Once the inspiration for several novels by Agatha Christie (not least the 1939 hit And Then There Were None and 1941’s Evil Under the Sun), Burgh is a stunning tidal island in South Devon, with just a handful of buildings to its name but plenty of character.
There’s plenty of history to soak up while you visit, with the remains of a 15th-century chapel remaining, which was once used by fishermen to “hue and cry”, alerting others to shoals of pilchards. It’s believed a monastery once stood on the island, the remains of which may now lie beneath the Burgh Island Hotel. After the dissolution of the monasteries, a community of fishermen occupied Burgh during a particularly storied era of the island’s life, with smuggling, wrecking and piracy common along its shores. Fortunately, the tidal nature of Burgh helped protect it for portions of the day.
One of the UK’s best hidden islands for a quick getaway, Burgh is a place where history, mystery and seaside charm collide.
An Art Deco seaside retreat: Inside Burgh's iconic hotel
Burgh Island Hotel is a 1930s Art Deco-style hotel. It is here that Agatha Christie would stay when she visited Burgh. Eventually, a beach house was built especially for her in the grounds of the hotel as a writing retreat in the 1930s. Nestled into the island’s rock face right on the seafront, “Agatha’s Beach House” has been modernised, and is now available to book.
The hotel has hosted a glittering list of guests from British pop culture history, including Noël Coward, Winston Churchill and The Beatles.
The island is tidal, with one of the most beautiful causeways in the UK. This means it’s cut off from the mainland by foot at high tide, so you’ll need to plan your visit carefully. The tidal causeway separating the island from Bigbury-on-Sea becomes entirely submerged every six hours or so, with access only available to the island during these times via a sea tractor operated by the Burgh Island Hotel. The original sea tractor was constructed in 1930.
This unique mode of transportation isn’t just for guests, though – members of the public can also catch a lift on the tractor to and from the island from Bigbury-on-Sea. Tickets cost £2 each way, and are free for hotel guests.
Burgh Island's mermaid pool
There is also a mermaid pool to be found on Burgh Island – a natural tidal rock pool commonly found in Cornwall and Devon. The mermaid pool is mainly used by guests of the Burgh Island Hotel, which encourages its guests to take a dip in the natural seawater pool during their stay.
The Pilchard Inn: a 14th-century pub with sea views
Burgh Island is home to the Pilchard Inn, which dates back to 1336. It may have started life as the guest lodgings for the monastery, and later believed to have hosted Tom Crooker, a renowned smuggler who supposedly used the inn as headquarters for his various illegal exploits.
Who owns Burgh Island?
Until 2018, the South Devon holiday spot was owned by hoteliers Deborah Clark and Tony Orchard, who also own Southernhay House Hotel in Exeter. They owned it for 17 years, having been married there in 2001, falling in love with the place and buying it shortly afterwards. Clark and Orchard are believed to have paid about £3 million for the 14-suite hotel in 2001, from careers in law and property consultancy respectively. They transformed the hotel on the tidal island during their ownership, restoring the elegance of the 1930s and recreating the magic of its past.
It was bought by London-based private equity hospitality investors Bluehone Capital and Marechale Capital in a joint venture.
How big is Burgh Island?
The small tidal island of Burgh is about a mile in circumference, covering about 26 acres. The island itself is about 250m from the mainland at Bigbury-on-Sea.
Top image: The sea tractor travels over to Burgh Island (credit: Getty Images)
