St. Martin's

St. Martin's offers you an ideal location for family with secluded, clean beaches and breathtaking scenery, with stunning views; such as across vast expanse of the Great Bay to the secluded tranquillity of Old Quay.

St. Martin's is the third largest of the islands, located at the northeast corner of the Isles of Scilly archipelago. Iit is the first island that you see as you travel to the Isles of Scilly from the mainland.

The character of the island, is very much like its neighbour Tresco, with habitats ranging from the rugged, heather clad, cliffs of the north shore - shaped over the centuries by the relentless action of the North Atlantic's winter gales - to the more sheltered southern aspect, characterised by small enclosed flower fields above sheltered sandy beaches and crystal clear waters.

St. Martin's has a daily boat service, ferrying passengers to the other main islands as well as fishing trips and special hire. From early May you can enjoy the evening trips to watch the famous gig races.

If you are interested in nature, you can take one of the many boat trips to the Eastern Isles (lying just of the southern edge of St. Martin's) to view the seal and bird colonies, or to the uninhabited islands such as St Helen's, Nor Nour and Ganilly, and even to the Bishop Rock lighthouse.

As with all sea faring communities, there are daily fishing trips departing from St. Martin's for a day or half day at sea, catching fish such as, pollack, mackerel, and even shark.

St Martin's Vineyard

We established our family run vineyard in 1996 on south facing slopes overlooking the Eastern Isles of Highertown Bay, St. Martin's Formerly Val's Dad's flower farm, we have made good use of all the shelter belts of Pittisporum, Euonymous and Escallonia which formerly protected the spring daffodils.

The winery is being refurbished in 2011 with the aid of a grant awarded by the SW Rural Development Agency. With a new bottling and filtering system , this should ensure the reliable quality in our wines.

A recent addition to the farm is a small apple orchard where we have planted some of the rarer local varieties, such as the Scilly Pearl and Tregonna King and Cornish Wine. We welcome all visitors to our Vineyard and Winery and offer conducted, or self conducted tours and tastings.

There is also a shop and various displays. Our official openings are Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, but we can arrange to be open at other times, and if the gate is open, do come in to find us! www. stmartinsvineyard.co.uk

A diving school on the island offers courses to both experienced and novice divers. Swimming and snorkelling amongst the Eastern Isles, is an ideal opportunity to see the variety of marine life that can be found in the waters around the island, or just a chance to swim with the seals.

On the island there is a range of accommodation available, including a hotel, guesthouses, a camp site and self-catering accommodation. Meals are available from the island's hotel, pub and tea gardens. Whilst on the island, you can choose from a variety of delicious cream teas, home made cakes with coffee, lunches and evening meals from the hotel, the public or tea gardens. St. Martin's has several shops and a Post Office.