6/50: St Ives, Cornwall

"As I was going to St Ives, I met a man with seven wives..." Of all the places in Cornwall, it is perhaps St Ives that has the most worldwide recognition: this famous riddle has even featured in Die Hard III, giving this Cornish town a somewhat unlikely connection with Bruce Willis and Samuel L Jackson. Personally, what I want to know is why so many people were going away from St Ives, because after visiting it twice within the past month, it doesn't seem like the place that people would want to leave. Except if they've had a bad seagull experience, but we'll come to that later! I first visited St Ives the day after my exams, as I thought it would be a nice day trip for several reasons. Firstly, it was a lovely day; secondly, I hadn't been there before; and thirdly, because it was a break from the old routine. Admittedly, I wasn't sure what to see there - I had heard it was a very arty place - but I thought it deserved at least one visit.

Having travelled there by train and by car, I can safely say I preferred the train, mainly because the roads around St Ives are very confusing! Whilst map-reading for my "chauffeur" Sarah Adams (who hails from Cornwall), we saw a sign that said "Welcome to St Ives", only to find that it was actually Lelant, and that the real St Ives was at least 3 miles away: possibly the most misleading sign ever! The train line does admittedly involve more changes, but the branch line is very picturesque, and the journey from St Erth to St Ives is only 15 minutes: most trains from London and the South-West will stop at St Erth.

The railway station: conviently located!

If you arrive by train, as I did the first time, you will immediately notice a rather large beach to the right: this is Porthminster Beach, which along with Porthmeor Beach (on the north-west side of town) vies for the title of the town's best beach. Having visited both, it's pretty tricky to pick a winner: the sand on both is excellent, and both get rather busy in the summer! At the moment, Porthmeor is my favourite, because that's where I indulged in a spot of sand-writing (see above), but if you've got the time, it's best to check out both. St Ives also has two smaller beaches ,Porthgwidden and Harbour, which are perhaps more enjoyable if you want some peace and quiet.

Porthminster Beach: ain't it a beaut?

Heading straight-on from the train station, which is right next to a large car park, you soon find yourself in the middle of town: the great thing about St Ives is that it's not difficult to get your bearings, especially if you follow the crowds to begin with! Most people go up the steps on the left and head straight along the main road until it forks into Bedford Road on the left, and the High Street on the right. It's always advisable to keep an eye out for St Ia, the Church in the middle of town: but in any case, this is a well-signposted town, and you shouldn't get lost unless you're trying to figure out the complexities of the road system, which probably needs some work!

One of the things I really liked about St Ives is that you can do a wide variety of things: you can just head to the beach and enjoy the surprisingly cool water; you can explore the many different shops; you can help yourself to some Cornish cuisine; you can go trekking up towards the small Chapel on the Island; or you can simply marvel at all the artwork on display in the town. West Cornwall benefitted hugely from the flood of artists that came to the region looking to capture the magnificent scenery of this part of the world, mainly as a result of the arrival of the railway. Barbara Hepworth, Alfred Wallis, and countless others have made a living out of creating masterpieces, some of which are on display in the Tate St Ives, next to Porthmeor Beach. The displays are pretty good, though whether they're worth the entrance fee could be debated, especially when you can look around most of the town galleries for free.

Just as well I paid student fare, isn't it? But worth a peek!

Just one example of the excellent artwork this town's produced...

What particularly struck me about St Ives was that, unlike some parts of this county, it had both a Cornish and an International feel, which for an area that supposedly yearns to be separate from England, seems a little surprising. Perhaps it's because of it's international reputation for art, and its unique climate, but this seemed the sort of place that revelled in being part of a group, rather than yearning to distance itself from the rest of England. There was no resentment of tourists or students here either, which is not entirely the case in my student town of Falmouth, but that may be because the residents direct their anger towards a different target: seagulls.

An "evil, evil seagull"... at least this one can't steal your food!

Most British people would probably agree that seagulls are a bit of a nuisance, but the ones in St Ives are apparently so bad that, in the words of one ice-cream vendor, an RAF detachment may be required to deal with the bloody things. A couple of people who accompanied me on my second trip had horror stories to tell of their ice creams being snatched, and there is actually a sign near the station warning visitors to shield their food: good thing I had a hat to protect my cornish pasty, then! But don't let them put you off, just remember that it's often safer to enjoy St Ives' excellent cuisine (try the chips at the Lifeboat Inn on the Wharf!) inside a restaurant.

You have been warned...

And in terms of shops, I suggest you spend at least an hour just browsing in Fore Street, north of St Ia: there is something for everyone along this street, from the delightfully hippy No Worries (which sells camper van mugs) to I Should Coco, the originality of the shops here will mean that when the time comes to leave St Ives, you will feel a little saddened, and determined to come back again before too long. Unless of course, you take your eyes off that ice cream of yours for so much as a second.

Mug of awesomeness!

Special thanks to all my UCF friends who recommended visiting in the first place, and to Sarah for driving me there. And for those who wish to know the answer to "How many were going to St Ives?", consider this: there are two St Ives in Great Britain, the other being in Cambridgeshire. So maybe they were all going to St Ives after all...

Listen to Kenny, he speaks the truth!