Day Twenty - St. Ives

Photos: Top to Bottom - St. Ives Harbor, Shops along one of the streets, Narrow street with flowers, Public Beach at St. Ives, Cliffs north of St. Ives

Today was St. Ives day. After another sumptuous breakfast we boarded the train for St. Ives. The ride through Cardis Bay was beautiful. The blue water, soft tan sand and soaring cliffs made an impression in our minds that we will not forget.

St. Ives is on a spit of land that juts out into the Atlantic just north of Land’s End. It is covered with stone cottages and cobblestone walkways that were built by fisherman back in the 18oo’s. Two short streets offer no less than 500 shops which cater to the throngs of tourists who come here. St. Ives is predominantly an artist community however this little town will have something for everyone who visits, and thousands do. Tate St. Ives has a formidable presence in this town and we were compelled to visit, however we both felt that the local galleries were just as interesting. B&B’s were everywhere as well as quaint little hotels and rooming houses. I would not have a clue as to how many visitors were in residence while we were there but I can speculate that it was more than any other town we have visited in England.

St. Ives has a quaint harbor filled with small fishing boats. Like most harbors in this part of England it is a high tide only situation. We watched the fishermen tend to their boats and were fortunate to have an opportunity to talk to a few.

Now that we have morphed into full breakfasts at our B&B’s the coffee and pastry breaks we used to enjoy are being bypassed, much to our dismay. As a condolence, we treated ourselves to Cornish ice cream cones this afternoon and sat on a bench overlooking the beautiful landscape to enjoy them.

By mid day it was time to get back on the highway and head north. We followed the cliff road for a few miles stopping to look over the edge and even walk the path that runs along these cliffs for a short distance. This is truly natural beauty at its finest.

Tonight we are in Burnam by the Sea. Leave it to us to gravitate to waterfront communities. We walked from our current B&B along the beachfront to a wonderful Italian restaurant where we enjoyed our customary bottle of wine and a delicious meal.

Tomorrow it’s off to Bath. We might even bring a cake of soap!!