Cornwall has long been a favourite of oldgreytravel and his family. We have family connections back to the County and I worked for several years on a best-selling guide book to the area. All in all, I must have been here around 50 times and know pretty much every nook and cranny of this most distinctive part of the British Isles.
With all these visits, I remain firmly of the view that St Ives is the ultimate Cornwall destination with enough of interest for everyone. However, this is the first time oldgreytravel has stayed en famille in this Cornwall hotspot. Previous day visits with family have required early starts, complicated parking arrangements and annoying traffic queues. This time we would be staying in the heart of St Ives itself, in a tiny fisherman’s cottage in Downalong. Downalong is the most convenient, most atmospheric and most expensive area to stay in St Ives. It is the old fisherman’s quarter of narrow, winding alleys and tiny cottages crammed into a narrow spit of land between the harbour and Porthgwidden and Porthmeor beaches. Many of the cottages are now holiday homes to let, art galleries or tiny shops and restaurants.
Staying here meant that we had the choice of two different sandy beaches within 2 minutes walk, one big and exposed with good surf and the other tiny and sheltered with calm seas. Choosing which beach was merely a question of opening the front door, ascertaining the wind direction and deciding whether we wanted shelter or surf. Shops, galleries and restaurants were on our doorstep with good coastal walks to east and west starting from our front door. The Tate Galley was also just a two minute walk away. While accommodation here is among the most expensive in Cornwall, the rewards on your doorstep are exceptional.
Choosing the right accommodation is key here. Some of the cottages are absolutely tiny and others are located down narrow alleys, making it difficult to park and offload luggage. Mind you, there is really no need to have a car as the attractive little branch line to St Ives picks up the West Coast mainline rail at St Erth. However, if you have a lot of luggage or a lot of people or want a car to travel outside St Ives, then there are a few tips to remember. If you are staying in Downalong, it is most unlikely your accommodation will have a car parking space, particularly if it is a traditional fisherman’s cottage. Check the property location to see how easy it will be to park and unload. There is a small car park on the nearby Island and one or two parking spaces dotted about, but you should assume the nearest available parking will be in the main 1000 space car park high up on the hill above town, about a 15-20 minute uphill walk from Downalong, though there is a shuttle bus to the town in peak season. The easiest and really only viable option is to buy a week long parking permit for around £50. These are available on-line only from the Cornwall County Council website. Also, to get the best properties, you need to book ridiculously early for the peak school holiday periods – some are booked over a year in advance!
We stayed in a two bedroom cottage let by local specialists Aspect Holidays. Though small, it contained everything we could reasonably ask for and was perfectly located for enjoying the delights of St Ives. The weather was kind, which helps, though there are probably few better places to be on a rainy day in Cornwall than St Ives. There is a certain smug feeling walking the packed streets of St Ives, knowing that you have avoided all the hassle of getting there and your home is just around the corner. We did take the car for one trip to see some of the artists in the Cornwall Open Studios (see April post), but otherwise we found enough to keep us occupied in St Ives and surroundings. If we had wanted to, we could have taken the train or bus to Penzance, but we never felt the need. St Ives has to be the complete Cornwall destination.
