The Carbis Bay Hotel. Luxury hotel near St.Ives, Cornwall

Cornwall Gardens Holiday

Enjoy a relaxing luxury holiday at the award winning Carbis Bay Hotel, while visiting some of Cornwalls most enchanting gardens with experienced Garden's host Martin G Catford, M.I.Hart.,F.I.L.A.M.,D.H.W.(Hons).

General: The Scilly Isles - a group of 140 islands situated out in the Atlantic, just 28 miles beyond Land's End - are arranged loosely in a circle, and encompass calmer water within. There are only 5 inhabited islands out of 140 in total, but all are named, provided they are large enough to support the lives of wither 5 x rabbits or 1 x sheep - according to ancient geographers. There are 4,000 acres of land altogether in the Scilly Isles.

St. Mary's: The largest of the islands, although still only the same size as Sark, the smallest of the Channel Islands, but with a population of 1700, equals that of Alderney. St Mary's is only 2 1/2 miles x 1 3/4 miles, and lies to the south east of the group. The capital is Hugh Town which sits on a narrow sand bar, and is in reality no bigger than a village. St. Mary's was first known to be inhabited in the 1500's, although other islands were inhabited as late as the 1950's and 1960's.

St. Mary's is the hub of the Scilly Isles community, and has hotels, shops and houses all built close together. And in fact most of the services normally found in a town including two banks, a sub-post office, a hospital / health centre, Churches, and various shops offering groceries, hardware and clothing. It also has the home of the former Prime Minister - the late Sir Harold Wilson in Church Road.

There are only about 11 miles of metalled road, and a bus service which operates a circular tour during the summer months. The coastline is rocky, with numerous sandy beaches. Much of the livelihood is from farming and crops such as early potatoes, bulbs (Narcissus and Amaryllis), and cut flowers which are grown to beat the marked on the mainland. Some areas are set aside as S.S.S.I's.

Because of the winds and difficult rocky terrain, the average field size is approximately one acre, and at least 10% of the land is occupied by shelter belts. About 28 miles of these shelter belts are of Pittosporum crassifolium - most of which was unfortunately destroyed by one week's cold snap in 1987. It is estimated that it took 15 years to replant.

There are many ancient monuments to be discovered on the island, from megalithic village and tombs, to civil war fortifications. The small museum in High Town, and the Heritage Centre in the centre of the island, display much of the rich history of all the islands.

Tresco: This is the second largest of the islands, which lies to the north of the group. It is a provate island, where a landing fee is charged for day visitors. It has its own daily 40-mile link by helicopter with Penzance - one of the longest scheduled helicopter routes in the world.

It has an amazing variety of scenery, which is basically divided into three parts. In the north, the landscape is wild and barren - with the wind blasted heathland and cruel granite rock outcrops.

The centre section of the island is made up of green fields, cottages and farmland which lead down through an avenue of high dense trees up to the third section - the world famous Abbey Gardens with its collection of subtropical and exotic plants growing with a luxuriance unknown elsewhere in the United Kingdom.

In the 1830's, the first trees were planted as windbreaks by Augustus Smith, and thus Tresco Abbey Gardens were commenced. Many plants were subsequently presented by Kew Gardens, whilst others were brought back by visiting ships' Captains. Today, tree ferns can be seen there from New Zealand, Proteas and Aloes from South Africa, Eucalyptus from Australasia, and Echiums from the Canary Islands.

St. Martins: This is the most north-easterly island, with cliff scenery along the north side and many magnificent beaches of fine white sand along the southern coastline. It is a narrow ridge of land about 2 miles long, bearing small enclosed flower fields which lead down to these sandy beaches - some of the best and longest in the islands.

St. Martins has a sub-post office, general store, and a C of E Church, and from the highest point called 'Chapel Down' on a particularly clear day can be seen the mainland.

St. Agnes: St. Agnes is the most south-westerly community in the British Isles, surrounded by deep water and with countless rocks and reefs to the south-west. This tiny island has produced some of the finest sea Pilots in the world.

Nowadays, the charm of St. Agnes lies in the remoteness and rugged nature of the terrain, overlooked by a friendly looking disused coal burning lighthouse, a few cottages, buld fields and tamarisk hedges.

To the west, the island consists of heath downland with some striking granite rock outcrops where views can be obtained to the Bishop Rock lighthouse on the Western Rocks, which mark the resting place of countless wrecks from the days when great sailing ships plied the western approaches.

St. Agnes is linked to Gugh by a sand bar at low water. Gugh has many megalithic remains and outstanding views from the summit. St. Agnes has the customary sub-post office, general store and C of E Church.

Samson: Samson lies mid west of the islands, and the unmistakable twin hills of this island (often the subject of sunset photographs) is its trademark. Until the 1850's, the population was as many as 50, but were gradually worn down by the hard living, and were eventually forcibly removed by Augustus Smith, the proprietor of the islands at that time. The people long since moved away and have left a few ruined cottages and ghosts.