Scilly v Shetland - again

[Clive Watson]

In view of the recent threads on how Scilly and Shetland are faring these days and the various costs of getting there, I thought people might be interested in this breakdown of the costs of my recent trip to Shetland, involving a week on Fair Isle plus a couple of days either side on the mainland :

Flight Heathrow-Sumburgh : £205
Flight Tingwall-Fair Isle : £56
4 nights B+B in Lerwick : £100
A week in the Obs : £228
4 days car hire : £75
Bus and coach from Woking to Heathrow : £20
Total : £684

With extra costs (petrol, evening meals, beer) I reckon total cost was about £750, maybe a bit more. Car hire is halved as there were 2 of us, it would have been £150 if I was on my own of course.

Would anyone care to provide a similar breakdown of a recent holiday in Scilly so we can compare and contrast?

[Dougie Preston]

A week in the Obs :£228

Sounds a lot, but you have to remember that it includes 3 meals a day as well.

[scary-canary]

Would anyone care to provide a similar breakdown of a recent holiday in Scilly so we can compare and contrast?

Be interesting to know what you saw too?

[Clive Watson]

Sounds a lot, but you have to remember that it includes 3 meals a day as well.

Absolutely. That's why the 'extras' total wasn't that high, obviously it'd be higher for Scillies birders.

[Clive Watson]

Be interesting to know what you saw too?

Will come to that, but obviously the birds are an unquantifiable variable that don't affect the expenditure of such a trip, which is why I left them out.

[JoanT]

In view of the recent threads on how Scilly and Shetland are faring these days and the various costs of getting there, I thought people might be interested in this breakdown of the costs of my recent trip to Shetland, involving a week on Fair Isle plus a couple of days either side on the mainland :

Flight Heathrow-Sumburgh : £205
Flight Tingwall-Fair Isle : £56
4 nights B+B in Lerwick : £100
A week in the Obs : £228
4 days car hire : £75
Bus and coach from Woking to Heathrow : £20
Total : £684

With extra costs (petrol, evening meals, beer) I reckon total cost was about £750, maybe a bit more. Car hire is halved as there were 2 of us, it would have been £150 if I was on my own of course.

Would anyone care to provide a similar breakdown of a recent holiday in Scilly so we can compare and contrast?


Return on Scillonian booked 2-3 months ago £92
B and B single occ of double room £34 a night x7 238
Inter island travel £7 return (be careful as each island
has own boats and not interchangeable and had to pay
further £3.50 when got on wrong company boat to get back
to St Mary's) went off St Mary's 3 days including part share
private charter approx 30
Taxi around St Mary roughly if several of you under
£10 per week otherwise could be £5 for most distant points 10
Could get evening meal and a drink for under a £10 70
Pelagic 20
Cost £460

plus getting to Penzance dependent on where you live
not sure of my petrol share yet 2 of us from London area
but less than 2 tanks of petrol

[jogresh]

I reckon my 2 weeks on Shetland cost about £700 including travel etc.
Great to bump into you and Andrew on the Unst - Fetlar ferry, bizarre eh?

[BRYBO]

In view of the recent threads on how Scilly and Shetland are faring these days and the various costs of getting there, I thought people might be interested in this breakdown of the costs of my recent trip to Shetland, involving a week on Fair Isle plus a couple of days either side on the mainland :

Flight Heathrow-Sumburgh : £205
Flight Tingwall-Fair Isle : £56
4 nights B+B in Lerwick : £100
A week in the Obs : £228
4 days car hire : £75
Bus and coach from Woking to Heathrow : £20
Total : £684

With extra costs (petrol, evening meals, beer) I reckon total cost was about £750, maybe a bit more. Car hire is halved as there were 2 of us, it would have been £150 if I was on my own of course.

Would anyone care to provide a similar breakdown of a recent holiday in Scilly so we can compare and contrast?

