Tresco Journal

Who would have believed that this year I would be celebrating forty continuous years of visiting my favourite island in the world?

The new passenger terminal at Land’s End Airport opened its doors for the first time on Tuesday (9 April), following the completion of the £1 million project.

It is very early on a summer morning. My Drascombe longboat Lucille is on a mooring off New Grimsby. There is the sickle sweep of the bay, the granite quay, the smoke of a Rayburn drifting northeast on the breeze.

“What you see is what you get,” says Paul, as he casts his eye over a verdant stretch of pasture, freckled with sturdy, russet-coloured cattle.

If two words can sum up a chilled-out, Tresco holiday spirit, then “Gone Fishing” comes pretty close.

In terms of sporting triumph in 2012, for much of the year we were all at sea – it was only the Tresco & Bryher Rowing Club that could really claim to have had some success.

"It’s all about companionship really,” mused Dave Hamilton, Tresco’s kitchen gardener. Leaning on his fork, Dave was summing up his approach to growing fruit, vegetables and cut flowers.

Walking between Tresco and Bryher on a spring tide is one of the great island activities. However many times you do it, the quiet thrill of defying the natural order of things never really leaves you.

Maybe it’s the air – big lungfuls of salty maritime air bowling in across the Atlantic – but it’s healthier to be by the sea. They’ve done research and it’s a fact. All of which makes being on a small island rather good news.

At the start of this year Jess Turnbull, therapist at the Flying Boat Club Spa, received the honour of being named one of the finalists of the ila Therapist of the Year Award 2012. Jess tells us a bit about the competition and what it means to her to have been recognised by ila.

If you’ve stayed at the New Inn you’ll know that there’s always a friendly face to welcome you and make you feel at home, most often that of Rachel Young, New Inn receptionist.

The February 2013 edition of Conde Nast Traveller saw a special issue listing their Gold Standard of all-time favourite hotels, restaurants, bars and beach clubs from around the world.