Getting to Scilly cheaply

[dan pointon]

Hi,

I'm in the process of planning a trip to Scillies in August, but having just looked at the prices on the Scillonian for a return ticket they're frankly extortionate. I know that the RSPB run 1/2 price day tickets, is there any way that I could buy two of those and use one on my journey out, and one on return?? Or indeed any other way around the problem that is the £92 return ticket!

Cheers

Dan

[Jos Stratford]

Hi,

I'm in the process of planning a trip to Scillies in August, but having just looked at the prices on the Scillonian for a return ticket they're frankly extortionate. I know that the RSPB run 1/2 price day tickets, is there any way that I could buy two of those and use one on my journey out, and one on return?? Or indeed any other way around the problem that is the £92 return ticket!

Cheers

Dan

Gee, for £92 you could do the Canary Islands cheaper!

Is that the standard return? There use to have cheaper 3- or 5-day returns, maybe now too? If you are travelling without baggage, you could probably get a day return and not use the return, but ferry companies often have a policy to not allow baggage to stop people doing what you want. Anyhow, you'd need to get a single back, so I guess it would not work out much cheaper.

[Andrew]

Two singles and wear all your clothes?

[SueBryan]

You could swim!
Sue

[devon.birder]

Dan, if you are concerned about the cost of getting to Scilly then my advice is to find somewhere else to go. Scilly is not cheap even when you get there and in August it will be full of tourists rather than birds anyway. Roger

[dan pointon]

Dan, if you are concerned about the cost of getting to Scilly then my advice is to find somewhere else to go. Scilly is not cheap even when you get there and in August it will be full of tourists rather than birds anyway. Roger

Agreed. The thing is i'm interested in seeing Wilsons Petrel and the large shears, and I don't think there's many other places which I can see um!!!!!!!

[Highway Man]

The local cornish papers usually run some kind of offer during late summer. You have to cut three vouchers out (buy three papers) and then book your trip in advance, and use just the retun ticket. The last time I went (for the Courser) it cost £15 for a cheap day return for RSPB members, Fridays only, and £15 with the vouchers for any day sailing.

Mark

[devon.birder]

Agreed. The thing is i'm interested in seeing Wilsons Petrel and the large shears, and I don't think there's many other places which I can see um!!!!!!!

In that case Dan I would recommend you go in July rather than August. Roger

[Darrell Clegg]

The local cornish papers usually run some kind of offer during late summer. You have to cut three vouchers out (buy three papers) and then book your trip in advance, and use just the retun ticket. The last time I went (for the Courser) it cost £15 for a cheap day return for RSPB members, Fridays only, and £15 with the vouchers for any day sailing.

Mark

Hi Mark,

The difficulty with this is that you now have to collect your tickets from the office in Penzance on the day you travel, which is no good if you're on Scilly. I think they must have cottoned on to the fact that people were buying two newspaper specials and using them as period returns

Darrell

[dan pointon]

OK I had an idea....

If I were to make the trip down and across to the islands, using a day return ticket 1/2 price with the RSPB (£18), and then stay on the isles for c3 days, then my Dad could pop across for a day with a couple of day return tickets for me and a mate, and we could then use these to get back from the islands. Could this work?

Cheers

Dan

[devon.birder]

OK I had an idea....

If I were to make the trip down and across to the islands, using a day return ticket 1/2 price with the RSPB (£18), and then stay on the isles for c3 days, then my Dad could pop across for a day with a couple of day return tickets for me and a mate, and we could then use these to get back from the islands. Could this work?

Cheers

Dan

Blimey Dan, a couple of years ago the Moderators deleted one of my posts because I said "strickly speaking you need a permit to enter Barrow Gurney Reservoir". They felt I was suggesting you trespass but here you are in 2007 asking advice on how to defraud The Isles of Scilly Steamship Company. Whatever next!!!!. Roger

[dan pointon]

Blimey Dan, a couple of years ago the Moderators deleted one of my posts because I said "strickly speaking you need a permit to enter Barrow Gurney Reservoir". They felt I was suggesting you trespass but here you are in 2007 asking advice on how to defraud The Isles of Scilly Steamship Company. Whatever next!!!!. Roger

The prices are extortionate for someone who's earning a good salary never mind a lazy student type such as myself! I don't think anyone could blame me for this 'defraud'!

[devon.birder]

The prices are extortionate for someone who's earning a good salary never mind a lazy student type such as myself! I don't think anyone could blame me for this 'defraud'!

I didn't say I blamed you for trying to get to the Scillies as cheaply as possible, Dan. Like many others I think the prices charged to get there are far too high and could almost be said to discourage low spending tourists like yourself for going there so that there is more room for the big spending tourists which the Tourist Industry seem to target.
I would though suggest you look at the last couple of ISBG Reports before you go in August. Roger

[kingwolf]

The prices are also the result of a limited amount of tourists trying to get there and high costs of running boats etc look at getting to the channel islands with Aurigny it costs a fortune but that is because they have to cover their costs. I also dont disagree with trying to get the cheapest ticket possible especally as i am aiming to do some dissi research down there but sometimes the bullet just has to be bitten!

