The Isles of Scilly are the perfect destination for a family holiday. The beautiful unspoilt, white sandy beaches, crystal-clear waters and interesting wildlife of the archipelago offer opportunities for fun, family friendly activities. There are so many reasons to explore the islands by kayak. You have the freedom to explore at your own pace. You can venture out to uninhabited islands, see beautiful marine life, marvel at ancient remains or discover your favourite uncrowded picnic spot.
In this blog we give you our top five suggestions for a family friendly kayaking adventure. These include recommended hire lengths, the best state of the tide to head out on the water, as well as an age range for each suggestion.
You don’t have to have kayaked before to enjoy our recommendations.
Visit the magical Ganilly Sandbar
Imagine yourself on a remote deserted sand bar, nothing but the sound of the sea and sea birds for company. Ganilly Sandbar is this magical place. It’s only a 15-minute kayak from our location on Par Beach, so you don’t even need a long hire to enjoy it. There are fabulous views from the sandbar of the Eastern Isles and St Martin's
The sandbar is only exposed for two hours either side of low water. This means that time spent here is even more special, knowing that soon it will disappear underwater until the next low tide. We’re always happy to guide you as to the best time to book your hire.
Best time to hire: around low water
Time required: one to two hours
Suitable for: 6 years +
Have a kayaking adventure to Tresco
You can catch a tripper boat to Tresco from St Martin’s but it’s so much more fun to get there under your own steam. Plus, you can stop off on the uninhabited island of Tean along the way.
It takes about an hour to an hour and a half to kayak to Tresco. But as you’ll be paddling along the front of St Martin’s, there’s plenty of opportunities to stop for a break. We highly recommend a visit to Tean as part of your family friendly kayaking adventure. Tean has beautiful beaches, the remains of a cottage and stunning views of the Round Island Lighthouse
When you get to Tresco, you land on the beach close to Old Grimsby Quay. You can grab some refreshments at the Ruin Beach Café before heading off to explore. The Abbey Garden is world famous. There are also two castles on Tresco. King Charles’ Castle is great for playing hide and seek. Cromwell’s Castle has fabulous views down Tresco Channel and across to Bryher.
Best time to hire: anytime
Time required: a day hire
Suitable for: age 10+
Picnic on an uninhabited island
A great day out for us would involve getting a picnic from the wonderful Island Bakery on St Martin’s. Then heading out to spend time on an uninhabited island. Our favourite beach for a picnic is on Little Arthur. This beautiful sheltered white sandy beach has clear waters, stunning views across to Tresco and you may even see a seal resting in the seaweed as you approach the island.
All the uninhabited islands have no facilities on them so take any food or drink you need with you. Take any rubbish you create away with you when you leave. If you hire a kayak for the day, you will get 15% off from the Island Bakery with our Day Hire Deal.
It will take approximately 25 minutes to kayak to Little Arthur so we would advise a minimum of the two-hour hire. A longer hire will give more time to explore the cist graves, the rocky causeway and enjoy the beauty of this wonderful island.
Best time to hire: any time but it’s best to avoid high water on big spring tides
Time required: two to three hours plus
Suitable for 6 years +
Explore the ledges along the front of St Martin’s
You don’t have to head far from St Martin's to enjoy the freedom and fun that being out on a kayak can give you. If you’re short on time or are not wanting to head out to an uninhabited island, there’s a lot of fun to be had staying close to the shore.
From the beautiful sheltered bay off Par Beach, kayak down towards Lower Town. You’ll paddle past the headland of Cruther’s hill, then see Old Quay which, as its name suggests, was the original quay for St Martin’s. Old Quay at high water is a magical place for a swim.
As you head along the front of the island, there are many rocky ledges you can paddle around. Seaweed surrounds each one so there’s lots of marine life to spot. You’re always close to the shore so you can stop for a break whenever you want.
Best time to hire: avoid low water especially on big spring tides
Time required: one hour plus
Suitable for: all ages
Play Wildlife Eye Spy on your family friendly kayaking adventure
The range of plants and animals you can see in the shallow waters is huge. Wherever you paddle, the water is so clear you can easily peer down into this wonderful underwater world. How many colours and shapes of seaweeds can you see? When you paddle over beds of seagrass can you spot the rare stalk jellies that only grow seagrass? How many types of fish can you see? From sand gobies and young flat fish on the sand to shoals of sand eels, or wrasse darting for cover into the seaweed. Will you see any jellyfish in the water, crabs, anemones or a starfish?
If you head out to the Eastern Isles, there’s a good chance of seeing Atlantic grey seals. The Isles of Scilly has a permanent colony of grey seals. You often see them along the coastline of Nornour and Great Ganilly. If you’re lucky enough to see seals, stay quiet and calm, don’t chase after them and let them be in charge of any interaction. They are naturally inquisitive animals and may even follow your kayak!
Best time to hire: anytime, high tide is good for fish and seaweed, low tide is good for seagrass
Time required: one hour plus
Suitable for: all ages
At St Martin’s Watersports we hire single and double sit on top RTM kayaks. There’s room on our double kayaks for two adults and a small child. We give you buoyancy aids, a map, waterproof phone cases and whistles when you hire. We can also provide doggy life jackets! There’s plenty of storage space on the kayaks. We also hire 15L dry bags if you have any items you want to keep dry. We have covered storage on St Martin’s for anything you want to leave behind when you head out on the water.
St Martin’s is the perfect location to have a family friendly kayaking adventure. There are so many options of places to kayak to that will suit all ages, abilities and the time you have available. Enjoy the freedom to explore by kayak at your leisure whether it’s your first time on the water or you’re an experienced paddler. Will you head out to an uninhabited island, potter around in the shallows marvelling at the marine life or spend the whole day out on the water?
St Martin’s Watersports hires kayaks and paddleboards from Par Beach on St Martin’s.
You can book your kayak hire here
Comments