Scilly Isles - part two - Bryher

Isles of Scilly Part II –  Bryher

Feb issue Best Bites 20

Leeeaaa ving .....(Bryher) ... on a Jet ...(boat) Peter, Paul & Mary

I was brought up on Bryher, one of the Isles of Scilly. You can find them on any map, a scattering of tiny islands kicked out into the Atlantic by the boot of England.

Gracie Jenkins, 1985 from ‘Why the whales came’ by Michael Morpurgo

  

We left Tresco after a memorable dinner at the Ruin Beach Café. Early morning at the New Inn and I look out to the trot of moorings that runs up between Tresco and Bryher. Pretty quiet in October, but magnificently blue. All visiting seafarers are invited to use the New Inn’s showers (for just £2), you pay £20 a night to enjoy this Nirvana, including water and rubbish collection, but a visit to the New Inn is the icing on the top. Along with super fast enabled Broadband – amazing!

Set around a courtyard that is a garden back from the shore, so most rooms get an impeccable view over to Bryher, and many a glorious sunset - I managed two, but let’s get on with breakfast. The long room looks out to sea and across the courtyard garden. The help yourself bar of fruit, cereals and fresh baked breads and croissants beckons. Choice of pancakes or the full English – what decisions – but I need to catch the ferry to Bryher this morning, to find out ‘Why the Whales came’, so I go pancakes and don’t regret it. A fluffy batch with proper crispy streaky and a good jug of maple syrup.

A short, brisk stroll and I’m aboard the ferry over to Annika’s Jetty (aka Bar) so named when the enthusiastic, track-suited Radio 2 DJ took the challenge from the Islanders to rebuild this vital low water landing point, whilst ‘Quay’ is the high water landing of choice, just a hop and skip between the two.

Bryher is the smallest of the Scillies and whilst its east coast is sheltered the west coast faces the full brunt of the Atlantic and there is always a bit of wave watching to be done out at Hell Bay. This is where I’m heading. I pop into Island Fish as I wander up the quiet lane from the quay and all is a frenzy of boxing and packing as Amanda prepares to take her stall to Tresco for the afternoon market. This family business is thriving, with father, daughter and son all helping out, from the catch to the cook, lovely stuff. 

 

   

Fresh mackerel, crab and lobster are available on Tuesday afternoons

 

 We all knew well enough that the west coast of the island was dangerous, far too dangerous for children, whatever the weather..........At Shipman’s Head and Hell Bay there were black cliffs hundreds of feet high that rose sheer from the churning sea below. Here even on the calmest of days the waves could sweep you off the rocks and take you out to sea. From ‘Why the Whales came’.

I keep going, as I don’t want to miss lunch, but am tempted by Bryher Gallery and the well packed village shop. Ahead of me I see a spread of low buildings, beyond this I can see waves breaking, though it is a very calm, warm day. I have arrived at Hell Bay – which clearly it is not. 

Pastrami sandwich at Hell Bay, on the calm terrace

Everything is very quiet. I am a little late and most of the residents are out walking, sailing or visiting the other islands, so I can enjoy the art on the walls and the view from the sheltered patio. Chatting to Philip Callan, who manages the hotel, he explained that the hotel quietens down in early October and shuts before half term, as there isn’t quite enough to do here as the days get colder and shorter. Most guests stay on Tresco and visit Hell Bay for lunch or dinner, its reputation is superb, and I have no complaint with my pastrami sandwich, but look forward to visiting another time to try the full shebang and sample the delights of the Crab Shack. I just have time to pop into the lovely little church of All Saints on the path to ‘Quay’ and am rewarded with some delightful stained glass, with a light touch on the colour it looks modern and discover the artist’s mark of the phoenix which means it’s Oriel Hicks work, on neighbouring St Marys.

The beautiful glass windows in Bryher church by Oriel Hicks

Other top eating places on Bryher are Fraggle Rock, fondly referred to as ‘the pub’ and the cosy Vine Café, a top stop off for walkers in need of a sausage sarnie or afternoon tea, one of our followers reports…

This cafe is wonderfully old fashioned and the owner works extremely hard, seemingly on her own, constantly baking delicious cakes and meals. I don't know how she does it! The atmosphere is very relaxed so fits in perfectly with Bryher. We had coffee, tea, scones and cake all delicious, good portions and at a reasonable price. The decor is unchanged - it's cosy without being fussy, with old cushions, children's games, all very reassuring to come back to year after year. But the main thing is, of course, the food which is wonderful. Unfortunately we missed the lemon meringue pie this time but hopefully next year . . . from Yottie West Country ref the Vine Cafe

Vine Cafe - perfect tea time stop for hikers' reward

Fraggle Rock does a Friday fish & chip night, year round, and is very popular with kayakers who can come in straight off the water as it enjoys a sheltered spot just north of Bar.

I need to be on the quay for 3.30 and admire the crystal clear waters as a Jet Boat whizzes over, hails me from the cabin and I jump aboard after a gaggle of school children swap places. 

 
I get back on Tresco to find a fine gaggle of shoppers at the Island Fish stall and all the lobsters gone! Never mind, I’m off to the New Inn for the seafood risotto and sticky toffee pudding – and the next chapter in Why the Whales came!

