Exploring St.Marys

Sunday
The day started grey, wet and quite windy, so it definitely seemed a day for remaining on the island of St. Mary’s rather than taking a boat to any of the other islands. So we decided to start with a walk around the Garrison, the old walls and batteries around the headland west of Hugh Town, originally built in the 16th century for defence against the Spanish, and subsequently used during the English civil wars and later still against French invasion. It was enhanced for defence in both WW1 and WW2. We hadn’t progressed too far along the walk, with stops for photographs, and reading the information panels, before the skies began to clear, and by about 11 am it was a lovely sunny morning. It was a great walk, with beautiful views out to sea and the other islands, interesting history, beautiful wildflowers, birds, and at one of the batteries we could see a seal playing in the waters by an off shore clump of rocks. By the time we returned to Hugh Town, after our leisurely pace, taking everything in, we stopped for a drink and a bite to eat at one of the pubs, with a lovely view over the beach. After lunch, we walked along the southern coast, around the Peninnis headland with its distinctive rocks at the end, where several young people were climbing - I was glad they weren’t my kids! The path then continues around the end of one of the runways of the tiny airport (they run 9- and 19-seater planes!). There is no boundary fence at this point, just a warning light, where walkers must stop when it is red, until the plane has landed or taken off! There aren’t many flights, and the light was green as we passed. All the way along, the coastal scenery is amazing, with waves breaking along the rocky outcrops. When we came to the next bay, we stopped for a cup of tea at a cafe, then returned to Hugh Town through the centre of the island, first by a path through a Nature Preserve, and then by road. By the time we had walked into town and back later for dinner, we were glad to rest our feet, and go to bed! My collage shows images from our morning walk, and I have included a couple of shots from our afternoon rocks inextras, showing Peninnis Head and Pulpit Rock.