Virgina Blackburn
Now I’m a girl who likes to travel the seven seas, and the further away the better. Angkor Wat? Machu Picchu? Great Wall of China? Been there and done the lot of them, so when I heard that the big trend in travel is the staycation, namely holidaying within your own borders, I was dismayed. Reader, take it from me. I was wrong.
Cornwall! Why did nobody tell me? I know it’s become very fashionable in recent years, not least because various royals and David Cameron seem to like it, and I also know that St Ives, my destination, is famous for its community of artists.
It’s something to do with the quality of light, as St Ives is surrounded on all sides by the sea.
But nothing could have prepared me for what was on offer – stunning beaches, art both to admire in the Tate and the Barbara Hepworth Museum, and to buy in the numerous little galleries dotted about the town, and the food. Seafood, to be precise. I spent days feasting on crab, scallops, hake and much more.
Travelling by train from London, the holiday begins on the way there, because once you are into the West Country, part of the journey is on some pretty spectacular routes beside the sea. There is no direct train to St Ives, but you either change at nearby St Erth or take a taxi for the final four miles of the trip.
Our home from home for three nights
The Tate Gallery was to be the Lifeboat Inn, which has the most spectacular views over St Ives Harbour and is a few minutes away from popular Porthminster Beach. A converted pub, it boasts rooms and two apartments and while the word ‘self-catering’ usually fills me with dread, in this case our little apartment was perfect.
Recently opened and very carefully thought out, it has a sitting room and kitchen/dining room on one floor and two bedrooms on the next, along with a wet room. And as for self-catering, the Inn itself has a very nice dining room, which serves three meals a day.
What did we do? Where to start? My friend and I had a similar agenda – art, food, seals and shopping. Oh, and a bit of scenery, too.
We were catered for magnificently on all fronts, starting with a visit to Tate St Ives (tate.org.uk/visit/tate-st-ives, £9.50),
We watched surfers fall off their boards as we feasted on mackerel