“It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.” Is there a sentence more annoying than this? This is always said by people with an annoying lack of personal freedom. For example, you rarely hear this from people whose lives consist solely of commuting to and from kids’ schools, clubs, and swimming lessons. During peak hours.
Our latest family “road trip” gave me pause, though. Located on the island of Bryher in the Isles of Scilly, Hell Bay Hotel is England’s westernmost hotel. Those who swim with cash travel by helicopter. Those who are short of time get on a small plane. Its views overlooking emerald green fields and the deep blue Atlantic are spectacular, but the convenience distracts you from the distance you travel and thus the extraordinary, eccentric remoteness of where you’re going.
The ferry is cheaper, of course; At £84 return for adults and £47 for children aged 2 to 11, it’s still a steep price. Children under two will be charged £23; Even a dog costs £11. But this is a real adventure.
First you must reach Penzance, which is an adventure in itself as you travel through the darkest parts of Norfolk in a very whimsical drive. Next up is Scillonian III: a great white ferry whale that skirts the Cornish cliffs, churns its way across the great blue, and dumps its then somewhat shivering passengers into the idyllic harbor of the largest of the St Mary’s Islands. Scilly.
You are then put on a cheerful little ship, landed on a deserted beach at Tresco (Bryher’s neighboring island), hit the dunes by electric shuttle, and finally a Popeye-sized boat heads towards Bryher, where the Hell Bay Hotel’s Land Rover is located. is progressing. waiting in the sand. And all before lunch.
To remember wizard of ozWhen the hurricane whisks Dorothy away from her mundane monochrome world and drops her into a technicolor wonderland? Draw a picture of the waves, not the wind, and you have it. Because everything is brighter in Bryher and Tresco. The sea is bright. The sand actually shines. Heather is adorned with canary yellow and vibrant violet buds. Red lobster pots glisten in the sun.
There are no cars on either island. But while Tresco is a pristine, stylish paradise, Bryher is its smaller, wilder sibling. Where Tresco has smooth roads, paths and paths run over Bryher. Tresco has a boutique (shirts for £165), while Bryher has honesty boxes stocking sweets, pepper jam and almost indecently sized vegetables.
In place of the bougie beach restaurants are a whitewashed tea room and a bar that resembles a fishmonger’s front room. Since the islands are so close and the ferry is so regular, you don’t need to choose one character over another. Still… Bryher was a perfect fit for our wild family.
Knowing that the island is a paradise for children, Michael Morpurgo placed many of his books here. While neighboring Tresco is light and sandy, the Hell Bay Hotel sits on rocky, pirate shores where waves crash against massive sea stacks. The island is so small (half a square mile) that you can often see both sides at once, and we toured the island in the afternoon, passing ruins, cattle, and a chorus of seabirds.
You can rent a sailboat during the summer months. We took the kayaks, paddling through the clear water almost as if we were floating on air – because Bryher sits in the path of the Gulf Stream – unexpected palm trees and giant succulents.
The hotel itself also has a strange California edge. It has an outdoor pool (fortunately heated) and like a motel, all 25 rooms are individually accessible from the outside; Ideal for families splashing water directly from the beach to the room. On one side the hotel borders a sheltered beach.
In our downstairs suite—one of four suites with two bedrooms, a large bathroom, and a wide hallway for wellies, coats, wetsuits, and more—we could see the waters from our bed. Children ran out the patio doors and onto the sand. I swam. Someone had hung a makeshift hammock on the rocks above.
The interior of the hotel has been recently renovated. Interior designer Tania Streeter added a trendy splash of coral pink and coastal blue. A little rattan here, a little tongue and groove there. However, this place has a charmingly old-school and uniquely British feel. Our bathroom had a sensible shower over bath.
The owners are art collectors and their influence is widespread. As you grab your pre-dinner meal in the lounge, you are surrounded by beautiful views that compete for attention with the waves coming through the window. But we lunched at the bar, from a family-friendly menu of delicious burgers and fish and chips, under a towering angel throwing a frisbee at a decidedly earthy bikini-clad baby. Start a lively theological discussion with the 13-year-old.
We then returned to our friendly guests for a life raft in the dining room, home to the Isles of Scilly’s only three AA Rosette restaurant (serving traditional, delicious fish-focused fare). Some had been returning for decades. A man came to propose. He said yes. Here is such a place. People go on pilgrimage, then they become addicted. It’s about both the journey and the destination.
Fundamentals
Hattie and her family traveled as guests of Isles of Scilly Travel (islesofscilly-travel.co.uk). Hell Bay Hotel offers family stays for four people from £290 including breakfast.
Bryher, Isles of Scilly TR23 0PR (01720 422947; hellbay.co.uk)