After spending hardly any time at all in St. Austell, my friends Ash, Emma, and I were already off to our next location: St. Ives. You may recognize St. Ives as the name of that body scrub that everyone has, but it's also an adorable, small beach town in the southwest of England. We only spent two days here, but by the end we felt like we knew the entire town by the back of our hand. With that in mind, I thought I'd put together a mini city guide of the town.
Where to Stay
Cohort Hostel
I had only been to one hostel before arriving at this, but still this one seemed really nice to me. Ash and Emma, however, are hostel pros; they both agreed that this is one of the nicest, if not the best, hostels they've ever stayed at. We happened to have a room all to ourselves, but our room could have held six guests. Downstairs is a large kitchen that the guests can use. The location of the hostel is also great, as we had no trouble walking everywhere.
Where to Eat
Yellow Canary
If there is one food item that Cornwall is known for, it's the pasty. You can't walk 5 minutes in any direction without finding a pasty place. I, personally, am more of a sausage roll person. So what makes this place the best pasty place in St. Ives (that we tried)? Two reasons: 1) Of all the different places where I had sausage rolls, this place easily topped the rest. Don't get me wrong, I didn't eat a bad sausage roll anywhere, this place was just my personal favorite. And 2) They had gluten free pasties! My friend Ash loves pasties but is gluten free. Just when we resigned to the fact that we wouldn't be able to find any for her, we stumbled upon this place. She enjoyed them so much, that we went back the next day for more.
Gilmore's
If you're in the mood for street style tacos, this is the place to go. The tacos, which are also gluten free, were said to be some of the best taco's Ash had ever had. She tried both the beef and the pork, and whilst both were great, she said the beef one was almost too spicy. Aside from having great food, the inside of the restaurant is very aesthetically pleasing and would definitely make for the perfect Instagram.
Beach Restaurant
The place to go for a proper fish and chips (and a nice cup of mushy peas). And if you need fresh fish, they also have a butcher counter right there.
Jus' Desserts
St. Ives has no shortage of places to get ice cream. Just like what I said about the pasties, you can't walk 5 minutes without finding an ice cream place. What's different about Jus' Desserts, you ask? They have everything. From soft serve to scoops, you don't have to worry about whether or not they have something. I'll give you the same piece of advice that the guy who served me gave me: watch out for seagulls.
The Raw Chocolate Pie Company
Love dessert but suffer from food allergies? The Raw Chocolate Pie Company has got you covered. Their chocolate pies are dairy free, gluten free, soya free, and contains no refined sugars. It's definitely different, but trust me, it's good. They also have products other than chocolate, like balsamic vinegars and relishes. I can't remember all that they had, so you'll just have to go and see for yourself.
What to Do
Go on a Hike
Go on a hike? Lame. Normally I would agree with that. I mean, I moved from Montana (one of the best places to live if you love hikes) to London (one of the worst places to live if you love hikes). But the Penwith Heritage coast is unforgettable. I'll be posting more pictures of the hike itself soon, and you'll be able to see just how beautiful it was.
We had every intention to swim at the beach; in fact, we were determined to. But we really didn't want hypothermia. Man, was the water cold even though it was perfectly pleasant out. So I would recommend bringing a towel, some sunglasses, and a nice book and just relax away for hours. There are a number of beaches in St. Ives, but I would recommend Porthminster Beach, which is the one you can see from the train station. Make sure to check the times of the tides as well because there may be certain times of the day when there's no beach visible at all and others times where the water seems to have disappeared.
Art Galleries Galore
Before going to St. Ives, I had no idea just how artsy the town would be. But on every street there are art galleries, ranging from big to small, showcasing the work of local artists. There's even a Tate Museum in St. Ives, which unfortunately we just didn't have time to visit.
I'm not exactly where to categorize this last thing; it's mainly just a random observation, but St. Ives is the most dog friendly town I've ever been to. I easily saw hundreds of dogs in the two days that I was there. If you have a dog, definitely bring him/her with you as it's a trip they won't want to miss.
Have you been to St. Ives? Did I miss anything on my list? Let me know on the comments below, and tell me which places you love!
Elizabeth xx
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