Lying in the Atlantic Ocean some 28 miles off the coast of mainland Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly are made up of around 150 islands, of which five – St Mary’s, St Martin’s, Tresco, Bryher and St Agnes – are inhabited. Hugh Town, on the main island of St Mary’s (which is where our Isles of Scilly itinerary starts), is the only settlement of any real size, and is Scilly’s main transport hub. The Scillonian ferry sails between Penzance and St Mary’s from mid-March to October. There’s one departure daily from Monday to Saturday (also Sunday in July and August), which usually leaves Penzance at 9.15am and arrives into St Mary’s at noon; the return sailing normally leaves at 4.30pm and arrives back on the mainland at 7.15pm, although Saturday sailings in summer leave at 10am and arrive at 12.45pm. The crossing can sometimes get pretty rough, so if you’re prone to seasickness, wear travel bands and take a travel-sickness tablets such as Stugeron before you set sail – and grab a spot on the floor in the basement of the boat, which is apparently the most stable place to be! If you want to fly, Skybus serves St Mary’s from Land’s End [20 minutes], Newquay [30 minutes] and, from mid-March to October, Exeter [1 hour] airports.

From Edinburgh and Dublin, you’ll need to fly to Newquay with Loganair [1 hour 15 minutes] and Aer Lingus [1 hour 15 minutes], respectively, to connect with an onward flight to St Mary’s from there.

Little tripper boats make regular runs between all of Scilly’s five inhabited islands – as well as Samson, at the southern tip of Bryher – with the majority of services ferrying passengers to and from St Mary’s and the off-islands of St Martin’s, Tresco, Bryher and St Agnes. The main operator is the St Mary’s Boatmen’s Association, a conglomerate of local skippers, although there are also several services run by Tresco Boat Services and St Agnes Boating. Boat times are dependent on the tide and are confirmed the evening before and online; to buy your tickets [£12 return, £6 for children; Samson £14, £7 for children] get there a few minutes earlier and pay on board (with cash) or at the office at the entrance to the quay (with card). Note that, due to tide times, you will normally be arriving and departing from different quays when you visit St Martin’s (Higher Town and Lower Town), Tresco (New Grimsby Harbour and Carn Near) and Bryher (Bar and Quay). Other islands such as the Eastern Isles, Annet and the Western Rocks, can be visited on boat tours from St Mary’s and Tresco.

On the islands themselves, only St Mary’s is big enough to potentially require transport to get around, and even then you should only need a golf buggy, available to hire from Scilly Golf Carts [from 9am to 5.30pm | 4-seat cart £59 for the day, 6-seat cart £69 for the day]. All of the off-islands are car-free. Cycling is definitely the best way to get around Tresco; bikes are available from Tresco Bike Hire [guests staying on Tresco can book in advance online; day-trippers can hire theirs on arrival | £16 for the day, child’s bikes £13 for the day]. Otherwise, the islands are best explored on foot.

Although there’s a tropical feel to holidaying on the Isles of Scilly, you should still pack clothing for the good old British weather, which means sun hats and waterproof jackets; a fleece is also recommended, and will come in handy on boat trips if the wind is up. Consider taking a rash vest, a shorty or a full wetsuit with you, both for the beach, particularly if you’re visiting in spring or autumn, and for kayaking off St Martin’s. A day-sack is also useful for day-trips to the off-islands. If you’re catching the ferry from Penzance, it’s worth taking motion-sickness bands and travel-sickness tablets such as Stugeron with you, just in case, as the crossing can sometimes get choppy. It’s not particularly necessary, but if you wanted to plot your itinerary on a map, the OS Explorer Map 101 (Isles of Scilly) [£8.99] covers all the islands and has a detailed inset map of Hugh Town.