Before today, my total of knowledge about St Ives was gleaned from the nursery rhyme. I did not have a clue that it was a seaside town like none you have ever seen.
I guess the most striking thing about the place is the incredible jumble of impossibly narrow shop lined streets where going right or left demands at the minimum a 5 point turn, where cars move frighteningly fast down streets packed with pedestrians where in places there is not room enough for a car and a pedestrian to pass each other at the one time so one has to jump into a doorway, and where delivery vehicles often stop for considerable periods totally blocking the thoroughfare. I should also add that the random placement of streets enables you to get totally lost in very short order.
As part of our wanders here, we had walked down the jetty and were watching a fishing boat coming in, when we saw it was being chased by a seal looking for a handout. Since none was forthcoming it headed back out to sea.
This is still a working fishing port as can readily be deduced by the vile fishy odour on the pier, but it was interesting to observe them off loading their catches. Jeanette was taken by this container of lobsters that was being couriered off to a restaurant.
Our next stop was at a National Trust site at Botallack where there were the ruins of extensive tin mining operations in the 19th Century. The mine extended for a half a mile out under the sea. With the sea mist rolling in and the buildings perched on the cliff side this was an incredible sight to see.
In the afternoon we visited St Michael’s Mount. This is a castle built on an island that can be reached from the mainland by a causeway when the tide is out. I had always thought this place was in France and it turns out there is one in France and Edward the Confessor gave this island to the Monks of the French St Michael’s in appreciation of their support.
The climb up the mountain to the castle was fairly strenuous and somewhat hazardous. I can guarantee that Worksafe would shut it down in a minute if it were in Aus. After 500 odd years you would think someone could have made a safer access than scrambling up over steep slippery and sometimes jagged rocks but I guess not.
The view from the battlements was impressive but it had been a very full day, the afternoon was very warm and the place was packed with people so I for one was rather glad to depart and get back to our beautiful hotel,.
Hardys’ Travels 