"St Ives, Cornwall" Top 5 Page for this destination Saint Ives by carlrea

Saint Ives Travel Guide: 143 reviews and 300 photos

St Ives

I went to St Ives in 2003 with a large group of friends and we stayed at the St Ives Holiday Village which is owned and run by John Fowler Holidays.
The park consists mostly of chalet's
that you can rent for a week or two and i have to say is very reasonable
St Ives is a tiny fishing village that is situated in south Cornwall and is not too far from Lands End (also well worth a visit) the centre is awash with tiny fisherman's cottages and narrow streets that you can just get a car down.
It also has plenty of quaint little shops that sell gift's and crafts but most popular is the many bakeries that sell 'Traditional' or 'Cornish' pasties which come in many flavours.
The 'Cornish' pasty differs from other pasties in that it has a dry crust around the outside and this is for a reason.
When the Cornish tin miners used to go down the pit they would take with them a 'Cornish' pastie for their lunch and because they used to get so dirty they would just hold the dry outside crust part so as not to get the rest dirty and they would then eat the filling and just throw away the crust when they had finished.

Eating

Typical fish restaraunt

St Ives is renowned for it's excellent restaraunts and especially it's fish restaraunts, if you like your fish fresh it really doesn't come much better than this and you are simply spoilt for choice.

Drinking

The Sloop Inn

St Ives is not without its nightlife but those expecting a scene typical of a big city will be dissapointed but the upside is this does away with the drunken kids who are seeking a wild night tend to go elswhere. St Ives has many Pubs on the harbour front such as the Sloop Inn (pictured) which dates back to as early as 1312 and is an excellent starter to a night out and also does excellent food - just watch your head when you walk in.

Pros and Cons

Pros:Quaint, Unspoilt, Great food,
Cons:If wild nights are your thing go to Newquay instead
In a nutshell:Full of charm old world village

Last visit to Saint Ives: May 2003
Intro Updated Nov 28, 2004
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Reviews (8)

Oh my your a big boy! Nightlife (2)

Went in here after being told it was the only place to get a late drink in St Ives / Nightclub. Now i have to say i am... more travel advice

A trip back in time! Nightlife (2)

One of Cornwall's oldest and most famous Inns, favourite haunt of locals, fishermen, artists and tourists all year... more travel advice

John Fowler Holidays Hotels (1)

When we stayed at St Ives holiday village which is operated by John Fowler holidays i was pleasantly surprised at the... more travel advice

Goonhilly earth Station Things to Do (3)

You will either love or hate this place (my friend hated it incidentally) as i am interested in telecommunications and... more travel advice

Warnings and Dangers (2)
See All watch them 'ole narrow lanes

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Comments (13)

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Jenniflower Mar 26, 2009 at 5:37 AM

We are going to St Ives soon - thanks for the super tips! :)
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victorwkf Sep 10, 2006 at 7:13 AM

This is a nice seaside town, it was featured in a travel documentary which i saw on TV just now :)
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dfactor Feb 19, 2006 at 7:02 PM

Hi there, great tip on the Eden Project. Was in London in 2002, missed out on Eden, but planning to go back to UK this year. Hope to go to Eden this time around.
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kenHuocj Jan 13, 2006 at 10:58 AM

Eden tip is tops, must visit before it's too late for me ;-)))
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keida84 Sep 18, 2005 at 5:17 PM

Carl, excellent tips and photos of Saint Ives. I especially liked reading about the Eden Project (reminded me of The Muttart Garden Pyramids in Edmonton and the Biosphere in Arizona).
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Katmosphere Sep 6, 2005 at 3:55 PM

Beautiful place!!
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londonbabe Aug 31, 2005 at 9:07 AM

Why do they go through your wallets? Checking if you have enough money or something? Weird! Nice tips :-)
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iandsmith Jul 5, 2005 at 4:42 PM

Nice to read some clear concise tips for a change.
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mapakettle Jun 26, 2005 at 3:29 PM

Love your straight forward reporting on subject matter. Good job Carl. Pa
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BerniShand Feb 17, 2005 at 4:10 PM

great page Carl, your Eden tip was on the VT Homepage ...... keep meaning to go check out those satellite dishes, been visiting Cornwall for 20 odd years and never been there yet, perhaps next time