Great seaside ESCAPES
Fancy a couple of nights by the sea, with the sound of the lapping waves, the glorious sea air and, most importantly, great food? Here are four places to take bucket, spade and appetite
BY KAREN BARNES
Hell Bay Hotel is on scenic Bryher in the Isles of Scilly with its sandy coves
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HELL BAY HOTEL
Bryher, Isles of Scilly (hellbay.co.uk)
BY KAREN BARNES
SEASIDE CREDS In the spirit of full disclosure I must declare a bias towards the Isles of Scilly. When I was young, my great-uncle Bryan - a big bald man with a pipe, two labradors and a joke on his lips - lived there and we spent many a sunny holiday staying in the flat above his sweetshop (Bourdeaux’s on St Mary’s, the biggest of the Scilly Isles… the shop sign is still there, but not Uncle Bryan, sadly).
local artist Richard Pearce’s hut
If you’ve never been to these islands, I urge you to go and experience paradise 28 miles off the coast of Cornwall. The climate is mild thanks to the Gulf Stream: tropical plants thrive here, and the beaches are long and white, the waters turquoise. In high summer the purply blue of wild agapanthus flowers daubs every view with colour, and lichen grows on all the rocks – a sign of air purity. On one walk I met a French woman who said, “How can this be England? It’s like the Caribbean.” She’s right – on a sunny day, at least.
Richard Kearsley at the Crab Shack and Scilly lobsters at Island Fish
Each island has its charms, but Bryher is the one I love most – for its wildness and sense of community. There aren’t many places to stay as the island is only half a mile square, so most visitors just come for the day on one of the small boats that shuttle between the islands. Walk for five minutes and you’ll have a beach or wild coastal footpath to yourself. Wave-watch at Shipman’s Head or seek out the glowing white sand beaches on the south of the island. While you’re walking, look out for the artist Richard Pearce’s studio hut, with a view of the sea, and visit Island Fish in the hamlet (they’re the best for lobster).