St. Mary’s, the largest island, spans about 2.5 square miles and is home to Hugh Town, the administrative and commercial center. Its coastline features sandy beaches like Porthcressa and rocky coves perfect for exploration. The island is dotted with prehistoric burial mounds and the remnants of a 16th-century castle, Star Castle, built under Elizabeth I. Ferries and small planes connect it to the mainland, making it the gateway to the rest of Scilly.

Tresco, the second largest, is a privately managed island famed for its subtropical Abbey Garden. Established in the 19th century by Augustus Smith, the garden thrives with exotic plants from across the globe, a testament to the islands’ gentle weather. Tresco’s beaches, like Pentle Bay, dazzle with white sand, and its landscape includes the ruins of Civil War-era fortifications. It’s a quiet retreat, with no cars, just bicycles and footpaths.

St. Martin’s stretches long and narrow, its eastern end crowned by a red-and-white daymark from 1683, guiding ships through treacherous waters. The island is a paradise for birdwatchers, with puffins and Manx shearwaters nesting in its cliffs, and its beaches—like Great Bay—offer solitude and sweeping views. Small-scale farming and fishing sustain its tiny community, alongside a vineyard that produces crisp local wine.

Bryher and St. Agnes, the wildest of the five, face the full force of the Atlantic. Bryher’s western shore is battered by waves, while its eastern side shelters calm bays like Green Bay. St. Agnes, the southernmost island, feels remote with its lighthouse and flower fields, once a key industry. Linked by a sandbar at low tide, these two share a raw charm, their shores littered with shipwrecks and their skies alive with seabirds.