Tag - Barbara Hepworth museum

What Does St Ives Cornwall (UK) Have To Offer?

What Does St Ives Cornwall (UK) Have To Offer?

Found at the north coast, St Ives is one of the most loved and well received destinations not just within Cornwall, but across the UK. When you see the scenery, the reason becomes obvious with the built in town on the narrow peninsula, surrounded by many gorgeous sandy beaches.

St Ives & Why You Need To Go

In this article, we will dissect the reasons why you need to visit; the things you can do and the sights you can see within St Ives Cornwall, UK.

Things To Do In St Ives, Cornwall

To start, we will go into depth about the things you can do within St Ives, and then we will look into the jaw-dropping views.

What Does St Ives Cornwall (UK) Have To Offer? Tate St IvesTate St Ives

Tate is a recently built gallery within St Ives that opened its doors in 1993. During the construction stages, it was a talking point throughout Cornwall itself as many speculated this new arrival. The Tate gallery overlooks the Porthmeor beach, giving you the true Cornwall experience right at the iconic entrance of this building.   Tate provides an intriguing collection of art that you can freely roam around to see, including artists such as Alfred Wallis.

What Does St Ives Cornwall (UK) Have To Offer? SurfingSurfing

Surfing is not as uncommon as you think within Cornwall as many love to surf upon these luscious vibrant waves.   St. Ives provides the most popular surfing destination within Cornwall, mainly because of it’s shores. During the winter, Porthmeor offers one of the most ‘challenging’ waves for surfers wanting this challenge. However, surfing doesn't end at Porthmeor, you’d be surprised at the amount of hidden areas in St Ives that also produce fantastic waves.

What Does St Ives Cornwall (UK) Have To Offer? Seal IslandSeal Island

Cornwall is known for its wildlife and has many seal sanctuaries across the area. Seal island is just off the beaches at St Ives an d as the name suggests, the island is populated with grey seals.   You can get to this island by using the St Ives harbour that does trips on a daily basis. From this island, not only can you see the seals and their natural habitat, but you are able to soak the views of Porthmeor and surrounding beaches.

What Does St Ives Cornwall (UK) Have To Offer? The Beaches

Sights To See

We could be here all day explaining to you what makes St Ives a great tourist destination and what you can do, but what could you see in St Ives?

The Beaches

The main attraction to see at Cornwall has to be the sea views and the glorious geology of the beaches across the coast.   The beaches are quite easily the blessing in Cornwall with 4 main beaches along the coast. Porthmeor is the best known of these main beaches as it looks out to the Atlantic ocean. There are many other signature beaches like; Porthminster Beach, Harbour Beach and Porthgwidden Beach, but I’d recommend you read our other article going into depth of the best sea views within Cornwall.

What Does St Ives Cornwall (UK) Have To Offer? Barbara Hepworth Sculpture GardenBarbara Hepworth Sculpture Garden

There is no doubt that one of the places you need to see is the Barbara Hepworth garden full of artistic sculptures.   Barbara was most well known for her abstract sculptures she had created which were placed in a museum before she was tragically killed in 1975. Her workspaces and gardens are open to the public to visit after her death.   We hope you found this list interesting and wish you luck on your future endeavours to Cornwall, we would love to see you!
Read more...
Beach

The Perfect Gwithian Sands Chalet Holiday

Gwithian Towans Beach

Consider this tucked-away treasure on the beautiful North Cornwall coast. Picturesque beaches, unspoilt countryside and views that stretch for miles. Now imagine holidaying in your very own wooden beach chalet here, and let’s plan how you could spend that perfect time away! All our chalets are fully equipped so you wont even need to bring kitchenware.

Gwithian Sands is situated on the outskirts of the village of Gwithian, Hayle. Extensive sand dunes border the beautiful Gwithian Beach in West Cornwall. Located at the eastern end of St Ives Bay, between Hayle and Godrevy Point, three miles of golden sand beach make this an ideal spot for the family holiday.

towan-beach-at-newquay

Gwithian Sands is located next to the expansive, rolling grassy dunes of Gwithian and Upton Towans (a large site of special scientific interest, with abundant flowers, unusual plants and bird life - ideal for nature lovers), providing hours of safe play for children and beautiful and relaxing walks for adults.

A short walk, over the beautiful sand dunes, reaches the unspoilt beach at Gwithian, which is never crowded, even during the summer. The beach is excellent for bathing, while younger children can enjoy safe paddling in numerous rock pools. The beach is ideal for surfing, wind & kite surfing and bodyboarding. There are many local places of interest and the surrounding area is great for rambling.

This a very peaceful location and many people simply enjoy relaxing during the day, taking in the sun and allowing children (and adults!) to play on the Dunes. In the evening you can relax and unwind on your Chalet’s open plan decking and even dine Al Fresco. A home from home.

Gwithian, when the tide is low, is connected to other beaches that lead all the way to Hayle estuary. This three mile expanse is formed by Godrevy, Gwithian, Upton Towans, Mexico Towans and Hayle beach, which sits at the mouth of Hayle estuary.

Looking for a place to go with your dogs? Both the south-west section of Gwithian, Upton Towans and Mexico Towans allow dogs all year round — and the next beach over from Hayle beach, Porthkidney, is also dog friendly — so there’s plenty of space to let the dogs run.

25 breakfast bar

Seasonal lifeguards serve the beaches here, so it’s a great place for those wanting to get in the water. You’ll find plenty of people in the water at most times of year, and although many will be surfers, there are plenty of windsurfers, kite-surfers and paddle-boarders about too, providing scenes of real adrenaline for onlookers on dry land.

Gwithian village itself is set back from the beach, hidden from view by the rolling Towans. This small hamlet is extremely pretty, and the local pub, the Red River Inn is a great place to grab a bite to eat and sample some local ales. For amenities and entertainment besides what can be found on the beach, head a few miles west of Gwithian to Hayle. This local town has plenty of supermarkets, restaurants and shops, while on the outskirts you will find some great farm shops.

st-ives-harbour

Just a few miles further across the bay is St Ives. This beautiful town is a hive of activity during the summer, with local boutiques, restaurants and art galleries offering plenty to do all in a picturesque setting. For those looking to escape the crowds, a visit to St Ives out of season is a must. Its rich history of artists is commemorated by numerous museums and galleries, including the Tate St Ives and the Barbara Hepworth museum. St Ives is a great place to explore for anyone visiting the area, and why not make a day of it by including a stroll or sunbathe on the towns’ two main beaches, Porthmeor and Porthminster.

With all the attractions, shopping opportunities, wildlife spotting and long sandy beaches it is no surprise that the Gwithian area is a popular spot for holidays.

Read more...