Robin Page (1943 - 2023) 

A true ‘Man of the Countryside’. The farmer, broadcaster, journalist, author, political activist and cricket lover, Robin Page, passed peacefully away at his family farm in Cambridgeshire on Saturday 27th of May after a prolonged battle with cancer. Robin dedicated a lifetime to promoting, nurturing and advocating the respectful farming of the British countryside, working with nature to maintain a desired balance of production within the natural environment.

Robin’s prodigious passion for the countryside, as an original ‘Eco Warrior’, quite often got him into hot water. He wasn’t a man to suffer fools and always spoke his mind which is why I liked him so much. He loved Scilly and visited regularly with his wife Lulu (Anita) and sister Rachael, staying on St Mary’s and Tresco where he was very proud to have introduced red squirrels to the island. They are now a valued addition for visitors who delight in viewing and photographing this rare British mammal in a natural environment.

Robin was an avid ornithologist. In Spring he would call me and ask if I had heard the Cuckoo on the islands yet and then would call other island friends, Mike Nellams, Fran Hicks or Richard McCarthy with the same question. When he arrived he would meet up with Fran to get the lowdown on the birds that had visited or were visiting and catch up with Jaclyn Pearson to find out what was happening with the RSPB and the Wildlife Trust. 

Our Christmas Dinner, in May or June at the Turk’s Head, was an annual event that started with a boat trip from St Mary’s to St Agnes with Tim Fortey in Calypso 2 and was always enjoyed by all who took part which usually included everyone in the pub that evening. Robin and I miss the demise of Lovage which added so much to the enjoyment of a large brandy.

Robin was a co founder and Executive Chairman of The Countryside Restoration Trust which he formed with the late Gordon Beningfield, wildlife and countryside artist, in 1993. The CRT was at the centre of Robin’s life until he was reduced to a trustee by the current board in 2021. 

This action hit him really hard but in adversity he still maintained the ethos of the trust in his daily life. 

Robin’s last visit to the islands was in May 2022 and although his mobility was somewhat compromised he managed to get about, with Lulu’s assistance, and visit all the old haunts that he knew and loved. The red squirrels will live on in Scilly as a lasting legacy and memorial to Robin and his work with wildlife. 

He will be fondly and lovingly remembered by all his friends on the islands and our condolences go out from Scilly to Lulu, Rachael and the family. 

RIP Robin.

tg (Guthers)

Scilly - Still Here and Looking forward to 2022

 The last couple of years have been a bit of a nightmare for most of us and Scilly is not an exception. As life is opening up again the islands are looking forward to the coming year that will be the first full season for 3 years. 

Visitors with find our normal cheery welcome together with some minor changes. The Pilots Gig, on St Mary's, has reopened for 2022 and there are new owners in the Scilly Cart Company. Also Millers Ice Cream is now called Ned & Fin's and is running as a Cafe. Sadly later this year we will see the closing of Lloyd's Bank which is quite a blow for the islands but seems to be the up and coming trend in so many towns around the country. The Co oP has purchased the old Barclay's Bank building and will be expanding into it at some point in the not too distant future. All in all most things will be staying the same and offering the same services you have come to know and love. 

'Wally the Walrus' is not here now but you can never tell if it is going to return to brighten our lives once more, he certainly did make a very big impact on those you who saw him later in the year. We did also have Hump Backed whales off Samson at the beginning part of lockdown which were another added bonus for the islands. 

All in all the lockdown was an interesting time for Scilly which we hope won't happen again for a few more years yet.

                                          We look forward to seeing you all in 2022
                                                                  

Once again it's been a long time since I have written anything so I thought I ought to put keyboard to internet and write a little something for the beginning of 2019. Well the islands are in good form and we are getting ready for a new season. We have several new properties for 2019, we are very pleased to have 5 Museum Flats which is a lovely property with a real surprise when you see the stunning view from the rear bedroom window. Personally I would just stay in bed and take in the view. We have also got a really sweet little flat called Sail Check which is just about as close as you can get to Town Beach and has views to Tresco and The Roads.
All in all you just need to keep www.come2scilly.com somewhere handy on your computer, tablet or smart phone and pick the property that suits you when you visit the islands.

What DO they think they are doing?

