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After St Mary's, TRESCO is the most visited island of the Scillies, and, measuring two miles in length, is the second largest in the group. Once the private estate of Devon's Tavistock Abbey, Tresco still retains a cloistered, slightly privileged air, and it has no budget accommodation. Boats pull in at various quays according to the tide; wherever you land, it is only a few minutes' walk to the entrance to Abbey Gardens (daily 10am-4pm; GBP6.50), featuring a few ruins from the priory amid subtropical gardens first laid out in 1834. Many of the plants were grown from seeds taken from London's Kew Gardens, others were brought here from Africa, South America and the Antipodes. The entry ticket also admits you to a collection of figureheads and name plates from shipwrecked vessels. You don't need to walk far to find alluring sandy beaches: one of the best - Appletree Bay - is only a few steps from the southern ferry landing at Carn Near. The island's best strands, and good for shell-hunting, stretch south of Old Grimsby , on the island's eastern side. Another gorgeous bay lies around the cluster of cottages that make up New Grimsby , on the island's eastern shore. North of here, Tresco's tidy fields give way to rough heathland, while a narrow path traces the coast to Charles' Castle , built in the 1550s. Strategically positioned on a height to cover the lagoon-like channel separating Tresco from Bryher, the castle was in fact badly designed, its guns unable to depress far enough to be effective, and it was superseded in 1651 by the much better-preserved Cromwell's Castle , actually no more than a gun-tower, built at sea level next to a pretty sandy cove. The shore path winds northwest from here, round to Piper's Hole , a deep underground cave  © 2003 by Rough Guides Ltd. as trustee for its Authors. Published by Rough Guides. All rights reserved. Rough Guides name is a trademark of Rough Guides Ltd. Buy the book here!
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accessible from the cliff-edge on the northern coast. Apart from the exclusive Island Hotel at the centre of the island (tel 01720/422883; over GBP200; closed Nov to mid-March), the only accommodation on the island is the New Inn at New Grimsby (tel 01720/422844; GBP110-150), which also has pub snacks in its garden and a formal restaurant . For gourmet cuisine, head for the restaurant at the Island Hotel , where fresh fish is the speciality.
Your Tips For Tresco
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