For a few moments I caught a magnificent gannet in the black rimmed circle of my binocular vision and followed it as it climbed higher into a clear blue sky over St Martin’s in the Isles of Scilly.

Its long snow-white wings with their coal black tips flashed as the bird suddenly folded them and plunged headlong into the sea, some unsuspecting fish caught in its high-res vision.

I watched the splash as the bird hit the water beak first at 60 mph and with that rapturous spell now broken, I passed the ’bins’ to my wife Jenny as we sat amid a riot of yellow vetch and pink sea thrift on the edge of a dazzling white sandy bay with no people!

It was the first afternoon of our May week’s holiday amid these stunningly beautiful Isles locked in their own semi sub-tropical micro climate just twenty-eight miles off Land’s End.

What a busy day it had been, firstly on our two and a half hour passage from Penzance to the main island of St Marys on the sturdy MS Scillonian, which has now shuttled the equivalent of more than three times to the moon and back over the past forty-three years.

Then we had transferred on to one of the sturdy launches which link St Marys with the off islands of St Martins, Tresco, Bryher and St Agnes.

We were staying at The Karma Hotel on St Martins, built like an unobtrusive row of granite cottages, just at the top of the Lower Town landing quay and overlooking a dazzling white sandy beach.

I often ask people if they’ve ever thought of visiting Scilly and the usual answer is no but it was somewhere they always meant to go and the truth is, they probably never will.

But those who do make it to these five enchanted and almost sub-tropical islands invariably fall under their spell, as I did, and often return time and again.

So, what makes Scilly so special, apart from its soft and surprisingly temperate climate, sparkling blue sea, deserted beaches and wild flowers everywhere?

For me it’s sailing over the waves, often with seabirds skimming on the wing, to one of those enchanting little off islands.

Here you and your day tripping shipmates over from St Marys are then cast away for a few hours to wander, along pristine beaches or around quiet lanes and sandy tracks because apart from you and a hundred or so islanders and those lucky few in limited holiday accommodation, there’s nobody else about.

The popular sub-tropical island of Tresco is an exception because of its famous Abbey Gardens that are a must to visit but even here one can escape the madding crowd.

Scilly also has a quirky charm with lots of surprises just around the corner like the little wooden stalls filled with small items made for sale by the children of St Martins and Tresco schools.

The first tourists arrived on Scilly back in the 1760’s during the reign of George 111 when an enterprising Captain Frank Tregarthen had a bright idea.

He opened an hotel for people wishing to visit the islands and they voyaged on his ship which brought in supplies.

These early Georgian visitors were looked after by his wife and daughters and stayed until the good captain needed to return to Penzance for more supplies, or so the story goes.

Today’s visitors arriving in Hugh Town St Marys, as we did, and turning the corner at the end of the quay will, see The Tregarthens Hotel still standing on the hillside above them.

While I have extolled the virtues of the off islands, most people still stay on the main island of St Marys where the magnificent Elizabethan Star Castle Hotel standing on top of Garrison Hill looks out over the sea and the town.

Being two and a half miles long by one and three-quarter miles wide and surrounded by sandy beaches, St Marys still has much to offer for those deciding not to board one of the morning and afternoon launches to the off islands.

A popular walk at any time follows around the headland beyond The Star Castle to follow the Napoleonic era garrison walls looking out across the sound to the island of St Agnes.

The end of the walk brings one neatly back to the busy Porthcressa Beach at the far end of the bustling High Street.

From the end of the beach, a lovely walk takes one around another magnificent and giant boulder strewn headland to Old Town with its quieter beach and centuries old church where former British Prime Minister Harold Wilson, who had a bungalow on the island, was laid to rest.

Those wanting to walk right around the island can set out from here, past the end of the island runway and on to the far more secluded and quite magical Pelistry Beach with its fine views towards Scilly’s Eastern Isles, a haven for seabirds and seals.

From here it’s probably a couple of hours to complete the circuit and to stop for a well-earned cuppa at the now extremely popular Juliette’s tea garden and restaurant overlooking the sea.

A wander into the interior of the island with its wildlife reserve, secluded gardens and lake is also well worthwhile for those spending the day on St Marys which I can honestly say has changed little since I first starting visiting over fifty years ago.

And those wanting a special take-away memory might wish to visit one of the many small galleries dotted around the islands where artists capture the magic of Scilly with its dazzling white beaches and coastal paths awash with wild flowers.

Fact file

We enjoyed the excellent facilities of The Karma St Martin’s Hotel tel 01720 422 368 [email protected]; and The Star Castle, St Marys tel 01720 422317 email [email protected]

For passage to Scilly call Isles of Scilly Travel 01736 334 220 or visit www.islesofscilly-travel.co.uk/plan-your-trip

Travel writer and keen walker Nigel Heath from Monmouthshire has kept his adventures in the UK in the last year because of the travel restrictions in place due to the Covid pandemic.Today he shares his experience sampling life on The Scillies