‘Unlike anywhere else in Britain’: in search of wildlife on the Isles of Scilly

Whales and dolphins may have proved elusive, but the islands off Cornwall cannot fail to impress with their subtropical plants and Caribbean-like beachesAt Penzance South Pier, I stand in line for the Scillonian ferry with a few hundred others as the disembarking passengers come past. They look tanned and exhilarated. People are yelling greetings and goodbyes across the barrier. “It’s you again!” “See you next year!” A lot of people seem to be repeat visitors,