about CHRISTMAS HOUSE

DOUBLE ROOM

Double share £1,100pp Sole use £1,360pp

DOUBLE ROOM

Double share £1,100pp Sole use £1,360pp

TWIN ROOM

Twin share £1,100pp Sole use £1,360pp Please note these rooms share a bathroom, plus there is an extra toilet in the house. The family room below has its own en-suite.

FAMILY ROOM (DOUBLE + 2 SINGLES + ENSUITE)

Double share £1,650pp Triple share £990pp

THE ITINERARY

N.B. Please note, this is a rough guide to the week. We will adapt the week carefully for each individual and the prevailing weather and tides. All swim activities are planned with safety as the paramount concern. Swim distances are adaptable and we can deal with a mixture of abilities on this tour.

SATURDAY

A SwimQuest representative will meet you on Tresco and take you to your Sea Garden Cottage. After the safety-briefing, we will go for a short acclimatisation swim in the local bay at Old Grimsby. You can settle into your room, and meet your fellow guests and guides for an evening meal and your safety briefing.

SUNDAY

We will start the day with an inter-island crossing from Cromwell’s Castle on Tresco, passing Hangman Island and finishing at Annaquay.  This is a short swim of just over 1km, but a good start to the week.  You can then swim back to the beach at New Grimsby on Tresco or hop on the support boats. In the afternoon, we will swim 1.5km, from Rushy Bay to the sandy bar on the east end of Samson. The beaches are sandy and beautiful - stretch out and enjoy this stunning water.

MONDAY

Starting from just outside our cottages, this  morning we will complete a 2km swim to Tean. We will be swimming on an outgoing tide and will start the swim from Northward on Tresco near the slipway and make our way in between St Helen’s Island and Foremans Island finishing near Old Man Bay, with the option to extend to Coldge point if morale is soaring! In the afternoon, we will swim from Tean to St Martins - a beautiful swim with lots of outcrop islands to the south.

TUESDAY

This morning we will start at Higher Town on St Martin’s and finish at Bar Point on St Mary's. This is a fantastic 3km inter island swim.  After lunch, we will head to the Eastern Isles - impressive uninhabited islands. We will make our way to the south west of Great Ganilly Island and swim in the bay which is often populated with seals.

WEDNESDAY 

This morning we will complete a 4.5km swim from Samson to St Agnes. Our plan is to start from Southward Well Point on Samson, and swim to the Quay on St Agnes near The Turks Head pub. This means we swim between the neighbouring island of Gugh – a long swim with some stunning views along the way. After lunch, enjoy an afternoon at leisure back on Tresco and a chance to relax at the cottages or visit the amazing Tresco Abbey Gardens. Established in the nineteenth century by Augustus Smith the seventeen acres of garden are full of flowers, succulents and shrubs that thrive in such a temperate climate.  The garden includes The Valhalla Museum containing some 30 figureheads and name-boards and other decorative carvings from the days of sail.

THURSDAY

This morning we complete a fabulous 2.5 – 3km swim, starting by the east coast of Gugh and making our way to Woolpack Point and then on into Porthcressa Bay where we will finish the swim on the beach. After lunch on St Mary’s, we will complete a 1.5km swim in the bay at Porth Cressa, with the stunning coastline of St Mary’s to our left.

FRIDAY

A short pre-breakfast swim in the local bay and then after breakfast it is time to prepare for the onward journey home.    

TRAVEL & TIMINGS

This trip officially begins on Saturday afternoon at 2pm. The trip finishes on Friday morning at 10am, usually after a leisurely dip and breakfast.

BY PLANE

Skybus flies to the St Mary's all year round from Land’s End and Newquay, and from Exeter between March and November. Your Skybus flight takes just 15 minutes from Land’s End to St. Mary’s, 30 minutes from Newquay Airport, and from Exeter it’s an hour. You’ll travel in an 8 or 19-seater plane. If flying into St Mary’s you will need to book your Tresco ferry transfer in advance. For more information on flying to the Isles of Scilly and to book your flights and Tresco transfer, click here or call +44 (0)1736 334220. If you have any problems booking your travel, please do not hesitate to call the Island Office on +44 (0)1720 422849, The Isles of Scilly travel team will be happy to help.

BY FERRY

It is also possible to book a 2 hour 45 minute ferry from Penzance to St. Mary’s, on board the Scillonian III. The Scillonian III runs between March and November six days a week, seven in high season. Generally speaking (exceptionally low tides withstanding), it leaves Penzance at 9.15am arriving in Scilly at 12 noon. It then leaves Scilly at 16.30 arriving in Penzance at 19.10pm. For more information on getting to the Isles of Scilly by boat, or to book your travel and transfer to Tresco, click here or call +44 (0)1736 334220.

WHAT TO PACK

In addition to your everyday clothing and personal travel items, we would also recommend packing:

• At least two swimming costumes
• A wetsuit should you wish to wear one
• Two pairs of swim goggles
• Swim ear plugs if you are used to wearing them
• A beach / swim towel (the villa provides room towels)
• Sandals, aqua shoes or flip flops which you would be happy to get wet if necessary
• Warm clothes - although we have ordered the sunshine well in advance, it’s not always like the glorious pictures on our website, so please do bring warm clothes and layers for after your swims!
• Suncream, sunhat and sunglasses
• Insect repellent
• Comfortable sportswear (optional - running / stretching / yoga)
• Dryrobe / equivalent (if the luggage limit makes brining bulky items difficult - Dryrobes are available to hire for £50 per week from Adventure Scilly).

READY TO BOOK?

We’re excited about meeting you on tour. To book your Scilly Adventure, simply fill in the booking form below. Once you have submitted the form, Charlotte (our bookings co-ordinator) will be in touch to request payment and to help you with any additional requirements. A deposit of 30% is required to secure your place, and the final payment is due 8 weeks prior to departure. Payments can be made by debit / credit card, by cheque, or by bank transfer.

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In booking with us, you accept our terms and conditions, which can be found here. If at any point you have any questions, feel free to contact us: Charlotte Benton | +44 7743 233803 | charlotte@swimquest.uk.com Alice Todd | +44 7825 301443 | alice@swimquest.uk.com

TRAVEL INSURANCE

As a SwimQuest guest, you are required to have in place travel insurance that covers you for all activities you will be taking part in during your trip. It is your responsibility to ensure that you are fully covered for these activities. Whatever travel policy you decide on, you will need to bring a copy of your current Certificate of Insurance to the safety briefing at the start of your SwimQuest holiday. Your Swim Guides will need to take a note of your insurer, policy number and the number to call in case of an emergency claim.

If you are looking for a travel insurance policy, we love worldnomads.com because they make choosing the right policy as painless as possible. Click here for more information >