A week camping in St Ives, Cornwall

Start your holiday by spending a sunny day on one of the sensational local beaches.

Our shortlist would be: Porthminster Beach, Porthmeor Beach, Porthgwidden Beach or the handy little strand at the harbour, which has been voted one of the 10 best in Europe.

# Day 2: Follow the pilgrims

Iconic is an overused word, but St Michael’s Mount certainly merits that description. A 20-minute drive from St Ives (or a pleasant 12-mile walk in the footsteps of pilgrims), it’s a tiny island packed with history, crowned with a medieval castle, and makes for a lovely day out.

Stroll across the granite causeway at low tide or take a boat or ferry to the picturesque harbour. Take in the beauty of the stunning gardens with pathways that wind their way up to the main entrance of the mount through carefully planted slopes that feature many subtropical species.

You can listen to live music on the village green and enjoy fresh local food at one of the island’s two good bistros. Take home a souvenir from one of the gift shops to remember your visit.

(Photo courtesy of Pixabay)

# Day 3: The Lizard Peninsula

The Lizard is the most southerly tip of England, a peninsula that has some of the most secluded beaches in Cornwall – and one of the county’s unique assets: serpentine rock.

One of the most magical places on the Lizard is Cadgwith, a tiny fishing port where boats are hauled up from the water over the shingle beach.

Seafood landed here finds its way into restaurants all over Cornwall and beyond – and you can buy fish here, too, from an ancient fish cellar by the shore.

(Photo courtesy of Pixabay)

# Day 4: The art of St Ives

We don’t know much about art but we know what we like, and we certainly like Tate St Ives. Possibly the best thing about it is its amazing building overlooking the lovely Porthmeor Beach.

Apparently, it is the Cornish light that makes art created in St Ives so distinctive and walking around in those dazzling white rooms really allows you to appreciate the effect.

Exhibitions change all the time and the permanent collection includes work by Barbara Hepworth, Ben Nicholson, naive painter, Alfred Wallis, and others. It has a good coffee bar, too, which is always important. 

If that’s not enough culture for you, St Ives also has a separate museum and garden devoted to the sculptor, Barbara Hepworth. There are lots more galleries, too. Our favourites are: Anima Mundi, the Alexandra Dickens Gallery, both in St Ives, and the Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens, in the nearby town of Penzance.

(Photo courtesy of VisitBritain)

# Day 5: Seal watching

If you’re all cultured out, take a boat trip to Seal Island to see the seal colony there.

These dog-friendly, one-hour excursions take up to 12 passengers aboard Dolly P, for the three-and-a-half-mile trip to the island, which lies west of St Ives.

Don’t forget to take your binoculars and a camera with a long lens (150mm+) if you have one, because you’ll definitely want a permanent record of an experience like this.

You can also take a cruise aboard Dolly P to see Godrevy Lighthouse, whose octagonal tower was made famous by Virginia Woolfe in her novel, To The Lighthouse. Back on dry land, do some beachcombing, keeping an eye out for seaglass, cuttlefish and crab skeletons.

(Photo courtesy of Pixabay)

# Day 6: Walk the coast

The six-mile walk along a rocky stretch of the South West Coast Path, from St Ives to the historic village of Zennor, is officially one of Britain’s most popular hikes, being voted 24th in an ITV poll to find Britain’s Favourite Walk.

The route takes you along some challenging but stunning coastline, followed by lunch at the Tinners Arms and a bus back. It is a classic, if fairly demanding, day out but well worth the effort.

Unlike most of the South West Coast Path, it feels really remote here, but if that’s a problem, the wild and rugged landscape makes up for it. There’s fantastic coastal scenery the whole way, with beautiful beaches and delightful coves and dramatic cliffs.

(Photo courtesy of Visit England)

# Day 7: Go birdwatching

The dramatic clifftop pathways around the Godrevy headland, near Hayle, provide glorious ocean views and are a wonderful spot to watch the local birdlife.

Look out for the guillemots, razorbills, fulmars and cormorants that make their home on the cliffs.

Godrevy Head is a sandy beach surrounded by cliffs with miles of walks over grasslands and heathland at its rear. Surfers love this beach but it is just as good swimming in the sea, building sandcastles or simply chilling out in the sunshine.

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One to visit in St Ives

Carbis Bay Beach is a privately owned beach that can be accessed by the public. A few miles out of town makes it less crowded, and the beach rarely has any surf so makes for an ideal spot for families.

The beach is equipped with lifeguards, toilets, pay and display parking and beach rental equipment. Mediterranean-style delights are  on offer at the hotel’s impressive restaurant overlooking the beach.

(Photo courtesy of Pixabay)

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Where to eat in St Ives

• Porthmeor Beach Café

  St Ives, Cornwall TR26 1JZ

  01736 793366

  porthmeor-beach.co.uk

  This is the ideal spot to have a meal and watch the sunset. The food’s great, too, and well priced. Go on, treat yourselves..

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What to see in St Ives

• St Michael’s Mount

  Marazion, Cornwall TR17 0HS

  01736 710265

  stmichaelsmount.co.uk

• Tate St Ives

  Porthmeor Beach, St Ives, Cornwall TR26 1TG

  01736 796226

  tate.org.uk

• Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden

  Barnoon Hill, St Ives, Cornwall TR26 1AD

  01736 796226

  tate.org.uk

• Seal spotting

  RNLI Lifeboat Station, Wharf Rd, St Ives, Cornwall TR26 1LF

  07773 008000

  stivesboats.co.uk

• The Tinners Arms

  Zennor, St Ives, Cornwall TR26 3BY

  01736 796927

  tinnersarms.com

• Godrevy

  Gwithian, near Hayle, Cornwall TR27 5ED

  01872 552412

nationaltrust.org.uk

 

Helping you choose the best place to camp in the UK

Camping in the UK gives you freedom, adventure and the chance to get closer to nature, whether it is a night on the Cornwall coast or a week's holiday in the Highlands of Scotland.

Home is where the heart is, and that's espewcially true when it comes to camping in the UK. Sometimes we forget just how much there is explore in the UK.

And with the disruption to travel by coronavirus and Brexit, the one thing that seems certain is that more people will be holidaying at home.

Expert information for picking where to camp

Family holidays are so important and we want to help you choose the right destination for your next camping trip. To give you inspiration, we’ve hand-picked some of our favourite UK camping destinations.

Some, like the Lake District, Cornwall and the Scottish Highlands, are obvious. Others are maybe less well-known, but they are all magnificent and should definitely be on your camping bucket list.