Early in the morning we left the mainland in Cornwall and headed for St Mary’s—one of the Isles of Scilly. Thanks of course to Michael for driving us to the docks in Cornwall so we were able to catch a boat to St Mary’s. .

The boat trip was 3 hours long and the sea was fairly rough. But no problem, we made it over just fine. When we arrived, our hotel was just around the corner. (We took a cab anyway.) The hotel (St Mary’s Hall) is just fabulous and it has a great restaurant as well. 

When we first arrived we were greeted by a dock where a lot of small boats were moored. And, of course, there were Englishmen and their dogs. It seems that everyone, and I mean everyone, has a dog. And they (the dogs) are regular travelers on the boats. 

After a quick walkabout on the island we had a great dinner in the restaurant. The next day we caught a boat for the Isle of Tresco. It was an open air boat, but the ride was only about 30 minutes. One of the main attractions of Tresco is the gardens of Abbey Farms, which we visited. 

On top of the gardens, Tresco, is lush and green, which emphasizes the beautiful scenery on the island. After walking around for maybe 2 hours enjoying the sights we headed back to the docks where we met the boat and caught a ride back to St Mary’s. And oh yes, before I forget—the hotel bar has Tanqueray Gin and they make an excellent pre-dinner G&T. Just in case anyone asks. 

It looks like the 19th will be a shopping day in town. The next day we will hop on a flight to Exeter and then get a train close to Barton Stacey where we will meet Sally and Michael again to spend a few more days. 

JFB