We’d planned a loop drive around the “tip” of Cornwall today, to see some of the highlights of the area. Our weather continued to be glorious sunshine, we’ve been so lucky so far!
Erin walked down to our hotel and we set out for St Ives. We were very glad we had an early start as it meant we didn’t have too much trouble finding a park in this extremely popular Cornish town. Neil and I had has a substantial breakfast but Erin was hungry so our first stop was one of the many bakeries that sell the classic Cornish Pasty so she could have her breakfast. Erin was on a mission to find the best Cornish pasty!
We found a spot on the St Ives harbour for Erin to scoff her pasty. She shared a taste with Neil too. The beach on the small harbour was a lovely sand beach, a change from the mostly pebble beaches we’d seen so far. There were several families set up for a day of sun worship on the beach, but not many braved the water , too cold!
After a stroll around the harbour we walked back up the hill to visit the Barbara Hepworth gallery, but not without stopping in another pasty shop so Erin could continue her judging of the local fare. Neil was happy to help!
Erin had been keen to visit the Barbara’s Hepworth gallery and we were very happy to go too. Hepworth is considered to be one of the leading artists of the 20th century, her modernist sculpture won awards from the 1920s to her death in 1975. In WWII she moved to St Ives and lived there for the rest of her life. Her home has been left as a museum showcasing her life’s work. The real charm of the museum is her garden, hidden in the busy streets of St Ives, it’s a leafy oasis with a view of the sea and is a lovely showcase for a selection of her stunning sculptures.
After enjoying the gallery we climbed the hill back to the car and then drove further up the hill to stop in at the Leach Pottery.Founded in 1920 by Bernard Leach and Shoji Hamada, the Leach Pottery is among the most respected and influential potteries in the world. Over the last hundred years it has forged the shape of Studio Pottery in the UK and beyond. Scores of potters, students and apprentices, from across the world have come to the Leach Pottery to train, creating a uniquely international environment in the heart of Cornwall. the museum was excellent, taking us through the various spaces that then early potters had used to mould and fire their works. The shop now sells works from many local artists and Erin picked up a lovely plate as a souvenir .
the sun kept shining and we enjoyed the drive up the hills and back down to the other side of the peninsula to Marazion, the small town on the mainland where we parked to visit the island of St Michaels Mount. The Mount is an iconic rocky island crowned by a medieval church and castle, linked to the mainland by a causeway that is only walkable at low tide. The rest of the day the only access to the island is by boat. We were lucky that we could experience both ways of getting to the island, we went out on the boat but by the time we were ready to return the tide had dropped and we could walk back across the causeway. Our first stop on the island was a cafe for lunch where we all had Cornish pasties! While we ate we were amused to watch a few adventurous people attempting to cross the causeway before the tide had completely dropped. Then we started the climb up the hill to the castle.
at the top we could see that the tide had finally dropped and the causeway was now open to foot traffic.
It took nearly an hour to drive back to Falmouth where Erin decided to do a little shopping in the town . We enjoyed a drink in our hotel bar before we walked up into the town to meet her for dinner at a place Erin’s friends had suggested. The Verdant Seafood bar is a tiny little restaurant run by the local Verdant Brewery to showcase their own tasty brews and a selection of other local craft brews along with small plates of delicious seafood. We loved it!
We’ve had a wonderful day under sunny skies, but our weather luck is running out as the predictions for tomorrow are a little daunting. But we’ll make the best of it .