St Ives is surrounded by miles of magnificent coastal scenery, tranquil subtropical gardens due to the gulf stream and the micro climate that is unique to West Cornwall. Warm summers and mild winters entice visitors to St Ives throughout the year. The history of St Ives is well worth investigating and a visit to St Ives museum illustrates it’s progression from being a centre for pilchard fishing, to an artists colony to a cosmopolitan year round resort.
St Ives has retained its history, the working harbour is still home and office to the local fisherman and, through the winding streets you will stumble upon the creativity of the local artists who have settled here. Some famous names such as Bernard Leach and Barbara Hepworth provided St Ives with its reputation and their works are to be seen throughout the town.
St Ives is blessed with some of the best beaches in the country winning Blue Flag awards every year, one unusual feature is that the four main beaches of Porthmeor, Porthgwidden, Harbour Beach and Porthminster all face different directions offering a variety of attractions such as surfing, sailing, diving, or padlling. The slideshow below will give you an idea - but you must visit St Ives to experience the magic.
