Discover the Islands’ Ancient Past when you Hire a Kayak on St Martin’s

The Isles of Scilly have been continuously inhabited for thousands of years. The islands have the highest density of archaeological sites anywhere in the UK. There are nearly 250 scheduled ancient monuments within the archipelago. The individual features of these number closer to 1000.

Prior to 500CE the islands were one land mass named Ennor. As sea levels rose, the islands as we know them formed. There are even places where you can see ancient field boundaries that now lie beneath our crystal-clear waters.

You can find some of the ancient sites on what are now uninhabited islands, including those a short paddle by kayak from our base on Par Beach on St Martin’s

When you hire a kayak on St Martin’s, you have the freedom to visit some of these uninhabited islands, and the opportunity to explore some ancient remains. Here are our top five uninhabited islands to explore, if you want to connect with the islands’ past and discover ancient graves and stone rows

#1 Discover an ancient settlement when you hire a kayak on St Martin’s

In the 1960s a huge winter storm revealed an ancient settlement on the uninhabited island of Nornour. The site, originally made up of 11 circular stone buildings, was occupied from the middle of the Bronze Age to the Romano-British Iron Age. It takes approximately half an hour to kayak to Nornour. The settlement is just above the beach that you land on and is still being eroded by the sea. The Roman finds include over 300 brooches. Some suggest that these could have been offerings at a shrine to the Roman goddess of the sea. These brooches are on display at the Isles of Scilly Museum on St Mary’s.

Settlement on Nornour

#2 Little Arthur 

When you kayak to Little Arthur, which takes about 30 minutes from St Martin’s, you land on a stunningly beautiful horseshoe shaped beach. From there if you take the path up to the small hill you will discover some entrance graves. These are a common feature on the Isles of Scilly. They are circular stone-kerbed mounds of earth covering a rectangular burial chamber roofed with granite slabs. These graves were for cremated remains and multiple individuals. There is also a cist grave to be found on Little Arthur. Cist graves are a small stone lined coffin often used for one person.

Cist grave on Little Arthur

#3 A unique passage grave on Middle Arthur 

Middle Arthur is the island that lies between Little Arthur and the rocky causeway that leads to Great Arthur. The entrance grave on Middle Arthur is unique. This grave is ‘boat shaped’. Excavated in 1953, fragments of a funerary urn were discovered. Some suggest that this could have been the tomb of a female.

If you want to see more complete examples of entrance graves, there are many on St Mary’s. The best sites to visit are Porth Hellick Down and Innisidgen.

Boat shaped grave on Middle Arthur

#4 Stone row on Great Arthur

The largest of the Arthurs is Great Arthur. Great Arthur is outside of our paddling zones for kayaks. However, to reach the island, you land on Little Arthur then walk across Middle Arthur to the rocky causeway. This causeway can be a little challenging to cross because of the uneven rocks and boulders. But, if you’re feeling adventurous, it’s well worth it. There are two passage graves on the hilltop ridge of Great Arthur. There is also an interconnecting row of stones between the two graves.   

Stone row on Great Arthur

#5 Tean

As well as the Eastern Isles, it is possible to visit the uninhabited island of Tean when you hire a kayak on St Martin’s. From our base on Par Beach, it will take about an hour to kayak to Tean, paddling along the front of St Martin’s.

There is evidence of occupation on Tean from the Bronze Age through to the early 19^th century. If you climb up the largest hill on Tean, Great Hill, you will find a cairn and some passage graves. There are also fabulous views from Tean across the archipelago. Do also look out for the post medieval settlements and kelp pits on the island.

Great Hill, Tean

The Isles of Scilly has a wealth of ancient remains, some of which are found on the uninhabited islands. When you hire a kayak on St Martin’s, you have the freedom to explore these islands at your leisure. From the ancient settlement on Nornour to the variety of passage graves found on the Arthurs, there’s a wide range of sites that allow you to reconnect with the islands’ ancient past.

There’s something magical about visiting these sites. Following in the footsteps of our ancient ancestors, standing where they stood, amongst the buildings where they lived, in the shadow of the monuments that they built.

I always find that it fires up the imagination, enabling you to put yourself in their place. To imagine the islands as they were so very many years ago. The sense of connection to the islands’ past, and these ancient islanders, is visceral. And something I always recommend our customers experience for themselves on their kayaking adventures.

If this blog has sparked your interest in visiting these or other ancient sites, there's an excellent website The Megalithic Portal with maps and information on ancient sites worldwide. Some of the images in this blog have been provided by archeoastronomer Carolyn Kennet. One of the speakers at the Scilly Dark Skies Week, she also leads guided walks in Cornwall.

St Martins Watersports hire kayaks, paddleboards and snorkel sets from St Martin’s. We’re always happy to share our local knowledge to ensure you have a memorable outdoor adventure. The best moments happen at sea!