Cornwall 2022 – 5. Tresco Abbey Gardens

Tags

Cornwall, Echium candicans, red squirrel, St Nicholas Priory, The Tresco Children, Tresco, Tresco Abbey Gardens, Valhalla Museum

Wednesday 29th June, part 2. Very shortly after starting to explore the Tresco Abbey Gardens, by which time the threat of rain had lifted, and having had the obligatory and necessary coffee, I was absolutely delighted to see a red squirrel – and then another. I had no idea they were on the Isles of Scilly.

Here are just a few of the over 100 photos I took on my way round the very extensive gardens.

Mixed planting in the kitchen garden

I had now been in the gardens perhaps an hour, totally absorbed in what I was seeing. But at this point I looked up and saw the sea in the distance. I came to, and suddenly remembered where I was. It was a strange feeling, coming back to space and time.

Plenty of seating available

This was almost all that remained of the Benedictine St Nicholas Priory, built probably in the 12th century. It is thought likely that the priory fell into disuse because of pirate pressure and desecration in the late 15th century, rather than being abandoned because of the Reformation half a century later. The locals continued to use the area as a graveyard.

‘The Tresco Children’ by David Wynne, 1990

My peregrination had brought me back near the entrance. Whether these were the same two squirrels, I could not know, but as they played they rushed past me, apparently oblivious of my presence .

In the grounds, part of the Valhalla Museum collection of ships’ figureheads

As I went back to the cafe at the entrance for a something to eat, I couldn’t resist taking another photo of the creature (was it the same?) that had greeted me earlier on.

Also at the entrance there was a small exhibition on the history of the Gardens.

Cornwall voted Leave in 2016

Guess who visited while I was consuming my soup…

Resuming my exploration of the gardens, I was pleased to see these Echium candicans, ‘Pride of Madeira’. I had bought the T-shirt when on that island. The flowerhead is about one-and-a-half times the size of a lupin head and much more dense.

The sun had been out for some time now, and I was sitting contemplating this area (the following three pictures) when it occurred to me that it would be a shame to see nothing more of the island while I was there.

So I made my way to the exit,

then turned back past the heliport, to the nearest beach. The sun had gone in now, and the breeze, from which the gardens shelter their visitors, was quite fierce. I saw no attraction in hanging around there,

so retraced my steps, past the entrance to the gardens this time, making for a round lake I could see on my map, hoping to be able to get close to it.

‘The Tresco Children’ from the outside

Sadly, I could get no closer to the lake than this, despite walking all the way round its extensive perimeter.

In due course, I was back at the heliport, but on the wrong side.

As I said in my previous post, I saw the previous flight come in and take off. Once the barrier was lifted, it was safe for me to cross to reception.

The following day – St Ives.

Cornwall 2022 – 4. A third aerial ambition realised

Tags

Canada goose, Cornwall, Herring gull, Isles of Scilly, Land's End, Little egret, Minack Theatre, Mute swan, Newlyn, Penzance Helicopters, Scilly Isles, St Michael's Mount, The Old Quay House, Tresco, Tresco Abbey Gardens

Wednesday, 29th June. It promised to be a reasonably fine morning. As the sun came up, it caught the feathers of the birds as beautifully as the setting evening sun did.

But I couldn’t hang around, I had to be at Penzance Heliport by 9.30.

I had booked to go to St Mary’s on the Isles of Scilly by helicopter in 2021, but that had been cancelled because of fog. A helicopter trip would have completed my trio of aerial ambitions. I had been in a glider in 2009 on an incredibly hot day,

Poitiers Airport – I was living just minutes away at the time

and in a balloon exactly four years ago today (blog post here). So a helicopter trip would complete the trio, and Penzance to the Scillies would do nicely. This time, I had booked, with Penzance Helicopters, not to St Mary’s but to Tresco, because of the lovely Gardens there.

Our helicopter arrived and, having disgorged its incoming passengers, refuelled.

Still inside the building, we had a safety briefing. In due course we were directed to seats inside the aircraft. I was fortunate and had a window seat. (Given that there were 12 passengers in three rows, that was a 50/50 chance.)

We were off! But I had no camera. It was in my small backpack, which I had had to surrender to the hold. (It really was sardines inside the copter, and of course I was the only one wearing a mask – an FFP3 one.) But I had grabbed my phone, which took this outward series of pictures.

As I recall it, we really were at this angle early on. I think we were banking.

Newlyn

The horrible defacement that is Land’s End

Penzance to Tresco is just 15 minutes, so the first of the 145 (five inhabited) Isles of Scilly soon came into sight.

Tresco

Its heliport

First impressions of Tresco at 10.30: cold, windy, and spitting with rain

Within ten minutes, the copter was off again. Basically it’s just an aerial bus service.

I spent almost all of my time on the island in the Tresco Abbey Gardens, which will be the subject of my next post. (The weather much improved and I had a lovely time!)

I had to be back at the Heliport at 3.45 pm, one hour before take off. (It did seem to be an awful imbalance of time – a whole hour passed waiting for a 15-minute flight!) But half an hour before that I was (stuck) on the other side of the heliport, and saw the flight before arrive and take off. I did take a video of the latter, but had not reckoned on the enormous buffeting I would receive from the beast, which rendered the video useless.

After that hour, and another briefing, we were guided to the helicopter, and again I had a window seat.

They check that you have fastened your four-point seat belt properly

Lift off.

I was able to recognise points of the island now as we flew away, the round lake I had not been able to get near, a larger one I should perhaps have headed for rather, and the bay I had visited, and of course the sheltered dark green mass of the Abbey Gardens.

We flew at 1000 feet/300 metres.

The captain helpfully pointed out that we were to pass the Minack Theatre – something I had not expected to see, and certainly not from this angle, for another two days.

Neither had I thought to see my car from above – the small one, fourth along,in the near row of eight vehicles.

And I was pleased see, as I happened to look up, St Michaels Mount. (Actually some miles away, but I zoomed in on it.)

Back at the ranch (The Old Quay House, Hayle), I caught up with the wildlife – that’s The Causeway behind.

I took a cup of tea out on the the patio, and was joined by a Herring gull. To cut a long story short, over fifteen minutes or so he came and went three times, and I suspected his motives.

A firm but not shouted ‘No’, such as I use on the cats when necessary, was sufficient to stop him breaking and entering. I think he must have found booty inside on previous occasions.

But the cheekiest was, he attempted to lift my mug up!

The gang’s out again

The swan is still babysitting the young shelduck

My verdict on the helicopter part of my trip to Tresco? Well, I’ve completed the trio of experiences, but this was all rather prosaic. Outstanding by far was the balloon, and the glider flight was wonderful. (If only it hadn’t been 30 degrees C. That, along with the fact that the pilot had to do a lot of circling to catch the thermals, meant that my tendency to travel sickness had kicked in.)

I’m fantasising about having a holiday in the Isles of Scilly. Should it come off, I shall go by boat, not least for environmental reasons.