A couple of quotes now from some recent twitches to Scilly.
The C.C.C. Twitch Oct 2004
These are all approx.
Petrol Chester-Penzance-Chester: £100
Scillonian return crossing(open) : £85
5x nights camping Garrison: £25(Quite pleasant actually)
St Marys-St Martins: £6.50
Food and beer: £150(Seems quite high but am partial to Cornish real ales,Sharps Doom bar and the locally produced Isles of Scilly real ales are a particular favourite,also Skinners Betty Stogs).
Looks like £366.50,bargain in few of the rarity,also had Short toed Lark and a couple of Buff breasted Sands whilst there.
The Ovenbird Twitch Oct. 2004
Petrol Chester-Penzance-Chester: £100
Scillonian return crossing: £17.50(special offer from local newspaper)
Taxi(shared): £2
2 nights b and b Penzance: £50 ( decided to do Cornish valleys afterwards didn't get much a couple of Waxwing were the highlight).
The usual beer and food: £60
Looks like £229.50
A very enjoyable Autumn. Now ready for the next one.

[Clive Watson]

Thanks for this, it's interesting to note that the Scillonian is now quite a bit cheaper than the helicopter; they always used to be roughly the same. Next time I go to the Scillies I'd still be tempted by the chopper though due to my apalling seasickness! It'd be interesting to hear from someone if they'd gone by chopper and stayed on the Scillies for 2 weeks as this is how I normally do it (though I've not gone for a few years).

[Woodchatshrike]

I used to drink about 10 pints a night when I went to Scilly. That's not cheap. Best ale I ever had on the Island :- Total Eclipse. Nice.

[changer400]

Thanks for this, it's interesting to note that the Scillonian is now quite a bit cheaper than the helicopter; they always used to be roughly the same. Next time I go to the Scillies I'd still be tempted by the chopper though due to my apalling seasickness! It'd be interesting to hear from someone if they'd gone by chopper and stayed on the Scillies for 2 weeks as this is how I normally do it (though I've not gone for a few years).

Up to the minute prices !

Plane is currently £100 Return from Lands end (+ 4 per day Car Parking if booked in advance ) - this is a saver fare for October to February , normally £125
Scilly-Onion is £70 return ( normally £92 )
Helli Whatsit is £154 , no special deals , no discounts for group bookings ! I believe car parking is now £5.50 a day ( can anyone confirm )

Best Deal at the moment to my mind is Newquay - £117 saver fare ( normally £145 )

Worth bearing in mind when you all have to come over next week when we find Cerulean Warbler ;)

Si.

[Periwinkle]

Recent week in Shetland - prices per person (3 of us)

Flight - Birmingham - Aberdeen - Sumburgh return - £142 each booked well in advance
Accomodation - £75 each Self catering sumburgh lighthouse
Car Hire - £70
3 Ferry Trips - £14 pp for all 3 including car.
Petrol - £40
Beer/Food - £70 ish

I make that just over £400 pound per person. We left birmingham at 7.00am and were birding before 11.00am, so a lot less travel time as well. And we saw some great birds as well, without all the crowds. Biggest twitch 13 people at the Blyths Reed Warbler on Whalsay. Also found some good stuff including Buff Breast Sand, Barred, Rosefinch, Many Yellow Brows, Tree Sparrow and Hen Harrier (last two good shetland birds)!

[I Foster]

Twitching Shetland can be done quite cheaply although it takes three day's...Sept 05' 4 of us from Cleveland twitched the Garth's Ness Yellow warbler

Fuel Cleveland to Aberdeen plus a few quid each on Shetland £21.00 each
Return ferry Aberdeen to Shetland £51.00 each
Car hire with insurance £10.00 each
Food and drink inc a couple of pints on ferry £17.00
Total = £99.00

Did pretty much the same two month later for the Brunnich's Guillemot!

Just this week twitched scilly and again can be done quite cheap. The Scillonian was only £21.00 day return, but of course this only gives four hours of birding...

[Clive Watson]

Inter island travel £7 return (be careful as each island
has own boats and not interchangeable and had to pay
further £3.50 when got on wrong company boat to get back
to St Mary's)

I've not heard of this before. I thought it was all run by the IOS Steamship Co. Can anyone confirm if this is a recent phenomenon?

[BRYBO]

I've not heard of this before. I thought it was all run by the IOS Steamship Co. Can anyone confirm if this is a recent phenomenon?

Last time I was there (2004) the main player was the boatmans association or something like that,please someone correct me if i'm wrong and we were often warned about rival boat companys.

