Local watermen ferried us in open boats from our ship at anchor to the island of Tresco as I admired the numerous rocks around, Virginia much preferred the lifeboats that the Columbus normally used as tenders. Happily the weather shone upon us this day.

Tresco was beautiful, a harmony of rock and sea and vegetation. We walked from the landing point to the Tresco Abbey Garden which is a large sloping garden full of diversity. This was my favourite port of call of the whole cruise. There was much to see, plants in bloom, collections from different areas in the world, yet there was plenty of room so one didn't feel one was fighting one's way through a crowd. There were seats to sit on, a cafe to have an ice cream at and resist buying fancy socks at, and a collection of figureheads from shipwrecks around the Scilly Isles.

It was a good walk from the gardens to New Grimsby where the open boats collected us to take us back to the Columbus. It was worth making sure we fitted onto the first boat.