UK Seaside Resort of St. Ives Cornwall
Historic Town, Artist's Colony with Great Beaches and Good Surfing
Jul 12, 2009
Today, tourism is what supports this beautiful small coastal town but in the past the most important industry was fishing for pilchards, a smaller version of the herring. There could have been as many as four hundred fishing boats at sea. The fishing industry still exists, but only on a smaller scale, Tourism is what boosts the economy and Cornwall is one of the most popular seaside resorts in England.
UK – St. Ives Cornwall – Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden
St. Ives has a particular quality of light that has attracted of artists to the town for centuries. The English artist, Turner, visited in 1811 and painted pictures of the town. Other famous artists followed and one, Barbara Hepworth, arrived in 1939 and decided to stay. The studio she used is now the Hepworth Museum and one of the town’s main attractions.
Her large stone, wood and bronze carvings were shown to their best advantage in her garden and when she died the sculpture garden was opened to the public as a permanent exhibition.
UK – St. Ives Cornwall – Surfing and Great Beaches
St. Ives has three large sandy beaches and there is good surfing at St. Ives Bay. If you have never surfed before this is the place to learn and there are qualified instructors available. The place to surf is Prothmeor Beach and it’s also a good place for family groups. There are sheltered coves for safe swimming.
UK – St. Ives Cornwall – Other Things to Do
It's a great place for exhilarating cliff-top walks, There’s an excellent walk along the coast path to the small village of Zennor, where D. H. Lawrence wrote part of Women in Love, a four-hour walk. Walking around the town of St. Ives itself is a treat. The narrow cobbled streets and pretty little houses, once home to fishing families, are now owned by people from around the UK as well as locals. They come for the gentle climate and some run B&Bs, while others have opened shops catering to artists and selling their paintings and prints. You can sample the famous Cornish Pasties, and have a pint of beer in the local pubs.
UK – St. Ives Cornwall – Explore the Harbour
The harbour seems much too big for this small town, but in its heyday it was home to over 400 fishing boats as well as dealing with the export of stone, tin and copper. Take a walk along Smeaton’s Pier and gaze out to sea while munching on a Cornish Pasty.
Cornwall is a popular holiday destination in Britain. It has something for everyone: culture, good walking country, exellent beaches and a mild climate for most of the year.
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