The Isles of Scilly Steamship Group are the monopoly company that run transport and freight services to the Isles of Scilly. They don't believe that they are a monopoly and don't like the word but, guess what, they are a...you've guessed it...monopoly. Actually this monopoly is on the move, it isn't even the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company any more it is the Penzance Steamship Company. No longer does this great company believe in it's roots but it has every intention of serving it's mainland masters at the expense of the islands.
Since the induction of the current CEO the company has spent vast amounts of it's capital on satellite companies that as soon as they were purchased were turned into loss making ventures. These companies were purchased to complete the circle of the 'm' word that IoSSG say they're not and we mustn't use.
I write this Blog after yet another 2 days of no flying, both of which would have been possible by helicopter which perhaps could, and would, have worked together with Skybus to assist our core business of holiday makers from being stuck for an extra day at either end of their journey.
Now to the nitty gritty. Why oh why does the Steamship Company want to stop the helicopter from running? No I'm not that stupid it's because of that dreaded word that nobody is allowed to use. But why does the IoSSG board and senior management keep telling the world that they welcome competition.
Come on guys n gals stop telling us porky's and be honest, you don't want any competition and you do want a monopoly. We can take it, we just need to know where we are and exactly what we need to fight for. tg

The VERY Best News

Today I can write some news that I have been bursting to write for quite some time. A new helicopter service will return to the islands. Robert Dorian Smith has announced that he will be behind this new service which will see the return of this Lifeline Service to Scilly. More details will be emerging over the next few days and weeks but the service will run from Penzance and it will be an all year service. I will be posting much more information on these pages as time goes on but will finish this morning with a picture of the sunrise and the aircraft that will be winging it's way back to Scilly in the not too distant future. tg

Country File in the Telegraph

For well over 30 years my dear friend Robin Page has been the sensible voice of the countryside...but no longer. For some inextricable reason the powers within the Weekend Telegraph have seen fit to request his services no more! What shortsighted thinking has made this unthinkable move? What editorial meeting made this ridiculous decision to silence the voice of reason that has kept us reading this fascinating column week after week for so many years? The Weekend Telegraph has just one reader and I'm sure that there will be many more like me who put with all the crap that a weekend paper has to bare just to read the words of wisdom from Mr Page. Will there be a change of heart? I doubt it very much. Will there be a backlash? I very much hope so..in the meanwhile RobInPage
and no more Weekend Telegraph from me.

Now Is The Time

Brexit is the word or the moment to get on your nerves but don't be too quick to dismiss it. Now is the time to concentrate on our Country and perhaps spend more time in places that we hadn't seen or been to before.
What about the Isles of Scilly? For many people the islands have been somewhere that they have wanted to visit but have never quite made it. Now's your chance 'Brenter' and come and visit us, one of the UK's most desirable holiday destinations. The islands are famed for their clear (cold) waters, white sand beaches and abundance of exotic succulent plants and flowers.
We have a warm welcome for all our visitors so stay in touch and book your accommodation through Come2Scilly.
A holiday on Scilly will take you back in time, give you space to breathe and set you up for the new future.  Brexit...Smexit.

Be part of a New Event on Scilly

We are now well into 2014 and September seems a long time off but we have a great event happening on the 6th and 7th of September. A brand new swimming event is coming to Scilly. Registration day is the 6th and the event which incorporates 6 swims and 6 walks is on the 7th. Why not make this event part of a September holiday, we will reduce the cost of your accommodation by 10% for registered swimmer and their families so don't wait contact us today and book your place at the beginning of this unique new event we are sure it will become a regular on your calendar.

Looks like fun doesn't it, for registration details for the event go to http://www.scillyswimchallenge.co.uk and for accommodation contact us at www.come2scilly.com

Getting to Scilly

Since we found out, last year, that Easy Jet wouild be flying to Newquay from Southend this summer we have been promoting this excellent service. We currently have some visitors who have used this service and left home on Thursday morning at 5am and were sitting in there property at 10am on Scilly. It has to be said that they will have a 3 hour wait at Newquay International on their return journey next Tuesday but that was only because the flight from Scilly that they wanted was full. Just think of it NO hassle and you at your holiday property in no time at all and believe it or not but with clever pre booking you can get return flights for 2 from Southend via Easy Jet and Skybus £12 cheaper than return flights for 2 from Exeter. What could be better you, could be sitting watching this view of the Eastern Isles in just 5 hours!!

