Originally Posted by
Skipness One Foxtrot
Looking at having a trip on the IOS Skybus but fares out of EXT are north pf £500 return, some way even more expensive than the similar Twin Otter operations of Loganair. Am I being thick or is that the going rate? Any good ideas on savings or workarounds? Love to do it but cannot justify a trip based on that price point.
Take the train down to Penzance rail station, and fly from either Land's End or Penzance Heliport - it'll save a fortune. Personally I thought Land's End airport was more fun than Penzance heliport but YMMV. You may wish to take the 6 pm train from Paddington to Penzance - it'll get you to Penzance about midnight, but if you book a B&B, you'll get a proper night's sleep, and be able to enjoy the ride to/from Scilly.
Tresco gardens are beautiful, but I think September might be a little too late in the season - late June or early July is probably better. You might be better off flying to/from St Mary's instead if you're thinking of going in 2023. Even if you do go just to St Mary's, you may wish to think about deferring your Scilly trip to June/July 2024 - see the average climate data below.
You *really* need a good sunny day to appreciate the ride - be prepared to study some weather forecasts, and ensure the train tickets to/from London and the flight to/from Scilly are changeable without fees until just a couple of days beforehand. Depending on preference, you may want to ensure you are flying when it's low tide to get a better view of the beaches. Popular times for flying book up in advance.
AFAIK, Scilly is not CAT III - and the Atlantic is rather larger than the islands with corresponding influence.
Have a look at Penzance Helicopters in addition to IOS Skybus - they're not cheap but you may find they work better for you.
Before visiting Scilly, everyone thinks "islands are small, don't need long there" - but if it's a nice sunny day, everyone wishes they had allowed longer on Scilly when it's time to leave - the islands are truly beautiful. That said, Scilly (and especially Tresco) is not a cheap place to visit - and accommodation is expensive. If you're going for a day trip, consider the first flight of the morning... and the last flight of the afternoon while allowing a bit of margin time in case of delays to get the train back to London
You might find more info at
Scilly Isles Route
Isles of Scilly Route-2
https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/researc...ages/gbgebz4kn
https://weatherspark.com/y/147696/Av...dom-Year-Round