[Vectis Birder]

And I thought the Isle of Wight ferry companies were extortionate...

[the oilbird]

If you want wilsons then last week of July 1st 2 week of August is THE time....usually!

For the big shears (and an outside chance of a good skua...they are not too regular from Scilly)...well you stand a chance in July, but August would be better....and as you get in towards late August always the chance of a Feas or something equally gripping! Personally Id go for later rather than earlier...dont plump for July as mentioned above...though of course you stand a chance to see them then.

If you are doing a Scilly pelagic they cost £20 each for a 5 or so hour trip, they might give you a discount if you plan to do more than one? Trips are weather dependent, but at peak time (ie July/Aug) can run 4 times a week, some during the day, some in the evenings. Celtic Birdtours are doing a 3 day autumn pelagic trip (late August last year...trip report on the Scilly Bird Group Website) which would give you a great chance of cleaning up.

Good luck! Oh and dont forget to pack some seasickness pills...no matter now boat worthy you think you are it will ruin your trip if your feeding the fish for 5 hours...and they wont take you back early!

[devon.birder]

The following is an extract from the ISBG web site:
WHEN TO SEE MORE SOUGHT AFTER SEABIRDS:

Great Shearwater: Numbers vary significantly from year to year. In a good year they are common in September and October (sometimes 100s). Otherwise, they are occasional to frequent in August, and rare in July.

Cory’s Shearwater: Like Great Shearwater, numbers vary significantly from year to year. In a good year non-breeders surge into Scillonian waters in July, perhaps for three or four days when 40 or 50 might be seen. Post- and failed breeders appear August and September (on and off). Records in June are rare.

Fea's Petrel: Scilly has a good track record for this highly sought after Pterodroma. The total to date is seven, all since 1996, with sightings in four of the last six years. There is one early July record, with four in late August and two in early September.

Wilson’s Storm-petrel: Scilly is the place to see this magical little seabird. Sightings are regular in July and August, but most reliable in the last ten days of July and the first few days of August. Rarely seen in June and early September.


It doesn't matter if you go in July or August if you have bad weather while you are over there the boats will not run. Most years I see Corrys and Great Shearwaters from Cornwall, either Porthgwarra or Pendeen. Roger

.

[Popeye]

OK I had an idea....

If I were to make the trip down and across to the islands, using a day return ticket 1/2 price with the RSPB (£18), and then stay on the isles for c3 days, then my Dad could pop across for a day with a couple of day return tickets for me and a mate, and we could then use these to get back from the islands. Could this work?

Cheers

Dan



Buying two day return tickets for £36 each in advance and only using them them for "single" trips would "only" cost £72, a saving of twenty quid on the standard return. Has anyone tried this and how could they stop anyone trying. From memory they do not check the names of boarding passengers or ever wait for some one who has paid to return but do to unforeseen circumstances fails to get back to the quay at St.Marys. I can't see this as fraud after all you have paid the fare asked for. A few years ago I sailed on the Good Shepherd from Shetland to Fair Isle, a similar distance to the Scillonian crossing, albeit on a much smaller vessel with vomitting sheep for company. The sheep soon had most of the passengers doing the same, but the single fare was good value at 50 pence!

[Conorbirda2]

Dig in to your student loan and go for a week camping on the Scillies in October instead!!! You can easily get all the big shears from Porthgwarra or Pendeen in july/August. Wilson's have been seen from St Ives Island (2004). There is no cheap option!

[em1980]

Agreed. The thing is i'm interested in seeing Wilsons Petrel and the large shears, and I don't think there's many other places which I can see um!!!!!!!

Try Ultimate Pelagics Southern Ireland trip which is going beyond fabled wilsons triangle...I'm thinking of joining it this year.

[PYRTLE]

O.K. You're a student - want it all but not prepared to pay for it. Have you thought about the Scillonian pelagic....13 hours and the highest chance of fairly decent views of all what your after plus maybe more.....soft plumage petrel/tropicbird.....oh and as a student you could always drink the leftover beer and scraps of pasty or bacon sarnies. Again as a student (you mentioned it!) you could have a kip for free on the seats whilst steaming out to the favoured sites.

I've been twice and seen close ups of Great,Cory's and Sooties. About half a dozen Wilsons, loads od Sabines, Bonxies. Good luck but don't cry if you get caught by the I.O.S. ferrymen trying to dodge or not pay - they are fair but hard men and this is their livlihood.

[kingwolf]

Or accespt that this is a small and remote place and therefore going to be expensive and bite the bulliet and just treat yourself to some quality time.

As a fellow student can I reconmend "insert suppermarket" (bar waitrose!!) own brand cheap food (e.g. 16p tin of bake bins) and save money that way.