A weekend in... St Ives

For an arty short break by the sea, there’s nowhere like St Ives – home to the Tate Gallery, Barbara Hepworth Museum and newly re-opened Leach Pottery

 
Bathed in clear, Mediterranean light and backed by a mesmerising pagan landscape, the seaside town of St Ives has been attracting artists to live and work since the late 19th century. The association of world-famous painters and sculptors (such as Barbara Hepworth and Ben Nicholson) with the town - along with the Modernist-style Tate St Ives gallery, which opened on the site of a former gasworks in 1993 - continues to draw art-lovers to the far west of Cornwall year-round.

And this autumn, there are more reasons for them to come: the annual arts festival runs from 6-20 September, involving a series of live music performances and creative happenings throughout the town. It is also a good time to visit the newly re-opened Leach Pottery. Having undergone a £1.7 million transformation, the former home and workplace of 20th-century ceramicist Bernard Leach is once more a fully functioning studio. Resident lead potter Jack Doherty will be producing his own pieces and a new range of Leach ceramics on the site, working alongside selected students from University College Falmouth and four start-up potters. A kiln-opening event takes place on 20 September. Check out the new gallery and exhibition spaces, too - the latter being dedicated to Bernard Leach and his pioneering, Eastern-influenced techniques.

 
Though there is plenty more opportunity to find out about the history of the artists' colony at the Barbara Hepworth Museum and the Tate, for example, happily, St Ives is not merely a museum to past greats. As you stroll through the streets of fisherman's cottages, with their mellow-gold, lichen-covered roofs, look out for the work of contemporary artists - such as those stationed in the Porthmeor Studios above the beach of the same name - in the numerous small galleries. And for still more cutting-edge creativity, hop on a bus to see the recently refurbished Newlyn Art Gallery and new art space The Exchange in Penzance (www.newlynartgallery.co.uk). When the sun comes out - as it often does here in autumn, thanks to the uncommonly mild climate - the mind can turn to less cerebral activities. St Ives has four sandy beaches, where it is easy to lose track of time while looking out for seals and dolphins in the turquoise Atlantic and snacking on ice cream (beware of dive-bombing gulls). Otherwise, you can take to the water to surf, fish or sail (call St Ives Boats on 07779 951420 to find out about its trips and charters).

 

And, in keeping with the rest of Cornwall, there is a fantastic array of restaurants, where it is possible to dine on fresh seafood (try the crab, lobster and hand-dived scallops). Such is the town's foodie allure, it's rumoured that Gordon Ramsay is seeking his own premises here. Alternatively, you can use St Ives as a base for exploring other big-name Cornish attractions. In 15 minutes, you can reach Mount's Bay - home to St Michael's Mount and the departure point for the Scilly Isles ferry. Meanwhile, the Eden Project and Lost Gardens of Heligan are about an hour's drive, as are Padstow and Newquay. But if you'd rather escape the crowds, simply stride out on the coast path and discover the thrillingly desolate moorland of West Cornwall, where the Neolithic standing stones - which so inspired the artists of the St Ives School - continue their vigil of this magical shoreline.

 

The first 24 hours

See the art: First stop has to be Tate St Ives - for its clean-lined architecture and beach views alone. September exhibitions include Adam Chodzko: Proxigean Tide and Modernism in St Ives (01736 796226, www.tate.org.uk/stives). Tickets include entry to the inspirational Barbara Hepworth Museum & Sculpture Garden. See where the artist lived and worked, plus numerous sculptures in
a tropical garden setting.

 

And there's more... Continue your cultural tour of St Ives at the Leach Pottery (01736 799703, www.leachpottery.com) to see ceramicists at work, plus talks and a new exhibition, Smoke and Fire, to coincide with the September Festival. Explore Bernard Leach's former studio and Japanese climbing kiln - a scheduled monument dating back to the 1920s, and the first to be built in the western hemisphere.

