WHETHER battling against a fierce westerly at Beady Pool on Agnes, lying in the soft dunes above Great Bay on St Martin's or searching for Obadiah's Barrow through chest-high bracken on Gugh, there's no mistaking that Scilly magic, writes Simon Parker.

Touching down in an eight-seater Skybus plane or stepping off the Scillonian at Hugh Town, regular returnees often have to resist the temptation to attempt a Pope John Paul II impersonation and kneel to kiss tarmac or granite.

At least one visit to the islands a year has become a necessity for many, despite the high price of travel and accommodation. And no matter how often they return, visitors never tire of the incredible natural beauty, the peace and otherworldliness of the ancient land of Ennor.

Photographer David Chapman, who has pointed his lens at a host of Cornish subjects over the years, is a recent convert, having made his first visit to Scilly only last year.

A trustee of Cornwall Wildlife Trust and a passionate guardian of our wild places, David's books for Penzance publisher Alison Hodge include Wild About Cornwall, Penwith Moods, Exploring The Cornish Coast, Birds Of Cornwall And The Isles of Scilly, and Wildflowers Of Cornwall And The Isles of Scilly.

So it was inevitable that he would eventually set himself the task of photographing Scilly.

After his first foray across the channel dividing Land's End and the 150 or so rocks of varying sizes that make up the Scillonian archipelago, he said: "There is only one problem with making a first visit to the Isles of Scilly – and that is the longing to return. They have a magical mix of properties which make them irresistible."

Dropping into the conversation phrases such as "long white beaches washed by a turquoise sea" and "rocks sculpted by wind, rain and sea-spray", he has clearly become as smitten as the rest of us.

The result of his latest assignment is the newest addition to Alison's Pocket Cornwall series. Titled Inspirational Islands: The Isles Of Scilly, the 80-page book offers an introductory guide in many pictures and few words.

So much has been written about the islands that some might argue there isn't room for yet another book of pretty pictures of Tresco gardens' exotica, a storm over the Western Rocks or a puffin with its beak stuffed with sand eels. And while there may be some truth in that view, there will always be room for photographs as accomplished and thoughtful as David Chapman's.

His panoramic shot of a full rainbow arching from North Hill on Samson on the far left to the top end of Tresco on the right is quite breathtaking, while a misty view of the Eastern Rocks, a dreamy image of Bishop Rock from Agnes, and a stunningly lit portrait of the Old Man of Gugh are equally dramatic.

The quality of his work is perhaps no surprise, bearing in mind that he is a regular contributor to BBC Wildlife Magazine, Gardens Monthly, Natural World, Bird Watching, and a host of other publications, and has received a number of national awards.

Displaying his great love of flora, David also focuses on natives and naturalised immigrants that have made Scilly their home – from whistling jacks to Hottentot figs, Madeiran geraniums to corn marigolds, sea pinks flowering in profusion on White Island to mesembryanthemums around St Martin's Church.

His studies of fauna range from the ubiquitous flying puffin and inquisitive Atlantic grey seal, but also include a marvellously evocative and comical portrait of the tiny Scilly shrew and a cheeky chaffinch boldly picking crumbs from a plate at a cafe table.

The author's narrative, while offering nothing new to seasoned visitors or locals, nevertheless manages to pack an awful lot of information into a small space. Tracing geological history to 270 million years ago, he touches on the Neolithic period, Bronze Age, Iron Age, medieval times and the past 300 years, before bringing the story right up to date with a chapter dedicated to the area's rich and diverse wildlife.

"Visitors go to the Isles of Scilly for a whole host of reasons, including the gardens, sailing, diving, windsurfing, walking, golfing, relaxing, eating and drinking," he says.

"But one aspect which seems to interest everyone is the wildlife of the islands. Getting back to nature is very much part of a trip to the islands because their natural history is truly unique.

"Visit in October and you will rub shoulders with hundreds of birdwatchers who are there to see the exceptional number of rare birds which are blown there from America, Europe and Asia.

"These birds might be off-track, but plenty of others make Scilly their home, along with a rare mix of other types of wildlife."

The same might be said of the human population, which today comprises a cosmopolitan ethnic mix unrecognisable to those who fished, operated pilot gigs or traded in seabird flesh only a few generations ago.

A guide which, at less than six inches square, fits any pocket, David Chapman's photographic celebration will serve as both an introduction to the magic of Scilly and a reminder of the islands' beauty when dewy-eyed holidaymakers return home.

An accompanying Pocket Cornwall guide in the same format is St Ives And St Ives Bay, also by David Chapman. Both books are available from bookshops or direct from www.alison-hodge.co.uk.