The cosy interior of the New Inn, Tresco

Pop-up beach events for 2016 - see dates below

 

Dates for the diary:

World Gig Championships will be held 29^th April – 2^nd May 2016

Low tide pop-ups; Mussels & Prosecco on April 8^th and May 8th  2016

http://www.bryher.co/

www.hellbay.co.uk

http://phoenixstainedglass.moonfruit.com/

www.michaelmorpurgo.com

The New Inn    01720 422844 - open year round

The Vine Café 01720 423168 - open for Easter 2016

Fraggle Rock  01720 422222 – open year round for Friday F&C +

Hell Bay           01720 424122

Island Fish       01720 423880

Samson Hill Pizzas – 07450 521137 who do wood fired take-out pizzas during summer

Best tweeters  @trescoisland @julietsgarden @ScillyTIC @radioscilly

Tresco - All at Sea Best Bites 19

The Scillies are on many sailors' bucket list, but if you can't manage the weather window to get there by boat, don’t put it off, simply take the Skybus from Newquay or Lands End or the Scillonian from Penzance * and enjoy these unique islands.

 

 Food choices are made simple here on Tresco, the island I've longed to visit for many years now, and I rather like that, a complete stress buster that matches my mood. Blessed with fine weather from the minute I stepped off the plane at St Mary's I was soon being transferred to one of the jet boats that whizz around the islands using a variety of harbours and slipways depending upon the tide.

The fun begins – well it did as soon as I folded myself into the 18 seater and stuck my nose to the window, spotting St Ives bay and Sennen beach; the tractor on the quay has to reverse back up the jetty and before I know it I've been hijacked by Rachel Young from Tresco Estate, who trundles me off in her golf buggy and points out the layout of the island as we head to the New Inn. In no time bags are dumped and bike sorted as I'm keen to be off whilst the sun is out and those white sands beckon....

 

Cosy interior of the New Inn

I can get up and over the island in the shake of a Ruby Red's tail and I'm enjoying my first coffee on the terrace at the Ruin Bay Café by 11.  Partridges come up to the table; the sparrows are as friendly as the Cornish gulls are hungry and look as relaxed as birds with few predators can be.

  The Ruin Inn has a wood fired pizza oven, already crackling away behind me, so there's a good choice of fast food for hikers and a more interesting menu in the evening using local produce and the afore mentioned Ruby Red beef cattle that graze the island.

The sun is still out so I follow signs to the Abbey Gardens, rumbling along the tracks with brilliant blue glimpses of sea and sky, fruit and veg stalls piled high outside garden gates, joy!

So here I am with two red squirrels and one golden pheasant, positively posing for my camera, and perhaps three other people in the gardens. Glorious they are, hidden shady paths, then open vistas, succulents galore, created by Augustus Smith who built the Abbey back in 1834 and then set about creating one of the finest sub-tropical gardens in the Northern Hemisphere.

He changed the skyline forever and as you arrive by sea, whatever your choice of vessel, Tresco stands out from the other islands with its towering collection of unusual trees and shrubs. There are still many flowers in blossom and the bees are happy – it is positively balmy here.

 

 

 

Now let’s talk about the weather – I was here in the second week of October, and had really hoped for some sunshine so that I could share some decent photos with you – I was lucky and struck gold but after meeting a timeshare fan at the Flying Boat club, who always books these first couple of weeks in October, and he’s enjoyed great weather for the past three years, so don't rule it out.

Jumping back on the bike I take a different track back towards the New Inn as I have a date with Tresco's recently retired Harbour Master, Henry Birch. He has seen a relatively quiet summer as the strong winds have not helped sailors reach their destination on their limited holiday breaks. He tells me that his French visitors love the islands, and drop by en route to Ireland. Henry's looking forward to enjoying his retirement with family and friends on Tresco. By the way, if you want to follow in Henry’s steps this is a dream job for someone out there – for more details go to www.tresco.co.uk/jobs  - Harbour Master / Bosun

I gather a picnic from the bulging Tresco Stores and head to the beach, ducking out of the wind to enjoy the warm October sunshine, and admiring a lovely piece of rock, studded with ironware and barnacles, the incredibly clear water washing the pale sands. 

Back at the New Inn, we borrow lights for the bikes and head over the hill to the Ruin Café for dinner, torch in basket we head off early so that we can enjoy the views.

Exploring by bike means you can earmark the best cottages and mark them down on the lovely hand drawn map to remember which ones to book next spring. The Ruin is wonderfully cosy, with everyone enjoying that sea view. This is sunrise side of Tresco – more later – but the views over to St Martins are beguiling any time of day.

Fritto Misto - and how! Prawns, mussels, squid and whitebait

The seafood is morning fresh here so it would be rude not to try the Fritto Misto, which comes with  home made garlic mayo and includes whitebait, prawns, squid and mussels, along with some incredibly succulent hunks of hake, perfection when this fresh. Best ever. And call me a heathen but it was very good with my Tarquin’s G&T. Cornish gin in a distinctive, if un-gin-like, bottle and offered with orange rather than lemon. Very good.

The Ruby Red beef, slow cooked and succulent 

 

 

Having admired Tresco’s own beef heard today I couldn’t resist the slow cooked Ruby Red pappardelle, with porcini, offset by the clean crunch of grated celeriac and parmesan on top. The house Sangiovese was perfect with this and cut through the richness, available by the carafe, so civilized if you all want to try something different.

The lemon curd tart - worth the trip on it's own

 

But the art was in the tart. James Norcott is head chef and his pastry skills are superb. I chose the lemon curd tartlet with berry compote and ginger ice cream. Quite perfect.

Crisp pastry, brûlée top covering smooth, nicely runny filling with intense flavour, softened by the berries and ice cream – if you don’t have the lemon bug as I do, this helps calm the tongue.

Best bites here: the pizzas, scallops and indeed any of the specials cooked in the wood oven, confit of duck and the Ruby Red sirloin steaks. And for lunch? The sharing platter of meats & cheeses

Next month we continue the story and pop over to Bryher.

www.tresco.co.uk

www.islesofscilly-travel.co.uk

*The Scillonian sails from March – November, as do flights from Exeter