Saint Ives Things to Do

Now this was much more like it!! The Castle is a traditional-looking pub from the outside with its mullioned srtained glass windows through which the diffused subtle lighting, along with the propped open door were immediately inviting. A friendly welcome from the characterful barman (who may actually have been the manager) a good selection of, mostly local, beers and a general laid-back atmosphere all served to make me instantly at home.

Inside this is an attractive and characterful pub with its low beams, subtle nautical themeing, traditional pub furniture - ie a little bit battered - and best of all bar stools where both the barman and the couple of regulars actually included me in their conversation.

Definitely a two-pint pub and if I'd had more time could've been a full-on session pub ;-HIC!

From the outside this loked like it was going to be a proper pub but inside was a total disappointment. Admittedly I'd dropped in late lunchtime and most people were eating but I didn't get a particularly warm welcome from the barman and the place felt a bit souless - there was no local feel to it.

If I remember correctly they only had one real beer available, Sharp's Doom Bar, which isn't one of my favourites. The decor and furnishings are modern, but not particularly trendy, except the sofas around the fire, and the attempt at adding character with the old St Ives photos merely make the place even less inviting to my mind.

So another one where I just had a single pint and moved on.

I didn't have time for this on my afternoon visit but I'll definitely make the time for it when I next get down this neck of the woods and probably double up with the Barbara Hepworth museum. It's interesting to note that you get a £1 reduction on the entrance price if you have a public transport ticket and so that's a quid towards one of my beers!

In the meantime I'll just make do with browsing the website.

Having stuck to my principle of never having a drink until I've done something either creative, constructive or energetic I reckoned my wanders around the town pretty much fulfilled all three criteria and so it was definitely BEER TIME.

St Ives' oldest pub is the Sloop Inn, which dates from 1312. It is, of course, an ex-smugglers haunt, as are they all - the whole population of coastal Southwest England was involved in the trade, unless they were wreckers or even both.

Its present incarnation is as a fishermans' and artists hang out, as well as being a bit of a tourist trap but I suppose my out-of-season visit let me catch it "au naturel" (seeing as I'm being arty) and the tiny public bar is indeed atmospheric and buzzy. The beer was good, although expensive, service was friendly but I found the locals a bit cliquey and so it was only a one pint visit before moving on.

Nice building though!

Unfortunately this was shut when I visited - it closes down between the start of November until the beginning of April - but it does look like an interesting little local history museum.

It's only £2 entrance and the exhibits focus on things like the fishing industry, the arrival of the railway, agriculture, mining and various other bits and pieces relevant to the town and the area. It claims to be child and dog friendly and local school pupils get free admission (normally 50p).

Website has details of opening times etc.

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St Ives town centre is a maze of narrow streets, some cobbled, others not and even the main shopping areas of Fore Street, High Street and Treganna are cosily compact. This makes it a delight just to wander and see what you come across - usually a pub or/and an art gallery. It is very accessible too with only a few gentle hills and much of the centre is pedestrianised.

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Even though my only visit, so far, has been a November one I couldn't help but be impressed by the golden-sanded beaches here. There are four distinct stretches of sand, extending over a mile in total, and each has its own character:

Below the train station there's Porthminster which has its own mini-bay-within-a-bay which makes it ideal for families with half-a-mile of fine sand and safe bathing.

The harbour itself becomes a beach at low tide and is ideal for watching the working boats and with all the town's facilities close by.

Heading towards the Island (the promontory jutting out into the sea) there's the cove of Porthgwidden, once again finely-sanded, with its beach huts, cafe and toilets.

Finally, past the Tate Gallery, there's the more open Porthmeor which is especially popular with surfers, having its own surf school. By all accounts this is the best of the beaches for catching the summer sunsets over the ocean but only having been in winter I can't attest to that.

All the beaches are Blue Flag standard and during the summer are manned by trained lifeguards.

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St Ives is on the South West Coastal Path, Britain's longest footpath which follows the coastline for 630 miles from Minehead in North Somerset, round the point at Lands End and then onwards to Poole in South Dorset (or vice-versa, depending on your start point).

The town is ideal for a stop over as part of a major walk having all the facilites for either a meal break or an overnight stay. Or if visiting the town itself there are several short walks that you can take such as the circular one to the lighthouse at Godrevy Head or west, following the railway line and its magnificent viaducts, to Carbis Bay where you can pick up the train onwards (or backwards). The walking in the immediate environ of the town is fairly level and so is ideal for a post-repast, or in my case pre-beer, stroll.