The Year Ahead On Tresco
To relieve the January blues, we’ve taken a look ahead at what’s in store throughout the year on Scilly (as if you needed tempting)…
Spring arrives early on Scilly, making Tresco the perfect place to shake off the winter blues.
By February, fields of golden Narcissi reach their peak, filling the air with a heady scent of Spring. Enjoy the beauty and tranquillity of the islands as they awake for the year with a clifftop walk or a stroll through Tresco Abbey Garden at your own pace.
If walking is your thing, join us for Walk Scilly (1st – 7th April) – a week-long festival of guided walks taking in the archipelago’s beautiful natural environment, history and culture.
The Easter weekend is a beautiful time to enjoy with family on Tresco. Children can revel in a unique Easter egg hunt in the Abbey Garden, services of celebration are held at the historic St Nicholas’ Church, and our inaugural 2017 show at Gallery Tresco will feature island-inspired works from celebrated southwest artists.
Make the most of spring on Scilly with our Winter Warmer Break this February and March, enjoying complimentary entry to the beautiful Tresco Island Spa.
Mention Scilly to most people and they will talk of long days lazing on white sand beaches or messing about in boats on the aquamarine waters.
Summer kicks off in style on Scilly with the islands’ biggest event of the year – the World Pilot Gig Championships (28th April – 1st May) - more than 120 six-oared wooden gigs competing to be crowned champion and the ultimate spectator event.
Gig racing continues every week throughout the summer; head out on the water with Tresco Boats each week to catch the action.
For the active, things don’t stop after gig weekend. June boasts the Tresco Triathlon (11th June), Tresco’s biggest annual sporting event of the year, as well as the Otillo Swimrun event – one of the toughest endurance races in the world.
For something a little more relaxing there’s our first Yoga Break of the year (12 – 16 May), where you can truly unwind and enjoy the natural tonic of Tresco with tutor Lucy Aldridge.
Or immerse yourself in the beauty of the Abbey Garden and develop your horticultural know-how with Curator Mike Nelhams and his team on the World in a Garden Break (19 – 23 June).
The summer months see many of the year’s Walking Tides, allowing you to walk the channel between Tresco and the neighbouring island of Bryher. There are Walking Tides most months (see a full schedule here) but on 27th May and 25th June something even more special takes place...
Our Low Tide Events are a low tide, mid-channel popup festival celebrating the sea, the summer and the sand between your toes. With a feast of food and drink, popup restaurant and bar, fresh fish stall, games, live music and fishing demonstrations, it’s an event not to be missed!
For the culture vultures there’s plenty to keep you entertained throughout the summer months. Our Gallery Tresco exhibitions begin with our May and June shows, before our series of fortnightly summer shows throughout July and August, all featuring artists inspired by Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
There’s also the Scilly Folk Festival over the Whitsun weekend (25th – 30th May) and the Scilly Laughs Comedy Festival (10th – 13th June), as well as Open Air Theatre in August from the Festival Players (13th August) and Miracle Theatre (date TBC).
If all that activity sounds exhausting, where better to while away a sunny summer afternoon than the sheltered New Inn beer garden? Throughout the summer there’s a range of special events to enjoy, with our Beer Festival during Whitsun (26 – 30 May), Cider Festival (23 – 27 June) and Ale Festival (25 – 29 August), plus great live music nights dotted throughout the summer.
Summer often seems to cling to Scilly when, elsewhere, autumn is well underway.
For the foodies, September sees Taste of Scilly – a month long celebration of the most mouthwatering local food and drink from the land and sea of Scilly. With popup beach events, farm tours and tastings, gourmet lunches and much more, even the fussiest foodie will be spoilt for choice.
To work off all that food there’s the Scilly Swim Challenge (2 – 6 September), or October’s Walk Scilly weekend (12 – 16 October) – both great opportunities to experience the natural beauty of Scilly at this beautiful and tranquil time of year.
For a week of restful reflection as the summer turns gently to autumn join our Yoga Retreat with expert tutor Lucy Aldridge (15 – 19 September), or for a spot of culture there’s our final Gallery Tresco show of the year, featuring the work of some of the freshest upcoming talent emerging from the Falmouth School of Art.
For the entertainers, there’s chance to indulge your passion for the guitar on Tresco with our Guitar Retreat with expert tuition from Stuart Marshall (16 – 20 October). Enthusiasm is more important than ability; the retreat is designed to help you gain confidence in your playing abilities!
They don’t call Scilly “the fortunate isles” for nothing; temperatures rarely drop below double figures here, even in midwinter.
The warm temperatures mean no sooner have the summer blooms finished flowering than the islands’ most famous export – the Narcissi – begin to show their colours, with row upon row of golden-topped stems dotting fields across the islands as early as November.
The temperature also keeps the Abbey Garden a vision of colour with species from as far afield as South America and Africa growing quite happily in the mild Atlantic air when most British gardens are dull and dormant.
Why not take part in your own winter flower count and see how many species of plant you can find in flower in the Abbey Garden (on New Year’s Day 2017 our garden team found 313 species in bloom – a record!)
Mind you, don’t let the milder temperatures distract you from the little pleasures of winter: bracing clifftop walks watching towering Atlantic rollers crashing in, warm log fires to toast your toes, steaming mugs of hot chocolate and peace, beauty and tranquillity.
Curl up by the fire and finally finish that book you’ve been meaning to read for months, unwind in the Tresco Island Spa or just enjoy the cosiness of an island Christmas with the locals at The New Inn.
