The Island of Bryher

Bryher may be the smallest of the Isles of Scilly at just one mile by half a mile at its broadest point, but it’s a stunning island of dramatic contrasts…

From its rugged Atlantic coast and remote heathland to secluded sandy bays and sandy tracks, Bryher is a haven for those seeking peace and relaxation amidst stunning natural beauty.

Dotted with quaint cottages, a cafe and cosy pub, art galleries and studios, a fish shop, a brace of boatyards, a Church, a tiny shop and a working farm, tiny Bryher is home to around 80 people. Its rugged clifftops and sandy shores mark the northwestern perimeter of the Isles of Scilly archipelago.

Bryher translates to ‘place of hills’, and the names of the island’s peaks hint at its dramatic past, from Badplace Hill to Shipman Head overlooking the sharp granite teeth of Hell Bay, where dozens of ships met their fate during the days of sail.

Elsewhere, pristine beaches, patchwork fields, and untamed heathland offer ample opportunity for leisurely summer strolls or invigorating autumn walks. The sandy tracks crisscrossing the island, traversed only by the occasional tractor and 4×4, are lined with honesty stalls selling everything from jewellery to fresh vegetables and delicious fudge.

Regular visitor and former Children’s Laureate Michael Morpurgo was so captivated by the island that he set several novels in this picturesque place. While away a sunny afternoon on sandy shores lost in the pages of Why the Whales Came or, if the weather turns, cosy down with Wreck of the Zanzibar as an Atlantic Storm lashes the window.

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I perch on a rock, close my eyes and revel in the sense of having stopped, of having reached the end of my journey. The end, as it feels, of the world.”

– The Guardian