Walking in the Isles of Scilly
Author | Paddy Dillon |
Publisher | Cicerone Press |
ISBN | ISBN-10: 1 85284 310 1 (First Edition)
ISBN-13: 978 1 85284 475 2 (Second Edition) ISBN-13: 978 1 85284 586 5 (Third Edition) ISBN-13: 978 1 85284 806 4 (Fourth Edition) ISBN-13: 978 1 7863 1104 7 (Fifth Edition) Also available in eBook and Kindle formats |
Price | £8.95 |

A granite tor on the rocky shore of Bryher, looking out towards the Norrard Rocks.

Walkers approach the Old Man of Gugh, a standing stone on the little island of Gugh.

Cromwell’s Castle guards the narrow sea passage between the islands of Tresco and Bryher.
This was an odd kind of project, as all the route research was completed before there was any talk about producing a guidebook!
The Isles of Scilly were visited and explored in great detail, which was easy enough as the combined area of the islands is a mere 16 square kilometres (6¼ square miles). Notes were gathered for a series of route descriptions in Country Walking magazine, but plenty more material was gathered than was actually needed. Almost every morning started with a ferry trip, followed by a thorough exploration of each island in turn. In addition there were interesting cruises out to sea to spot wildlife, or simply admire the scenery.
Shortly after the trip, Cicerone pointed out that they didn't have a guidebook covering the Isles of Scilly, and expressed a wish to add one to their list. The complete manuscript was delivered in a fortnight... words, pictures, maps, the lot... even before a contract was issued!
The islands are a joy to explore, being almost sub-tropical and stunningly beautiful. They get more sunshine hours than anywhere else in Britain, and abound in charm and interest. The book includes a town trail, ten other walks on the islands, and four boat trips. There is enough in the book to last a keen walker for two weeks, despite the limited area of the island group.
The guidebook was later overhauled and republished in full colour, then all the walks were checked yet again for a third edition. The book now incorporates full colour 1:25,000 scale OS Explorer mapping of the islands, with all the walking routes highlighted, along with full colour photographs showing off the best of the islands' scenery. Despite the Covid pandemic, the islands were visited again and all the routes and facilities checked in order to completely overhaul the contents of the book, which is now in its fifth edition.
Walk Contents
Walk 1 | Hugh Town Trail |
Walk 2 | The Garrison Wall |
Walk 3 | St Mary's Coast |
Walk 4 | St Mary's Nature Trails |
Walk 5 | The Gugh |
Walk 6 | St Agnes |
Boat Trip 1 | Annet and the Western Rocks |
Walk 7 | Samson |
Walk 8 | Bryher |
Boat Trip 2 | The Norrard Rocks |
Walk 9 | Tresco |
Walk 10 | Tresco Abbey Gardens |
Boat Trip 3 | St Helen's & Teän |
Walk 11 | St Martin's |
Boat Trip 4 | The Eastern Isles |