St Ives - Probably the best beaches in Cornwall

St Ives (Cornish: Porth Ia) is probably everyone's idea of a holiday in Cornwall... Do you agree?

How do I sum up St. Ives?, well here goes... As a boy St. Ives was always the seaside, the place to go. Initially as part of the old Methodist tradition of 'Tea-treat', then as a place to go to 'catch some sun', later as a place to meet old friends and make new. Porthminster Beach St. Ives will always be the best beach ever. The sand was always fine and golden. The beach always seemed to be very clean, no litter or other unwanted rubbish. Other towns had people, St. Ives had characters, the lifeboatmen with their windburnt and weathered faces, wearing their smocks not just as a fashion accessory.

As I grew older I began to learn that St. Ives wasn't just ONE beach but a series of beaches each with a slightly different character. Porthminster (my favourite - a large crescent of northeast facing sand; Harbour (the Town beach); Porthgwidden (the smallest beach a good sheltered family beach with white sand - as its name implies - on the east side of St. Ives Island) and Porthmeor (a popular surfing beach on the west, Atlantic side, of the island overlooked by the Tate St. Ives - Tel. (01736) 796226. I learned that St. Ives is actually an anglicised form of the Cornish name for the town, which is Porth Ia or 'cove of St. Ia'; that St. Ives is just one bead on a fine necklace of golden Cornish beaches all the way around the 296 miles or so of the Cornish coast.

There are a number of very good hotels and guesthouses with prices to fit every pocket. Here are some of the best:

Accommodation

B & Bs

Thurlestone Guest House (2 km)

Ten Ocean View (1 km)

Dean Court (1 km)

Shun Lee House (1 km)

White Waves Guest House (0 km)

Atlantic Heights (1 km)

Headland House (2 km)

Sea Breeze B&B (0 km)

The Light House B&B (2 km)

Seaforth (0 km)

Cottages

Shell Cottage, St Ives (0 km)

Widden House, St Ives (1 km)

Tall Storeys, St Ives (0 km)

Rainbow Cottage, St Ives (1 km)

The Cottage, St Ives (1 km)

Samarkand, St Ives (2 km)

Trispen, St Ives (2 km)

Perran, St Ives (2 km)

Mermaid's Purse, Carbis Bay (2 km)

Bluebell Cottage, Gonwin Manor, Carbis Bay (3 km)

Wild Thyme, Carbis Bay (2 km)

Tintin Cottage, Carbis Bay (2 km)

April Cottage, Carbis Bay (2 km)

Lavender Cottage, Gonwin Manor, Carbis Bay (3 km)

Heather Cottage, Gonwin Manor, Carbis Bay (3 km)

Villa Surfside, Hayle (4 km)

The Sands, Hayle (4 km)

Holiday Parks

Woodland Silver Chalet, St Ives (5 km)

Woodland Gold Chalet, St Ives (5 km)

Woodland Bronze Chalet, St Ives (5 km)

Trevacroft Silver Chalet, St Ives (5 km)

Local hotels

Tregenna Castle Hotel (1 km)

Pedn Olva (0 km)

The Gurnard`s Head (1 km)

The Garrack Hotel & Restaurant (1 km)

St. Ives Bay Hotel (4 km)

Borthalan Hotel (2 km)

The Carbis Bay Hotel (2 km)

Boskerris Hotel (2 km)

Blue Hayes Hotel (1 km)

11 Sea View Terrace (0 km)

Primrose Valley Hotel (0 km)

Dean Court (1 km)

The Nook (1 km)

Blue Mist (0 km)

Skidden House Hotel (0 km)

The Regent Hotel (0 km)

Chy an Albany (0 km)

Atlantic Hotel (2 km)

St Merryn Hotel (1 km)

Porthminster Hotel (0 km)

Channings Hotel (0 km)

Beechwood Hotel (2 km)

Headland House Hotel (2 km)

Local attractions

Beaches

Porthmeor (1 km)

Porthgwidden (1 km)

Town Beach (0 km)

Porthminster (0 km)

Carbis Bay (2 km)

Porthkidney Sands (3 km)

Harvey's Towans (4 km)

Mexico Towans (4 km)

Mining history

Giew Mine (4 km)

St. Ives Consols (1 km)

Rosewall Hill & Ransom United (3 km)

Wheal Providence (2 km)

Tyringham Consols (3 km)

Trelyon Consols (1 km)

Wheal Trenwith (1 km)

Goole Pellas (2 km)

St Ives Wheal Allen (2 km)

Georgia Consols (3 km)

Wheal Reeth (Reeth Consols) (4 km)

Wheal Sisters (4 km)

Lelant Consols (5 km)

Wheal Merth (5 km)

Pubs

The Sloop Inn (0 km)

Royal Standard Inn (5 km)

Badger Inn (1 km)

Lifeboat Inn (1 km)

Pedn Olva Hotel (1 km)

Queens Hotel (1 km)

Sheaf of Wheat (1 km)

Western Hotel (1 km)

Cornish Arms (1 km)

Huers (0 km)

Castle Inn (0 km)

Old Quay House Inn (5 km)

Local walks

Carn Naun Point to St. Ives, Clodgy Point (3 km)

St. Ives, Clodgy Point to Carbis Bay (0 km)

Carbis Bay to Lelant Saltings (3 km)

Lelant Saltings to Hayle Towans (5 km)

Bistros

St Andrews Street Bistro (0 km)

Cafes

Porthminster Cafe (0 km)

Blas Burgerworks (0 km)

The Seafood Cafe (0 km)

The Digey Food Room (0 km)

The Tate St Ives Cafe (0 km)

Cinemas

Royal Cinema (0 km)

Cornwall heritage

Tate Gallery (0 km)

Museums

St Ives Museum (1 km)

Barbara Hepworth Museum & Sculpture Garden (0 km)

Restaurants

La Casita (3 km)

The Alba Restaurant (0 km)

Atlantic Waves (2 km)

The Beach Restaurant (0 km)

Tregenna Castle (1 km)

The Lookout (0 km)

The Bean Inn (2 km)

The Ocean Grill (0 km)

Theatres

Kidz R Us (0 km)