About Tresco Island
28 miles off the coast of Cornwall. Somewhere else altogether...
Tresco is a family-run island in the heart of the Isles of Scilly - 800 acres of open space to roam, explore and simply be.
Just 28 miles off the Cornish coast, it offers a rare balance: wild natural beauty alongside quiet refinement, and a pace of life that feels gently unhurried.
Rural yet coastal, remote yet remarkably easy to reach, Tresco is a place of calm and space - safe, peaceful and deeply restorative.
Just two and a half miles long and a mile wide at its broadest point, Tresco is one of five inhabited islands that, together with more than 200 smaller islands and rocks, form the Isles of Scilly - a National Landscape lying 28 miles south-west of Land’s End.
The climate is gently temperate, bringing mild winters and an early, light-filled spring that arrives ahead of the mainland
You might spend the morning wandering through the world-renowned Tresco Abbey Garden, pause for fresh seafood with the sea just beyond the table, or cycle along car-free lanes with little more than birdsong for company. However you pass the time, Tresco invites you to reconnect - with nature, with those beside you, and with yourself.
Shaped by two centuries of family stewardship
In 1834, the Duchy of Cornwall leased the Isles of Scilly to Augustus Smith, a Hertfordshire squire who became Lord Proprietor. His stewardship brought renewed prosperity to the islands, shaping much of what endures today.
He made his home at Tresco Abbey, beside the ruins of a Benedictine priory, and began planting what would become a remarkable garden - gathering species from South Africa, South America and beyond. Nearly two centuries on, Tresco Abbey Garden is internationally recognised as one of the finest sub-tropical plant collections in the Northern Hemisphere.
The Dorrien-Smith family continues to live at the Abbey, and the island’s businesses and properties are owned and cared for by Tresco Island Limited, which also owns Hell Bay Hotel on neighbouring Bryher.
Tresco remains, at heart, a family enterprise. That spirit is reflected in the warmth and companionship of those who work here - many of whom have been part of island life for decades, with seasonal colleagues returning year after year. Around 150 people call Tresco home permanently, a close-knit community of all ages, with some families rooted here for generations.
