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St Ives
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Area Guides: St Ives
Website: http://www.stives-cornwall.co.uk/


Details: St Ives, the most famous of Cornish holiday towns, loved for generations, is easy to reach by road or by air and easy by train, too, along one of the most spectacular railway journeys in Britain to crystal blue waters, golden sands and a warm welcome. We nearly forgot the mild sub-tropical climate, warmed year round by the Gulf Stream!

Life here is cradled around the harbour where boats still land good catches of freshest fish for the local restaurants to nourish you with. Brought ashore on the ancient granite quays, the catch is of the highest quality for your dinner plate or for the tables of some of Britain's finest restaurants. A maze of tiny cobbled streets to wander through, lined by fishermen's cottages, with a breathtaking seaside vista to greet you at the end of each one.

On 14th July 2007, The Guardian newspaper named the Cornish culture capital, St Ives, as its seaside town of the year. A star-studded panel of judges, including Bill Bryson, Rick Stein and John Betjeman's daughter, Candida Lycett Green, came to the decision after debating the pros and cons of 12 shortlisted coastal towns and cities from across Britain and Ireland.

Stein, known worldwide as the patron of Padstow but who has been going to St Ives since his childhood, was one of many keen advocates of the town.

"The thing I really love about St Ives is that it is on two beaches, so you get two aspects of the ocean, which makes it very romantic and quite unusual for a British resort. I think of it as the big brother of Padstow."

St Ives also scored heavily for its rugged views, exhilarating clifftop walks, the good surf at Porthmeor Beach and, of course, its cultural offerings, with judges keen to note its burgeoning new art talent as well as the Tate Gallery (specialising in modern Cornish art) and the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden.

Panel member Alastair Sawday declared, "I have a special love for St Ives...it has everything a seaside town needs". He went on to commend balmy beaches, great surf, fantastic fish, superb coastal walks and an infectious convivial buzz.

Some lesser-known delights of St Ives that came up during the judging process include the regular appearances of basking sharks and seals, the delightful branch line railway link to St Erth, the delicious fish-and-chip takeaway downstairs at the Porthminster Café, and the curious tradition of "silver ball hurling" - during which a silver ball is thrown through the streets by children on Feast Monday in February.





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