That brick road surrounded by water… - 18 April 2006

Grab the girl, get on the train and spend the Easter Holydays exploring Cornwall and the local attractions.
Sounds like a brilliant plan.

Scilly Isles. A wet day



The Scillonian IIFirst bad surprise in the morning: a cloudy sky and a rainy day.
I knew I couldn't be so luck even in Cornwall; especially on the day we decided to go and visit the Isles of Scilly.
With just one ferry leaving daily from Penzance at 36 pounds a/r (bloody expensive) we didn't have any other chance that waking up in another early morning to get ready and get on the ship.

On our way to St MaryAfter a quick English breakfast in the restaurant, we left the hotel and walked in the cold rain to the quay, where the huge ferry (the Scillonian II) was waiting for the daily amount of tourists.
I was surprised to see many people with Sainsbury's and Tesco's grocery bags full of pretty much everything, waiting for the ferry.
I soon realized why: the islands are so far and isolated that people have to schedule a weekend on the other big island (England) to buy all the stuff that can't find on the islands.
So, with few dozens of tourists we traveled to the biggest of the islands, St Mary's. The trip was long and very boring, but fortunately we were so tired that we spent the 2 and half hours sleeping on board.

Lindsey at St MaryNothing much to see on this islandThe Scilly isles are formed by few dozens of small islands, but only five of them are actually inhabited: St Mary's, the biggest and the one with more shops/commodities, Tresco, with his gardens, and Bryher, with...well, with pretty much nothing. Plus two other islands with some other name.

As soon as we arrived in St Mary's, instead of exploring the island which looked pretty much like a normal small town, we decided with bravery and with the promise of free food (Lindsey knew someone who knew someone else working in the only hotel in the island, which we realized left months ago) to jump on the first available ship and get to Bryher.

Freezing on the boatThe trip was supposed to be only 20 minutes long, and after a quick stop at Tresco to unload all the people with their grocery bags, it looked like getting to Bryher was just few minutes away.
Unfortunately, the bad weather, the wind and the low tide took us around the island, so a nice and short trip on a open deck ended one hour of (cold and wet) hell experience.
Lindsey at least was somehow covered with her jacket while I simply pretended to be the though man (which anyway I am) and ignore the cold water, the rain and the wind hitting and slapping my face on the small boat.Bryher's dock

Bryher's golf courseWe arrived with the low tide at Bryher and after some problems parking the boat, we could finally explore it.
Fortunately the rain wasn't so annoying anymore (probably we just get used to it) and we walked on the ONLY road from the quay to the end of the island.

I was surprised to see so many houses (18), two restaurants and the mail office in that place.
The place was actually very relaxing, with fat cows and chickens enjoying their time. A lot of flowers, green, small ponds and small bays. I guess I would enjoy it better with some sun shining on our heads.

Probably around 50 people are still living there, enjoying years of isolation and gently inbreeding. I guess that the hotel with a short golf course on the nice named "Hell Bay" has its unique purpose to provide a wider selection to increase the number of inhabitants.
I even saw three kids playing not far from the cheap (but good) restaurant where we eat, the Vine Cafe'.

Now, let me spend a thought for these poor kids.
How crap must be life for those three kids? No way to play football, and in any game is always 2 against 1. You can't afford to not like any of your (two) friends because soon they will spend the time be themselves and you'll be ignored forever and ever and probably decide to leave the island as soon as you reach the age of consent.
Especially because if all your friends are guys and you have a penis too. So, getting ignored until you reach 18 and then you travel and discover girls who aren't related to you in a way unlike in St Mary's or even Penzance?
Or spend more and more time together and developing "srange"and forbidden feelings? What a life.

Waiting for the boatAnyway, after a nice meal we ran back to the Quay just in time to catch the last ride to St Mary. This time it took just 15 minutes, so we were in time to get the Scillonian II, which leaves on its only return trip to the Penzance at 16.30. As you can see, spending some time in the Scilly Isles without staying the night in some hotel on St Mary's is quite difficult.

29One in Penzance we got back in the hotel and then decided to go to the only cinema in town. The local movie theatre (the Savoy, great old name!) was a very old style cinema with a great feeling. We had dinner in the local pub full of locals having the time of their live (probably everyone knows everyone and they have the time of their life every night).
The film we watched was ok (She's the man, nice girls and jokes but let's say it clear: girls can't play football) but again tiredness stepped in and it was time to get back.

While I was too tired to remember, Lindsey never forgot to remind it that the next day would be my birthday. She loves birthdays, while I usually forget (after I reached the wise age of 18 I stopped counting them). I'm almost thirty by the way.


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