Molesworth & Bird were invited to the islands as part of the Walk Scilly Festival 2023 bringing their love of seaweed and turning it into something truly magical, imparting their skills and creative flair with visitors to the islands.

How lucky we were to be invited to be part of the 2023 Walk Scilly Festival.

We are passionate seaweed collectors and love being by the sea so the chance to travel and share our obsession in this beautiful part of the world was too good to miss.

Molesworth & Bird is a small design company with seaweed at its heart. Over the last 5 years we have been working together to produce our unique collection of prints, cards, fabrics and gifts all created from original images of seaweeds we have foraged and pressed.

As well as shops in Fowey and Lyme Regis and our website, we now run very popular seaweed pressing workshops where we share our foraging and pressing process. The Walk Scilly project was our first invitation to take the workshops ‘on the road’ and we relished the challenge. All our kits and equipment were gathered together and packed up in 3 large boxes to add to our luggage and loaded onto the Scillonian III passenger ferry for its voyage from Penzance to the Isles of Scilly.

For Julia this was a familiar trip - the Isles are a favourite destination and one she returns to every year. For me it was my first visit, and I was bowled over by the unique beauty and peaceful atmosphere of this special place - I’ve already planned my return.

It proved to be the perfect destination for seaweed lovers - the glorious unspoilt beaches of the island are fabulous hunting grounds. We were captivated by the brilliant colour and huge variety floating freely in the crystal-clear waters.

St. Martins was our base for the workshops and the small village hall in the island’s centre was perfectly placed - just an easy 8-minute walk down the gorse edged track to the beach. Here, we enjoyed peaceful sessions scouring the rock pools and shallows for our array of specimens ready to press. Back at the hall the foraged seaweeds were admired and inspected before a pressing demonstration. We then guided our enthusiastic class whilst they worked on their own creations ready to take home.

When not running the workshops, we were swimming, walking through the peaceful leafy lanes in awe of the views, the wildlife and fauna, stopping to picnic or eat at a traditional pub or one of the artisan bakeries.

We loved the air of adventure we felt taking boats to other islands to discover what they had to offer. Each had its own beauty - we found it impossible to name a favourite, but we particularly loved St. Agnes with its’ dramatic rock formations, legendary lighthouse, and stunning camping spots.

We returned home not only with some glorious pressed seaweeds but also many happy memories of these enchanted unspoilt Isles.

Our Book ‘Seaweed’ is coming out at the end of August - published by Pavilion and is available for pre-order on Amazon - molesworthandbird.com

Walk Scilly 2024 dates are the 12th - 21st April. For the full programme, head to the What's On section of our website shortly.

Partners that supported our trip:

• On island partner Phoenix & Providence – gorgeous ethical, natural, well formulated skincare created with local seaweed Phoenix and Providence
• Stayed at Karma Hotel St. Martin’s - we loved our luxurious stay at this idyllic coastal location on St. Martins Karma St. Martin's
• Travel with Scillonian III passenger ferry from Penzance Isles of Scilly Travel
• Dining at Seven Stones Inn, St. Martins. Delicious lunch and suppers at this friendly traditional pub Seven Stones Inn
• The Island Bakery, St. Martins. A must visit for fabulous cakes and baked treats The Island Bakery