SUMMER on SCILLY

Well here it is at last!! To say that we have been 'waiting for sometime' is a bit of an understatement but the gin clear blue skies have arrived at last and the islands are stunning. It is great to walk out of our front door and see happy and contented faces really enjoying everything that Scilly has to offer.
We have some interesting boats on the moorings at the moment and my next door neighbour is about to get the main mast back on his yacht after several years of refurbishment so he will back on the ocean blue shortly.
We have had a slow start to the season this year and I guess that the loss of the helicopter is being felt but the Steamship Company are doing their best to step up to the plate. There is still some vague hope that a new helicopter service will be started but unless it is linked to a separate core business it is likely to have a very expensive ticket price. We keep fingers crossed.
Anyway back to the matter in hand...the islands. This is how they were looking earlier, how can you go wrong...see what you are missing.                 tg

New links to Scilly

The transport to the islands hasn't been great since the final helicopter but we live in hopes that when the weather cheers up a bit things will settle down and get back to normal. However there is some good transport news on the horizon. From the 21st of June EasyJet are starting three regular flights a week to Newquay from London Southend Airport. This service on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays will continue through the season until the end of the third week in September at a cost of roughly £35 per person each way, you can get full details and book on the EasyJet website www.easyjet.com/en Go to our links page where you will find a direct link.
We hope that this will help many of you from the North and East sides of London as there is a good link from the M25 via the A127. The owners of London Southend Airport (SEN), StobartAir, are developing many links and we hope that this Newquay (NQY) flight will be successful for EasyJet and will be something that will be extended for longer periods of the year. If it helps YOU please use it and let us know how you got on.  tg

Go South (West) young man!

Gales, freezing temperatures, black ice and blizzards!!! Well we have 10 degrees and sunshine as I write and the postman has just delivered our post and is still in shorts (and a shirt and fleece). The spring flowers are being picked furiously and bunched the to away to the mainland markets and all in all it is very pleasant on the islands at the moment.

Still crazy after all these years

I can't believe that I haven't written anything for such a long time. Well so many changes have happened on and to the rock since my last missive it's difficult to know where to start but lets kick off with the helicopter, or should I say lack of it! True to it's word the service finally stopped at the end of October and I don't care what anyone says it IS a great loss. There is still talk of something setting up in it's place and I for one hope that it does. I certainly don't want to knock Skybus or the Steamship Company but there are many times during the winter when the helicopter was the only link to the mainland. As I write this is the second day that I have been trying to get to the mainland on business, High winds yesterday, the airfield at Lands End waterlogged and wind from the wrong direction today means that I am sitting at the computer writing this rather than getting on with what I need to do in Truro and Penzance. Oh well this is what you have to put up with when you live on a rock in the Atlantic.
Mick Jagger wants to visit this rock! Or so he said on the One Show last Friday. Well Mick I can assure you that you would be very welcome and I hope that it won't be too long before we see you here. I'm sure he knows that he will find the best accommodation on www.come2scilly.com I expect he is browsing the website as I write. I tell you what, it would be great to see Mick doing a set with Terry Ward and the Steamband. Send me an email Mick tim@come2scilly.com and I'll arrange the gig for you.
The One Show has been very good to the islands recently, not only did they promote the islands with Mick Jagger on Friday but on Monday s show (26/11/12) they had their pet photographer do a 5 minute slot on his photographic visit to the islands earlier in the year. Actually it was a very nice little piece and showed the islands in a very good light. Thanks to The One Show.
Staying on the TV theme, I met Ed and Shane from the Cornwall Channel earlier in the year and they are producing work that is being shown on Channel 212 on Sky on a Monday evening at 9pm. They are mainly publicising Cornwall but they want to include the islands as well. They have kindly loaned me their spare camera and I am taking some bits of film that I hope will also be shown in their programme on Monday evenings. At least it will be if I can get my head around the software that is needed to download it to the web. I expect I need a handy 2 year old, they seem to be able to handle all this technology pretty well.

Still no flying at the moment but I need to make some phone calls now, I will pen some more when I am back on the rock. In the meanwhile if you are thinking that you would like to have Christmas on the islands go back to our website www.come2scilly.com and contact us, we have some great properties for you to stay in.                                                                                          tg

Summer at last

Like most of the country we have been waiting for the jet stream to lift above the southwest and bring some good weather to the islands. Well here it is, we have had 3 days of unbroken blue sky and sunshine, just what the doctor ordered. Nicky and spent a very pleasant couple of hours on St. Martins with Julia Walder on Sunday, it was lovely to have a chat with her parents Derek & Gladys Perkins as well. In fact it was a very pleasant afternoon in a very beautiful place so I'll share a view with you.

You could be here enjoying yourselves and taking in views like these while you are chilling out and becoming human again.
tg

What a day!

For the first time in quite a while I woke up this morning to total silence and when I looked out of the window the water in the harbour was completely flat without even a ripple. Sadly by the time I had got out of the shower and dressed a couple of boats had crossed the harbour and the water wasn't quite the mirror that it had been but never the less it was still a fantastic sight. When I walked to the quay there were only two people also out walking but it was really warm in the sunshine and the light was fantastic.

