St. Ives has all the ingredients for a great holiday destination. It is the art capital of West Cornwall. The Tate St Ives offers constantly changing exhibitions as well as its remarkable permanent collection of art. 

The town itself arcs around the harbour - the heart of the historic fishing community with the legacy of fishing boats bobbing in the harbour itself whilst families play on the beaches of golden sand.

From St. Ives you can walk for miles along the South West Coast Path to Carbis Bay, Clodgy Point and for a longer challenge head across the peninsula head all the way to Penzance 8.5 miles way. These are a selection of walks from St Ives station.

Clodgy Point

Distance - 3.25 miles  Difficulty - Moderate
An invigorating walk, starting from St Ives Station and passing through some of its granite-cobbled streets through Porthmeor and out onto the South West Coast Path as it travels through the open heathland of Clodgy Point, rich in wildlife. The route returns through the ancient landscape of patchwork fields bounded by tumbledown granite walls: a prehistoric system granted special protection as being among the world's oldest man-made structures still in use today. The path is rough in places, and there is some ascent and descent, though none of it is steep or prolonged.

St Ives Town Trail

Distance - 2 miles  Difficulty - Easy
A gentle stroll around the St Ives waterfront and back through its narrow cobbled streets, taking in some of the features from its extensive maritime history as well as the haunts of the artists who made it famous as a cultural hotspot from the end of the nineteenth century. Just off-route are the Tate St Ives and the Barbara Hepworth Gallery, as well as many other studios, galleries and craft shops.

Carbis Bay

Distance - 1.25 miles  Difficulty - Easy
This very gentle stroll travels above the railway line, with spectacular views over St Ives Bay. People have lived and worked here since Stone Age times, and there are relics and stories of the past throughout, including prehistoric field systems, a Celtic saint's medieval chapel and a fishermen's lookout hut, as well as shipwrecks, railways, mining and a twentieth-century novelist. The walk travels on good paths and there is no more than a little gentle ascent and descent.

Lelant

Distance - 4.5 miles  Difficulty - Moderate
A walk to blow away the cobwebs, travelling alongside the railway line high above St Ives Bay, through an area noted for rare wildflowers and migratory birds. In the fifth and sixth centuries a number of Celtic saints are said to have established chapels here, and the ancient pilgrim route St Michael's Way follows a parallel path across the railway. Look out for medieval crosses in the churchyard. There is not too much ascent or descent but the path can be exposed to sea winds so wear warm clothing.