Tresco, Island in Isles of Scilly, Great Britain.
Description
Tresco is the second largest island in the Scilly archipelago and spans 297 hectares of granite outcrops, heathland, and shell beaches along its shoreline. The landscape features rolling terrain with coves and sandy bays set within open moorland.
History
King Henry I granted the island to Tavistock Abbey, which established a priory that operated until the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 1500s. Monastic buildings and ruins from this period remain visible on the island today.
Culture
The Valhalla Collection in Tresco Abbey Garden displays figureheads carved from ships that sank in waters around the Scilly Islands over centuries. These rescued sculptures tell stories of maritime life and the dangers sailors once faced in these waters.
Practical
The island is accessible only by helicopter from Penzance or by boat from St Mary's, with private vehicles not permitted on land. Visitors should plan for tidal schedules and be prepared to walk or use local shuttle services to reach different areas.
Did you know?
The island's gardens contain thousands of plant species from around the world that flourish in its mild maritime climate. Tropical and Mediterranean plants grow alongside native flora in combinations rarely seen in northern regions.
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Cornwall lies at the southwestern tip of England. It is a peninsula surrounded by the sea, shaping its history and identity. You can see this region through its castles on cliffs like Tintagel or St Michael's Mount, its fishing villages on small bays such as Mousehole, and its busy ports like...
Tresco Abbey Gardens
862 m
Cromwell's Castle
1.5 km
King Charles's Castle
1.6 km
Grimsby Old Blockhouse
601 m
St Nicholas's Church, Tresco
442 m
Tresco Priory
768 m
All Saints' Church, Bryher
1.4 km
Castle Down
1.3 km
Oliver's Battery
1.5 km
Valhalla Museum
841 m
Dolphin Cottage
415 m
Post-medieval smugglers' cache at Tresco Abbey, Tresco
753 m
Mid-16th century blockhouse and ramparts with adjacent walling and occupation deposits at Block House Point
585 mPrehistoric field system and settlement in southern Appletree Bay, Tresco
1.5 km
The Smith Monument On Abbey Hill
749 mThatch
473 mEarly medieval cemetery 40m north of St Nicholas's Priory, Tresco
715 m
Tresco Abbey
741 mPrehistoric field system and Romano-British cist in Green Bay, Bryher
1.4 kmSt Nicholas' Priory, Tresco
759 mPrehistoric cairn group on Abbey Hill, Tresco
732 mPrehistoric field system and settlement north of Appletree Point, Tresco
726 m
Prehistoric field systems, settlement and cairns, with post-medieval boundary and shelter on Northwethel
1.3 kmCresset From St Agnes Lighthouse In Tresco Abbey Gardens
836 mPost-medieval watch house and Coastguard lookout on Watch Hill, Bryher
1.4 kmPrehistoric linear boundary and cairns south west of The Bar, Bryher
1.2 kmPrehistoric linear boundary SSE of The Island, Bryher
1.2 kmPrehistoric enclosure south east of The Brow, Bryher
1.4 kmDiscover hidden gems everywhere you go!
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