The pretty fishing town of St Ives in Cornwall is somewhere I’ve grown up holidaying since I was a small child. It holds so many special memories of long, lazy summer vacations spent with family – cousins, aunties, uncles even school friends. And it’s a place that my kids call home even though we actually live hundreds of miles away in London. When Courtney and Michael said they’d love to join us on our annual Cornwall trip, we couldn’t wait to show them around one of our favourite parts of the UK.
With little time to organize accommodation I was amazed to stumble across the perfect apartment, right on our favourite Porthmeor Beach. With unique decor, dreamy sunset views and enough beds to house our sizeable tribe, it seemed like it was meant for us. Not only that, it would turn out to be one of the driest and sunniest weeks I’ve experienced in Cornwall for a really long time. The only downside to this rare appearance of high pressure hovering over the West was the poor surf conditions that it brought. Despite daily scouring of the surf reports for both the North and South Cornish coasts, we just couldn’t catch a break (excuse the pun) and ‘flat’ was definitely the word of the week. Luckily this didn’t seem to dampen the enthusiasm off our surf –mad, worldly, travel companions.
St Ives Bay is a crescent of golden beaches on the north west coast of Cornwall, each with its own charm & beauty. The bay spans 4 miles, from St Ives in the west to Godrevy Head in the east. The town itself is a quaint, bustling hub comprising cobbled streets, pretty fisherman’s cottages, surf shops, art galleries and an abundance of excellent restaurants. The area has long been recognized for its rich artistic heritage, attracting painters, sculptors and artisans who often talk of the ‘special light’ here. Courtney and I enjoyed some rare time to ourselves, spent exploring the backstreets of the old fisherman’s quarter known as the Downalong area. We wandered around the galleries and working artist’s and potter’s studios often stopping to chat to the friendly owners who were keen to strike up conversation. It seems there’s something about coastal living that breeds a laid back warmth and a general willingness to slow down and interact. Or maybe it was the unexpected wall-to-wall sunshine that week, either way we both loved the friendly vibe.
To experience this charming and often overlooked side of St Ives you need to explore further afield than the busy harbour front with its fish and chip shops, ice cream stalls and perilous seagulls! I advise anyone visiting to take some time to peel back the layers of this little town, venture away from the main thoroughfare and get lost amongst the narrow back streets and cobbled courtyards. You’ll discover some hidden gems, such as the lovely Plumbline Gallery on Barnoon Hill selling a beautifully curated selection of homewares, art and handmade jewellery. Then there’s Fish Pye Pottery on Back Road East. Here we got chatting with the owner Laura and watched her at work, painting a recent batch of vases and jugs, ready to be glazed. Her small but perfectly formed studio is packed to the rafters with beautiful ceramics. We couldn’t believe our luck when we stumbled across a shelf of seconds that, though in her eyes were slightly flawed, seemed even lovelier to us. Needless to say we left with a sizeable haul.
We spent much of the week being led by the surf forecasts even though most of these turned out to be largely inaccurate. Our mornings began slowly with indulgent breakfasts of Michael’s famous Buttermilk Pancakes, and Joel’s almond milk soaked, overnight oats with fresh fruit. It was often late morning before we ventured out (a hazard of staying in such a comfortable and pretty apartment) by which time the beaches were filling up fast. A word of warning – St Ives can get very busy during the school holidays and trying to park close to the town and beaches can be a frustrating process. Many people choose to leave their cars at the park and ride, located a 10 minute walk above the town.
What I think makes St Ives such a great base is it’s location in the middle of a magnificent stretch of the North Cornish coastline, surrounded by stunning scenery on either side. To the east are the beautiful, vast sand dunes of Porth Kidney- our favourite place and the site of many family barbecues. Be prepared for a bit of a walk through the dunes to get there, though the walk itself is a treat. Further round the bay are the expansive Hayle sands and The Towans including Gwithian. Gwithian is a popular area for surfers and is home to a number of pretty beach houses nestled in amongst the dunes. If the hustle and bustle of St Ives doesn’t appeal, these holiday rentals are a good alternative (though they tend to get snapped up quickly by surf enthusiasts).
Head out west from St Ives and you will encounter in my opinion one of the best scenic drives in Cornwall. The St Ives to Zennor road is well known for its atmospheric vistas across barren moors, and farmland, peppered by old disused tin mines, iron-age stone walls and rugged rocky outcrops. You can walk the coastal path from St Ives to Zennor though at 6.5 miles each way we have yet to attempt this with our kids.
The majority of our evenings were spent back at the apartment, gathered together in the huge open plan living area. We took turns preparing meals as the sun sank slowly beneath the horizon, bathing the room in a magnificent orange glow. We even braved the chilly evening temperatures one night to barbecue on the beach in true British style. There are a plethora of great restaurants in and around St Ives but being a group of 10 we favoured staying in over going out. We loved our long relaxed evening meals that often turned into late night games around the dinner table. Our kids have never enjoyed so many late nights and us in turn, so many long lie ins!
We have so many happy memories (and photos, sorry!!) from this trip, I have a feeling that my children will be recounting stories about it for years to come. Too many highlights to list them all but below are a few of our top recommendations.
TO STAY:
TO DO:
TO SHOP:
TO EAT:
We’d love to hear if you have any favourites to add, we’ll be back next year to try them out for sure. Thank you.
Kate x
Comments (20)
[…] And this is totally going onto my dream holiday list: A Week in St. Ives, Cornwall. […]
Thank you for letting us crash your annual holiday!! (And for arranging with the weather gods to have blue skies every day!!) Loved this beautiful little town and really hope we can come back with you again. xx
We loved you crashing our holiday. Now you’ve tried Pasties I’m sure you’ll be back xx
What a pretty place!
Thank you for sharing Kate!…. And what a pretty part of the world it is even if it rains.
My pleasure Lenka, thanks for reading x
Beautiful and dreamy!! Thank you so much for sharing! xxx
A pleasure, thank you for having me Esther xx
Thank you, Kate, for all these tips and beautiful photos! So eager to go and visit Cornwall with my family! xx
My pleasure Emilie, I can’t wait to see your adventures in Cornwall xx
It looks so dreamy and you have definitely made my mind up on our holiday destination this year, thank you.
Ahh take me with you! I hope you love it as much as we do.
England is so full of magic – love seeing it through your eyes Kate!
Thanks lovely Annie, you’re so right it is magical!
Lovely photos Kate – you had a great week for weather! We were down in north Cornwall last week and had a mixed lot. Upside was the surf was pretty good so we spent a lot of time in the water x
Thanks Rachel. It seems you can’t have both, don’t tell the Adamos but I’d take the blue sky over the surf any day!
this review is putting st Ives as a top contender for our family trip this winter. What are the best ways to get there from London? Also, have you visited in late winter/early spring? Are the restaurants and shops open? Thank you for the tips!
Hi Josette, a lot of the shops and restaurants do shut down during the winter low season but you will find that with a lot of Cornish holiday towns. The upside is deserted beaches and much easier to get around. Have you tried https://www.cornishgems.com for other properties.
One more question, we’re going back to England to visit my husbands family. Are there any other vacation rentals you’ve stayed at that would be nice for a group of seven including grandparents and a 1 and 4 year old? Thank you!
This post really helped us plan our Cornwall holiday….thank you!
My husbands sandwich was indeed stolen by a perilous seagull so watch out if you take a picnic like we did. We purchased a book “Treasure from the Sea” by Lisa Woollet and Sarah McCartney and would thoroughly recommend it. It’s about a girl in Cornwall who collects beach treasure as clues to what lies beneath the sea. Beautiful illustrations. My kids are really enjoying it.