This is the first day of Art Scilly Week so I hope that the weather stays like this for some of the week at least. Certainly it will encourage more people to partake in the wide variety of activities that are available this week. So lets hope you all enjoy it and make sure that you put this week in your calendar for 2013.

Island Up-date

We are getting ready for the World Gig Championships now and looking forward to the influx of visitors that it always brings. There have been a lot of talks about it being moved to the mainland over the last few years but hopefully it is here to stay for sometime yet. The islands are the home of the Gigs and I know that many rowers, I hasten to that I am not one, feel that the social aspect of the championships could not be replicated on the mainland where many rowers would simply go home after their races and not stay for the 'Apres-row'. Anyway putting all that on one side the week after next will see the islands full of lycra clad bodies enjoying their sport and, we hope, enjoying the islands as well.

Soon after the festivities of the Gigs we have Art Scilly. This week has become more popular as the years have gone on and now is very popular with visitors and locals alike. This year Art Scilly runs from the 12th to the 19th of May and is packed with interesting opportunities for you to develop your individual artistic skills. With workshops across the islands in Printmaking, Silver Jewellery, Sketching, Creative writing, Water Colour Painting, Glass making, Photography, Felt making, Pottery and many other creative skill this is a week in the islands calendar not to be missed.
Go back to our availability page to check for accommodation for this week
http://www.come2scilly.com/self_catering/properties-2012.php

If anyone needs more information about island events just give us a call on 01720 423 523 and if we don't know the information we will find it out and let you know.

tg

April Showers

Well you have to say that this month has lived up to it's reputation, April Showers. It has been like this for the last couple of weeks, we started earlier in the year with wall to wall sunshine and it was quite warm. April comes along and we are plunged back into a showery stream of weather that seems to be sticking with us for a few days yet. All of a sudden the sun will come out and we will leave the winter blues behind us and start looking forward to the summer and some warm summer weather.  I know it's not PC to talk about the weather too much but the current warmth and showers is great for the potatoes that we have growing in our plot. The trouble is that it also makes the grass and the weeds grow equally as well and that means a lot of extra work for us all. Never mind all this means that it won't be long before we will be eating the fruits of our labour, beautiful, home grown new potatoes with lots of fresh mint and butter. What could be better!!!!

Another Day in Paradise

Easter has passed and we are now looking forward to the rest of the season. Although it has been a little quieter than normal those of you who did come had some quite reasonable weather and all in all it has been pretty good. It is great to see new businesses starting with a flourish and that has certainly happened at 'Spiro' (what was The Boat Shed). Amelia and Richard Mills took over the restaurant earlier this year and renamed it after the racing yacht that the shed was built to house. Lots of very good reports coming from visitors and guests about the food and the service which is really good news. We are going to have an evening there next week so I'll report back again later.
We are all waiting for the butchers to re-open in May. Interestingly it is Amelia's brother in law who is starting this business so we wish him every success in, what is, a vital requirement for the island.
The great thing  about all these new enterprises starting is that they are being run by young people who are putting all there youth and vitality into a new venture. It is these types of business that bring drive and energy to the islands and are our future so whether you live here, or are one of our welcome visitors, do go and support these new ventures and help them build the future of Scilly.                      tg

Island Life and the opposite!

We are back on the islands now and I reckon that I picked up the bug, that has laid me flat for the last few days, on the mainland...I'm blaming you lot anyhow. We are pretty busy now getting ready for the season and things were going quite well until first thing on Saturday morning when I was just leaving the house and was told that one of our local lads, Louis Hicks, had been found dead. I knew Louis from the time I first came to the islands as he quickly became a close friend of my stepson Matthew and the 2 of them, both typical boys, were very happy creating mayhem. Not too bad really just boys. Louis was one of the nicest and most pleasant young men you could have wished to meet but he was a loveable rogue with a glint in his eye that will be really missed here on the islands.
It's always really difficult for everyone in a small community when something like this happens. Difficult for the young friends who grew up together and can't understand, and difficult for the oldies who just think 'what a waste' of a young life. However these things happen, happen they do and life moves on, so must we all but this 'oldie' will remember that young life lived to the full.     tg

On the mainland

Well here we are in St Ives for a day then we head to North Devon for a couple of days before legging it back to the islands to start the season. We still have some vacancies for the season and our new properties give you the opportunity to get on the ladder in really great locations for future years. Do contact us with any requirements that you might have for the season and we will do our best to fit you into a property that will suit your needs. tg