St Ives, Cornwall

We began our first evening in Cornwall by walking over from Carbis Bay to nearby St Ives. St Ives is a Cornish town that’s famous for its beautiful surf beaches, art scene, and restaurants and cafes that make it a tourist hotspot. It’s a pretty little fishing town with a harbour, as well as a network of tiny historic cobbled streets. Popular with families and couples alike, there’s a plethora of delicious food, and the beach views are truly beautiful.

The Seafood Cafe, St Ives

On our first evening in Cornwall, we visited The Seafood Cafe for dinner in St. Ives. I found this place partly on recommendation by The Londoner. We weren’t disappointed, the food was delicious. A lovely restaurant-cum-cafe on one of St. Ives’ main streets, it has a relaxed atmosphere and great, fresh food. You visit the refrigerated cabinets and pick your choice of fresh fish, which was a fun novelty for us all.

There are other choices too if you don’t fancy just fish – crab linguine, fish pie, and some other favourites. You then team your dish with your choice of potato and sides. And a sauce too, if you like. It was fabulous, and we all had delicious meals.

Paul went for swordfish, a tasty meaty fish, with chips in a brown butter and caper sauce.

Secondly, my brother went for a classic battered haddock and chips, with possibly the best tartare I’ve ever tasted.

I chose Cornish megrim sole, with potato dauphinoise (probably the best dauphinoise I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing) in a caper and brown butter sauce.

Finally, my Mum went for sea bass fillets (with a lovely crispy skin), crushed garlic and rosemary new potatoes, and seasonal vegetables. Of course, this was all washed down with a Cornish Orchards cider. When in Rome. We all left feeling full and satisfied. In fact, we enjoyed it so much we revisited a couple of days later. If you’re in St. Ives, I highly recommend it. Also make sure you book ahead – we saw lots of parties being turned away. After dinner, we went for a stroll back along the coast to Carbis Bay, soaking in some lovely views along the way.

Check out my guide to the best restaurants in St Ives, Cornwall.

Walking from Carbis Bay

There’s nothing quite like waking up to a glorious view of the sea. Especially when that view is from your living room. For me, it definitely makes getting up in the morning a little easier. We all had a relaxed breakfast with various cups of tea, while staring out of the window to the view.

Once we’d got ready, we got out and took the trail back to St Ives to explore the Cornish seaside town in the daylight. We passed the gorgeous views across Carbis Bay again. It’s definitely one of my favourite beaches in the world. The view never gets old, even years after my first visit.

We took in a little history in among the gorgeous views in between Carbis Bay and St Ives on the crisp autumn day.

Exploring St Ives, Cornwall

It takes around thirty minutes to reach St Ives from Carbis Bay, and there’s plenty to see en route. It’s definitely an enjoyable little trail.

Once we reached St Ives, we wandered around the tiny town’s cobbled streets. We browsed the little shops – from confectionery to pasties – and also tasted traditional clotted cream fudge and freshly baked bread along the way.

I just love the look of these 1930s style vintage travel posters of the local Cornish towns. Do you?

We picked up some freshly baked Cornish scones, browsed some of the wonderful local art, and also nibbled at fresh crab sandwiches and Cornish pasties along the way. The food is wonderful in St. Ives, and you really are spoilt for choice.

After a good stretch of our legs, we took the steep walk back to the penthouse, where we enjoyed an old fashioned Cornish cream tea. That’s jam first before the clotted cream, I’ll have you know. It was washed down with cups of tea and another cracking view of the sea.

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Have you visited St Ives in Cornwall before? If so, what did you get up to?