of these trees kind of gave them a Japanese feel...

Olivia's Kitchen Café & Restaurant serves a great selection of food and drink, including some stunning cakes- I just wasn't peckish enough to try them!

Bryher Shop is the building behind these beautiful Kniphofia Red Hot Popsicles (I also saw some of these striking flowers on St Agnes).

Bryher Gallery sells ceramics, textiles, cute little decorative thingumajigs such as these below and, of course, paintings.

Overlooking the Great Pool- an inland lake south of Hell Bay Hotel...

...I have to say, the area didn't look much like hell to me!

Boats on the water between this island and Tresco...

Crops being protected by cloches...

It was a peaceful walk around the island, but these volcanic rock formations just jutting out of the water fascinated me...  

I wouldn't mind if that was my view- but just for a holiday as I think this place is too remote for even antisocial little moi to reside in!

Twisty palm tree where the road looped round...

Looking towards a moody sky, with the sun throwing the landscape into silhouette...

I believe The Lookout is simply someone's house- I just loved the floral displays surrounding it...

Peering down onto the water.  The day was very warm for October...

Chickens clucking away and minding their own business.  I think this island reminded me of farming the most as I seemed to encounter more tractors here than anywhere else.

More Kniphofia Red Hot Popsicles lurking by the road...

These flowers seem to be a special feature of this island!

This rock is not actually called Fraggle Rock...

...It sits behind this bar and I loved the name of it- Fraggle Rock...😁

But the rock it overlooks is actually called Hangman's Rock.  There is a jib and noose on top of Hangman's Rock, although that is a modern day addition.  It is thought that mutinous sailors were once hanged here.

Behind the rock you can clearly see Cromwell's Castle, and high on the hill is the ruin of King Charles's Castle, a ruined artillery fort which was built between 1548-51.  Both buildings are managed by English Heritage, and it was King Charles I who gave the latter castle its name.

A quick visit to the little girls' room revealed this strangely phallic blue soap- I'd never seen anything like it before, and rudely commented that it must be what a Smurf's penis looks like!!!!

😁😁😁😁

Bryher has been named a rat-free zone- if you spot one of these rodent invaders you have to report it, as they can pose a threat to migratory birds...

My pre-leaving view, taken from the beach whilst waiting for the boat from Anneka's Quay, with Hangman Island to the left...

It's hard to believe that you can actually walk across from Bryher to Tresco during low spring tides!  You can also walk to uninhabited Samson, below, and here's my view from the boat back.

Bryher, I will be back next year- my holiday is all booked!

Until then...

TTFN

The Miss Elaineous

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