Thoughts on the Scillies

Our first full day on Tresco, what can I say. White sand, blinding sun, warm water .....err, no bloody cold actually. The islands are 50 miles out into the Atlantic with vicous tides, so a lot of water gets moved around, so it never warms up properly.

I went for a walk, in full beachcomber mode, bare feet, canvas bag slung over one shoulder, looking for bits of storm wrack and interesting objet'de mer. But of course I found little since this was August and the season was in full swing. Previous walkers had snaffled everything. [later I discovered that the islanders themselves tend to walk the beaches regularly, flotsam and jetsam being one of the things that make the place what it is. All in all I found very little of note]

Later on I found myself, together with the others on the western side in New Grimsby, at the pub having a very congenial pint of Surfers ale, and coming to the conclusion that Tresco was the 'Isle of Chelsea' or 'Knightsbridge-by-the-sea' given the amount of home counties dialects I was hearing. Apparently this was only because the holiday lets were booked up for 10 years ahead [20 in some places] and so you had several generations of the same family coming, year after year at the same time. Only middle class England can do this! The Island Hotel by contrast appeared [according to the nice girlie serving behind the bar] to be full of balding Essex wide-boys and their mutton-dressed-as-lamb slapper partners/wives/mistresses/girlfriends, and were given a wide berth by everyone.

The mix was supplemented by the yotties, [like us] but not your usual yellow welly marina crowd, but die-hard sea gypsies [like us!] who were here for some time, or just passing through. Brits, French, Dutch, Belgians even a yank family from Maine.

Later on I wandered off and then back to the rock opposite the boat for a bit of quiet contemplation [ie a nap] before returning to the boat, only to find Chris in full BBQ Man mode grilling up steak, langoustine crab ets, not only for us, but for a crew of Bretons from a boat behind us.

Thus went the first day on Paradise Island, for the next day I had decided to explore further afield..............


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