Excursion Tresco abbey gardens tour at Isle of Scilly

Tender ashore to the island of Tresco and be met by your local guide before 30 minutes walking for to Tresco gardens for a guided tour. Tresco is best known for its Abbey Gardens, laid out by the remarkable Augustus Smith - a wealthy merchant banker who purchased the islands from the Duchy of Cornwall in the mid-1830s. Work on the gardens commenced in 1834 on the site of the old Benedictine Abbey.

By building tall wind -breaks, Augustus Smith (a botanist and plant collector) channeled the weather up and over the network of walled enclosures he built around the Priory ruins, and the three terraces he carved from the rocky, south facing slope looking towards St Mary's. In this way he maximized the generous climate that Tresco enjoys thanks to the prevailing effects of the Gulf Stream. The climate is mild, with sunshine hours generally greate r than the UK average, rainfall less, and winter frost and snow unexpected.

Tresco Abbey Garden

Tresco is thought of as a perennial Kew without the glass-shrugging off salt spray and Atlantic gales to host 20,000 exotic plants. Many of those plants would stand no chance on the Cornish mainland, less than 30 miles away. Yet even at the winter equinox more than 300 plants will be in flower. All in all, the garden is home to glorious species from 80 countries, ranging from Brazil to New Zealand and Burma to South Africa. Subsequent generations have continued the development of the Garden, which is today a major attraction of the islands.

Points of interests

Points of interest seen on this excursion include: Abbey Gardens

Note

Please note: This tour involves an extensive amount of walking for approximately 1, 86 mile (about 3 kilometres), at times over gravel surfaces and inclines. Guests are advised to wear warm, comfortable sportswear in layers with sturdy, flat, and closed-toe walking or hiking shoes, and bring sun protection and a weatherproof jacket from the ship. This tour is not suitable for guests with limited mobility and guests who utilise a wheelchair.