This is England’s only archipelago, a wonderful National Landscape of rugged granite headlands, sparkling sandy bays, flower-rich coastal heaths and tiny bulbfields. Of the 200 islands and rocks, just five are inhabited. Local people and visitors share this land and seascape with a dazzling array of wildlife and archaeology

At low water the islands rise out of the water and stretch out across the sandflats – it’s easy to see how this was once a single landmass. The crystal-clear waters around the isles are fantastic for their marine flora and fauna, from seagrass beds to dolphins and grey seals. Scilly’s breeding seabird colonies are of international importance, with Manx shearwaters, storm petrels, puffins, shags and lesser black-backed gulls being amongst the species that thrive here. The sea is not always kind – the islands are known for their many shipwrecks, such as the four naval ships and 2000 sailors lost here in 1707.

Scilly’s heathland, dunes and maritime grassland support several species found nowhere else in the UK, such as dwarf pansy, the small adder’s-tongue fern and the gilt-edged lichen. This is the only place in the country which has escaped Dutch elm disease – Scilly’s lanes lined with mature elms are a delight. The Scilly shrew is an island speciality which hitched a ride here with prehistoric traders from its native range in continental Europe. Ringed plovers and oystercatchers still nest on beaches here, and the islands are renowned for the range of migrant birds that are seen every spring and autumn.