My last day on the Isles of Scilly and the forecast was rain again so I decided to stay on St Mary's.
My waterproofs had dried overnight so I put them on and went off for a short walk.
A short walk around the coast from Hughtown and I was at Harry's Walls, an unfinished 16th century artillery fort which was intended to protect St Mary's. In the Tudor period the harbour of St Mary's, which you can see from here, would have been vulnerable to attack from England's enemies, France and Spain.
The rain was easing off so I continued my coastal walk and decided I would walk on to Juliet's garden which has views over the harbour.They had plenty of indoor seating so I took a seat by the window and enjoyed a cup of tea and toasted teacake. They did have fresh crab so I asked if they could make me a crab sandwich to take away. I thought I would take it back to my flat and have it for lunch there and go out again in the afternoon.
As I left the restaurant/cafe the rain had stopped so I decided I would walk on a bit more. In the end I walked round the whole of the island about 10-12 miles as the rain was on and off but never that heavy.
A goldfinch (I think) on a garden feeder.
I wish I had brought my camera on holiday with me but I had decided my phone would be good enough. However, it doesn't have much of a zoom which would have come in handy. I thought I had spotted an osprey as I knew one had been seen a few times in this area.
I found a sheltered spot and settled down to look out for it. I managed to get a very blurry video of the large bird but even on a bad video it was obvious it wasn't an osprey but a great blue heron. An impressive and large bird nevertheless.
I enjoyed watching the heron skimming above the water whilst I feasted on my delicious white crab sandwich.
Spotted a few butterflies, mainly red admirals. Butterflies seem few and far between this year.
I enjoyed my final day of walking.
I didn't meet many others on the path but I did chat to one gentleman who recognised me from one of the other islands. He called out to me before he caught me up for which I was very grateful. The noise of the sea drowns out all other sounds and he would have given me a fright as I was totally unaware of his presence. Another man who was out running, coughed very loudly before overtaking me. I much appreciated their awareness of silently approaching a lone female out walking.
I just about managed to capture the rainbow.
This is a sign you don't see often, warning you of low flying aircraft.
In fact you have to cross the end of the runway to continue on the coastal path.
It started raining heavily just as I got back into Hugh Town. I was so pleased I had continued with my walk as it proved a beautiful way to spend my last day on the island.
There were just four passengers on this flight. It was a bit cloudy so I didn't have a good view of the islands as we left but I had an excellent view of the pilot!
St Mary's would have been vulnerable to attack from England's enemies, France and Spain? France and Spain had a lot to answer for :(
ReplyDeleteYou had a great trip. Your last day walk was beautiful.
ReplyDeleteYou managed to see a great deal on your holiday. I hope your journey home was smooth and without incident.
ReplyDeleteA lovely way to spend your last day. Hope you made it home safely and without any delays etc.
ReplyDeleteI guess it was a case of showers appearing and then leaving as there seems to be plenty of blue sky. Your short holiday sounds restorative and thanks for showing us somewhere most of us will never visit.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful holiday spot. Reminds me of home with the beaches.
ReplyDeleteCatching up -- I read back through all your posts about the Scilly Islands and your pre-stay days in Exeter -- every single thing about this trip was new to me -- I've never heard to this archipelago and I loved learning about it. Quiet beaches are always a wonderful place to rest, re-group and regenerate, which you probably needed after your summer adventures with your grands (I read those lovely posts also) . The Scilly isles seemed just perfect for that and also as if they were custom made for someone like you who can throw down a five to 10 mile hike around the coast line -- in between rainstorms even -- without giving it much thought at all. I loved the pictures you got (the phone cam did quite well -- I am always surprised still when mine works for me, still not natural the way it is for my grown grandkids). anyway, I m so glad you shared this trip. And that I had time today to catch up --I had a lovely time. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteWell done with your walking and the lovely mix of photographs.
ReplyDeleteI hope the journey home went well.
I wonder where you will be off to next?
Wishing you a happy end of October.
All the best Jan
A great looking part of the world - which I have yet to visit. I always feel uncomfortable approaching walkers from behind: I tend to scuff my feet to let them know I'm there! it seems like a common courtesy. Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne
ReplyDelete