MyScilly Planner

To build your own Itinerary, click to add an item to your Itinerary basket.

Already saved an Itinerary?

Book your travel

Isles of Scilly Travel
Penzance Helicopters

Adventure Swim & Food Experience

With the Wild & Scilly Mermaids

Swimming all year around allows you to see the seasons change beneath the waves. When spring comes you feel the water temperature rise; the colours become more vibrant and then in autumn watch the sea vegetation die back – just like leaves falling from trees. It keeps you connected to nature, which in turn makes you feel more at peace and better able to focus.

The saying goes ‘you never regret a swim’ and sometimes as much as you procrastinate about getting in, you always emerge from the water with a smile, feeling calmer and stronger. The escape into the water can give a moment of mindfulness. As soon as your head submerges and the water envelops your body, you become immersed in the sea; your mind relaxes, and you enjoy the moment. All else falls away.

There is an ever-growing number of people who are discovering the experience and benefits of swimming outdoors. One of the best feelings is when you exit the water tired, cold but also elated – then sit together laughing whilst eating cake and drinking tea, sharing the experience together just cannot be beaten. Swimming in the open water is very special indeed, no two swims are ever the same.

you never regret a swim

Swimming on Scilly!

Being on an island means that there is always somewhere sheltered from the wind, making it easy to find somewhere to dip! The clear waters around Scilly are second to none – but being out in the Atlantic means it is several degrees cooler than mainland coastal sea temperatures, reaching around 16C at its peak in September.

One of our favourite longer routes has to be on St. Martin’s – starting at Old Quay (at the back of Higher Town quay) and following the sandy coast down to Lower Town, finishing by Karma St. Martin's hotel. The underwater scenery on this section is really lovely. Other great locations include Appletree Bay on Tresco, and Pelistry on St. Mary’s; beautiful spots to both swim and relax on the beach afterwards. And at high tide, Old Town Beach on St. Mary’s is almost lagoon-like, offering a perfect sheltered location.

The Wild and Scilly Mermaids offer an Adventure Swim + Food experience – the perfect combination of sea swimming and eating food outdoors. Both qualified Beach Lifeguards; Ruth is a Chef and Anna is a paramedic and we have been sea swimming all-year-round in the waters off Scilly for over 5 years and know the swim routes well. We offer a variety of guided swims: point-to-point coastal adventures, out-and-back afternoon swims or inter-island swim trips, which all finish with food and hot drinks. And for those new to sea swimming, we also provide a shorter supported swim experience of about 500m, which ends with tea and cake.