The Scilly Isles are a little cluster of islands off the tip of Cornwall and they are truly astonishing. There are five inhabited islands and they are like little English villages stranded out in the ocean. They’re the kinds of places where everybody knows everybody but it rarely feels claustrophobic. There is plenty of room, the opposite of crowded beaches full of colorful umbrellas and loud boomboxes.  You could hike for miles and not see another person. They boast Britain’s most beautiful white sand beaches, miles of walking trails through gorgeous forest, and best of all, though strange, its own climate. With daytime highs barely reaching 57°F and rarely dipping below 50°F at night in the fall, it’s a welcome escape from Britain’s hot, muggy weather if you’re visiting that time of year. With such a comfortable temperature, you’d be a fool not to take advantage of the many shore-side restaurants and coffee shops.  Take a seat, relax, slow down to the pace of the locals, and watch the waves crash and the ships tug by while partaking in some fresh-caught fish and seafood. At Adam’s Fish & Chips, the only diner, it’s Adam himself who will catch your dinner from the ocean and then prepare it in the kitchen: pollock and lobster tails fresh from the ocean.

Though the islands aren’t easy to reach, even for the Brits, that’s part of the appeal, and the journey is an adventure in itself. From London, you take the sleeper train then transfer by bus to a nearby airport where a twice-daily helicopter and a fleet of tiny planes serve the islands. An added bonus- from the air, the islands are tantalizing.

Slow travel is the name of the game here, as even getting between the islands isn’t as simple as hopping on the next boat. Times and pick-up locations are dictated by the tides.  While the Scilly Isles might be hard to get to, it seems they’re equally hard to leave.

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