[devon.birder]

Last time I was there (2004) the main player was the boatmans association or something like that,please someone correct me if i'm wrong and we were often warned about rival boat companys.

Whilst the main player is the St Mary's Boatmans Association if you were on say Tresco and mistakenly got on the boat run by Tresco boatmen to get back to St Mary's then you would have to pay again. St Agnes, St Martins and Bryher also run their own boats to take their tourists to the other islands. This year their were also at least one boat run from St Mary's that was independant of the Association which ran inter island trips much like the Buccaneer was when I first visited Scilly forty years ago.
As very few birders seem to go around by themselves on Scilly I am surprised that more people do not buy ten tickets for £63 and then share them out between themselves, as well as reducing the cost you only have to queue once at the kiosk on the quay. Roger

[Lichfield Birder]

I've not heard of this before. I thought it was all run by the IOS Steamship Co. Can anyone confirm if this is a recent phenomenon?

Its always only ever been IOSSC that I know.

[devon.birder]

Its always only ever been IOSSC that I know.

What has?. Roger

[Lichfield Birder]

What has?. Roger

Apologies for the misleading quote yesterday evening, I wasn't even p*ssed. Of course inter island transport has always been the Boatmen, whilst Penzance to Scilly has always been Isles of Scilly Steamship Company (IOSSC).

Obviously read the earlier post totally wrong!!

[devon.birder]

Thanks Alan. I recall that when the St Mary's Boatmans Association was first formed in 1958 the IOSSC was a founder member as it owned a couple of the launches. I know it subsequently sold one but it may still be a member. Roger

[Conorbirda2]

Just had a week on Scilly. Total cost £315. That included everything AND a copy of the new Scilly bird book (£38), which is excellent!

[Highway Man]

Distinct lack of quality pies on Scilly. www.ofpiesandbirds.blogspot.com (http://www.ofpiesandbirds.blogspot.com)

[Andrew]

Got to think 'pasty' on Scilly and try the butchers down one of the side streets Mark.

You really do need to buy the PIE400CLUB fieldguide! ;)

[Periwinkle]

The case for Shetland from the punks:

http://www.freewebs.com/punkbirder/shetland07.htm

[draycotebirding]

Whilst the main player is the St Mary's Boatmans Association if you were on say Tresco and mistakenly got on the boat run by Tresco boatmen to get back to St Mary's then you would have to pay again. St Agnes, St Martins and Bryher also run their own boats to take their tourists to the other islands. This year their were also at least one boat run from St Mary's that was independant of the Association which ran inter island trips much like the Buccaneer was when I first visited Scilly forty years ago.
As very few birders seem to go around by themselves on Scilly I am surprised that more people do not buy ten tickets for £63 and then share them out between themselves, as well as reducing the cost you only have to queue once at the kiosk on the quay. Roger

Or get them from the Sportsmode shop and not have to queue at the quay at all ;)

John

[Highway Man]

Got to think 'pasty' on Scilly and try the butchers down one of the side streets Mark.

You really do need to buy the PIE400CLUB fieldguide! ;)

Hmm there's an idea!!! Pasties not doing too well in the Poll http://www.ofpiesandbirds.blogspot.com

[Andrew]

Here's a history lesson Mark.

Long, long ago, before Tolkein, us south westerners were making excellent pies. The northern jealousy outstripped our ability to afford tin for the foil to make our pies despite mining the stuff ourselves. This ironic twist of fate pushed us to create the pasty.

The alpha Kernow male abused the women folk a bit as a result so the menfolk were sweetened by pudding ( ;) ) being added to the pasty, this worked with a bit of 'Razzle Reader's Wives-esque' delights in the evenings.

So it grates Kernow-folk a bit to be told by the northern coal mining bum-lickers to be told that pies rule!

Grates Deben-folk even more since we are dependent on Hayle based Kernow folk for our erotic savoury pastry delights!

[devon.birder]

Or get them from the Sportsmode shop and not have to queue at the quay at all ;)

John

Well you learn something new everyday, I wasn't aware the Sportsmode shop would sell you 10 tickets for £63, I thought they only sold them at the full price of £7 each. Roger