Saturday 14 September 2013

A prize trip to the Scillies

A few months ago I won a four night break in the Scillies from Woman's Weekly. It was one of the competitions you can enter online, with daily entries and extras  for sharing, or by post. I entered just once, by post, using a pretty hand made postcard.

We decided to take the holiday in early September, when the summer crowds would have gone but the holiday season wouldn't be over. The trip was booked long before my health problems of the summer and the subsequent end of Grape Vine, yet turned out to be perfectly timed to help me recover from both!

The flight was from Exeter airport, in a tiny plane that would have held 17 people fully laden - there were just 12 of us on board, so everyone had a brilliant view as we flew low over Devon and Cornwall before crossing the sea  to the islands.


We stayed at Tregarthen's Hotel, right on the quayside with spectacular views over the bay.



Our room was the Portlight Suite, a separate "garden" building from the hotel, with a very comfortable living room and bedroom - it was rather like having a kitchenless bungalow. With half board meals included too, it was a very generous prize. The hotel's lounge and restaurant looked out over the sea, so we had an excellent view of the pilot gig races on two evenings, and a companion for breakfast every morning.


The weather was remarkably kind to us, raining overnight and staying fine all day, so we crammed a lot into our stay, taking a stroll around the historic fortifications:
 
 

Exploring the nearby harbour, bays and beaches:






Admiring the plants and gardens:

 


 

Taking a boat trip out to a seal colony:



Touring St. Mary's on a vintage bus:


And taking a trip to the Co-op. A trip to the Co-op? I expect you're thinking I was there looking for competitions. Well *ahem* nothing could  have been further from my mind! If you'd like to know just WHY we visited the Co-op, visit Mark's blog for the full story!


8 comments :

  1. I loved reading your article Jane. Intrigued about the co-op!

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  2. Lovely story Jane :-) I too a intrigued about the co-op lol.

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  3. Really enjoyed this Jane. It just goes to show that it's worth doing one entry

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  4. It looks like a fabulous place to visit, I always wanted to go there. No puffins though, I thought there were lots there or maybe I imagined that

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    1. Apparently Puffins were out of season - they only visit the islands from March to June. We were surprised - we'd expected to see them too.

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    2. I love these posts from you and Mark.
      I bet My Weekly would love to read them too.
      How exciting to discover stuff about Mark's family
      and the 'connections' to Emma, Louise and Percy.
      The photos are lovely as well.
      You could post your story on 'Find My Past' or 'Who Do
      You Think You are' I know they would be interested.
      I've been tracing the ancestors on my mother's side and I
      always wondered why one of the babies was born in Douglas,
      Isle of Man when all that generation were true Londoners.
      There was nothing sinister nor were they on holiday. The father
      - my great grandfather - was in the building trade and was asked to
      build some houses there. They rented a property there.
      I hope to go
      there one day to get some pics and get the feel of the place.
      Thank you, Jane and Mark.
      Sylvia Robbins.
      I couldn't decide who I should be posting under on
      Mark's blog and I've chosen anon on yours!!!

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  5. Jane you are so adventurous, I tend to give my 'win tickets away' you make me want to travel! Thanks for the great story most intrigued about the CO-OP so I will be on tenterhooks until you spill the beans!!!

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    Replies
    1. You'll find the story behind the Co-op here http://marksvegplot.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/isles-of-scilly-part-2-family-history.html

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