 

Splash the cash: Visit galleries such as the Belgrave on Fore Street (01736 794888, www.belgravegallery.com) or the Penwith on Back Road West (01736 795579) to purchase works by the likes of Terry Frost, Bryan Pearce and Sandra Blow. Further retail highlights include Tremayne Applied Arts on Street an Pol for 20th-century design classics (01736 797779) and the new Cath Kidston store on Fore Street.  

 
Hotel tip

Primrose Valley Hotel

Ordering a fried breakfast feels pretty virtuous at the Primrose Valley Hotel, thanks to the Soil Association-standard chipolatas and eggs from pampered, rare-breed hens. Indeed, this Edwardian, ten-bedroom establishment above Porthminster Beach has won awards for its eco-initiatives, such as donating £1 per room per night to MCS and recycling its waste. But there's certainly nothing worthy about the accommodation: the rooms are all boutique-style indulgent, with sumptuous fabrics, statement wallpaper and modern bathrooms. Some have sea views and private terraces, while the suite has exposed brickwork and a slipper bath. A REN treatment room also opened this summer, offering massages and facials. We approve.

Double B&B from £85 per night. Porthminster Beach, St Ives, Cornwall (01736 794939, www.primroseonline.co.uk).

 

A lazy Sunday

 
Hit the sand: Pick a beach to suit your mood: Porthmeor, below Tate
St Ives, is good for surfing (contact St Ives Surf School on 07816 787964). Porthminster is popular with families, as is the smaller Porthgwidden; while the harbour offers amusements, fish and chip shops and pubs, such as the ever-popular Sloop Inn (01736 796584, www.sloop-inn.co.uk), which serves locally brewed real ale.

 

Walk the coast: Follow the coast path west from Porthmeor Beach to reach the intriguing hamlet of Zennor, by way of some stunning clifftop scenery (look out for the offshore seal colony). Or head in the opposite direction to explore the other beaches of St Ives Bay. Try Gwithian Towans for vast sands and views of Godrevy Lighthouse - the inspiration for Virginia Woolf's novel To the Lighthouse.

 

Catch it if you can: Now in its 30th year, the St Ives September Festival promises a packed programme of lectures, films, open artists' studios, walks, poetry and gigs. Bands performing this year include folk artist Seth Lakeman, singer/songwriter Nerina Pallot and world music acts from Argentina and North India. For tickets and information, contact 01736 798577 and 01736 366077, www.stivesseptemberfestival.co.uk.

 

Fact file

Where to eat

Alba Restaurant, Old Lifeboat House, The Wharf (01736 797222). Enjoy the harbour views from this former lifeboat station, now a minimalist-style eating place offering Modern British dishes made with Cornish produce.

Blas Burgerworks, The Warren (01736 797272, blasburgerworks.co.uk). Lively, ethical eaterie, where the burgers are made with 100 per cent Cornish beef. Veggie and sustainable fish options are also available.

Cuisine Cookshop & Café, Market Place (01736 791911). Freshly decked out with funky chandeliers and black furniture, this new café/restaurant (which also sells kitchenalia) is a good pitstop for lunches and afternoon teas. Now serving evening meals, with an emphasis on seafood and locally reared meats.

Gurnard's Head, near Zennor (01736 796928, gurnardshead.co.uk). It's worth taking a taxi ride to the Gurnard's Head - a restaurant with rooms on the moors (voted Best Cornish Newcomer 2007 by the Which? Good Food Guide) - for simple British cooking in a gastropub setting.

Porthminster Beach Café, Porthminster Beach (01736 795352, porthminstercafe.co.uk). This coast Award-winning beach restaurant serves the best of local seafood with a fusion twist, accompanied by veggies from its own kitchen garden. Typical dishes include Helford River oysters to start, followed by monkfish curry with fragrant rice.

 

Getting there

The best way to arrive is by train, as the branch line from St Erth (linking with London Paddington, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow) skirts St Ives Bay, landing at the station above Porthminster Beach (08457 484950, nationalrail.co.uk). National Express coaches stop at St Ives (0870 580 8080, nationalexpress.com), and Newquay Airport is 40 miles away (01637 860600, newquaycornwallairport.com). By road, from Exeter, take the A30, then the A3074. More info at visit-westcornwall.com.

 

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