The Scillies, this author's inspiration.

Come with me to the Isles of Scilly - faraway Cornwall.

The view taken from our apartment.

This year has been pretty full on.
It's been a mix of building projects, mini Morgans, travel for writing - and actual writing.

Although the building project is still underway, I now have a writing room at the bottom of the garden. (How lucky am I?) So as the house is ripped apart and drills hammer I can retreat and write. With these new and rather wonderful conditions the writing is flourishing.

But this post is not focusing on writing space, the focus here is travel. After all where we went features in a most important chapter of the fourth in the Camelot Inheritance series.
Our journeying didn't take us far. It was a mere hour and a half by car and twenty minutes by tiny plane to the Isles of Scilly; a group of islands off Cornwall's toe - and one of the most magical places you could choose to visit.

The plane from Lands End airport took just six passengers, we were directly behind the pilot (he was called Sam). The view was astonishing, the start of an incredible week.

The view from the plane behind the pilot.

Within minutes of our arrival in glorious sunshine, a minibus took us a short drive to our apartment. (Everything is very close together. If you're fit you could walk to most parts of the island. Cars are owned by the locals but not needed that much.) What a wonderful outlook we had! Over the harbour and out to sea. Yve was our warm and welcoming host, leaving home-made chocolates for us. There can't be anything better than that.

Our view for the week.

During the week we explored the main island where we were staying, St Mary's, and visited a couple of others. 

We went to Tresco famed for its sub-tropical garden -

Tresco

 and St Agnes the smallest of the inhabited isles. It has a primary school with about nine pupils. Who needs home-schooling with a school like that? (When the children hit secondary school age they go to the school on the main island.)

We saw Atlantic Grey seals on the rocks - and the sort of plants normally only grown in glasshouses. 

We met many warm and friendly folk and passed dozens of stalls selling plants, books and honey with honesty boxes for people to put their money in. Trust is implicit. 

We visited a Camera Obscura made and manned by one of the most entertaining and eccentric men you could choose to meet. 

The Camera Obscura above Hugh Town. You know when it's open because the bunting is out.

We walked from coast to coast (the islands are very small), all the time becoming more and more enchanted. 

We found beautiful windows in a tiny chapel on St Agnes all linked to the sea -

   

   And sunbathed on glorious white sand beaches -

We talked to inquisitive cows -

Idled by charming cottages -

And marvelled over breath-taking sunsets -

The culmination was a week packed with memories, ready to be decanted into my book.
I'm on the final lap. editing and re-editing before it's sent away to my editor for her professional appraisal.
I'm sorry that it's taken as long as it has but no book will be wrested from my grasp until I'm satisfied as I can be.
Of course, the illustrations are yet to be drawn - but that's another story.