Porcupine
Marine Natural History Society

 

Porcupine Autumn Field Meeting - Isles of Scilly, Monday 6th –Monday 13th September 2010

Download a pdf file of this information here.

The Isles of Scilly lie at the far south west of the UK, 28 miles from the Cornish coast. These granite islands have some of the most exposed shores in the country as well as more sheltered shores between the islands. Extensive sandflats, intertidal boulders and seagrass beds are all easily accessible. The islands have long been of interest to marine natural historians and we plan to visit for a week of surveys to fill in some of the gaps and to help the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust’s Marine Biodiversity Project.

We will travel to the islands by ferry on Monday 6th September and survey activities will be planned for the following 6 days. This period covers some of the lowest tides of the year which go down to 0.3m above chart datum. Each day we will visit a different shore and boats to other islands will be provided. A ‘lab’ will be set up at the Scillonian Club in Hugh Town, St Mary’s (although we will need to bring our own microscopes and equipment). Diving is also on offer on five of the days and you have the option of doing a combination of shore and diving surveys.

Costs

The cost of the fieldtrip is £35 which covers boats and lab space. To book your place please fill out the booking form and send a cheque for this amount made payable to the Porcupine Marine Natural History Society to Angie Gall, c/o Cornwall Wildlife Trust, Five Acres, Allet, Truro, Cornwall, TR4 9DJ.

Accommodation

It is imperative that you book your accommodation as soon as possible. The guesthouses in Scilly fill up very fast and September is still considered ‘high season’. Do not leave this until the last minute as you will be disappointed.

To find accommodation it is best to go direct to the Tourist Information Centre who will advise you on availability: http://www.simplyscilly.co.uk/site/stay-on-scilly Call: 01720 424013

One recommended guesthouse is the Mincarlo (http://www.mincarlo.force9.co.uk/) is a lovely green award-winning guesthouse in Hugh Town.

There is the option of a holiday let for a week if people want to group together, the Monday to Monday ones can be viewed here: http://www.scillyhols.com/properties-monday-2010.xml

There is a campsite near the town on St Mary’s: http://www.garrisonholidays.com/camping.html

There is also the option of staying up with the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust in the Woolpack Battery. This is basic single sex dormitory accommodation and the Wildlife Trust will charge £8pppn but it's got everything you need for a week. People should contact Angie (angiegall@IOS-wildlifetrust.org.uk) directly about that, and beds will be given out on a first-come first-served basis.

Travel:

Travel will be by Scillonian ferry on the morning of Monday 6th September. The Scillonian normally departs at 09:15, although we will need to check the timetable when we book. We will travel back on Monday 13th September, the Scillonian normally sails at 16:30. The journey lasts approximately 2hrs 40minutes.

Travel will be coordinated by Angie Gall from the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust so that we receive a substantial discount on the ferry. The cost is likely to be about £40 for a standard foot passenger (camping gear and dive gear costs extra). We will need to wait until the Scillonian announces the 2010 fares to confirm this.

Angie will only book ferry travel from Monday to Monday but people are welcome to make their own bookings for other times or modes of transport. http://www.islesofscilly-travel.co.uk/wildlife.htm

You should be aware that there is no travel on or off the islands on a Sunday.

Optional diving:

The Isles of Scilly has some World-class dive sites which should not be missed!

We will be doing Seasearch survey dives and collecting specimens for our shore based colleagues.

Diving will be available through St Martin’s Diving Services on five of the days. This will be on a RIB and there will be two dives per day for a maximum of 6 people each day. Places on the RIB will be allocated on a first come first served basis. Please indicate on the booking form which days you wish to dive.

The cost of the dives is £42 per day and does not include air or equipment. Air is available for about £3 per cylinder. Equipment is also available to hire but you must let us know in advance if you plan to do this.

Please note that there will be an additional charge of about £20 to bring your dive gear on the Scillonian ferry.