St Ives in August - yes or no?

We went last August and have no regrets, stunning place & well worth it

ah OP, I live in the west country and to be honest I’d never advise anyone comes here in August due to the weather. August here is the start of the storm season and it can get very rainy and windy. May/June is honestly best for coming on holiday.

where are you? I would actually suggest the south east at that time of year.

No it’s heaving! First half of September they have a music festival - much more pleasant

Well, Penzance is a real town, with a proper community and a beating heart. Poor St Ives is hollowed out by tourism :(. So, PZ is not a picture perfect fishing village with white sand beaches like St Ives, but it has beautiful Georgian and Victorian terraces, an amazing outdoor pool, subtropical gardens, good pubs and restaurants and a great promenade. It does lack a really nice beach though- its beach goes all the way to Marazion and St Michael's Mount, but at the PZ end is definitely a bit meh.

Definitely no!

Not st Ives but do look st st Agnes or overpack which is super cute too

I have been a few times and always the last week in July (when schools break-up). It is busy but not a problem. I just find it has become a bit scrappy since Covid. I go to other places now.

A definite NO from me. St Ives is a gridlocked, overcrowded nightmare in July & August. Avoid.

Also, if you live in London and you're not planning on moving around much once you're here, I'd defo recommend coming by train. I'm a local and I sometimes have to drive into the centre of St Ives for work, and it definitely gives me sweaty elbows in holiday season (not as bad as Mousehole or Fowey, mind you).

I used to live in carbis bay (about 10-15yrs ago before the hotel complex sprawled so much!) and now live elsewhere in Cornwall and still love st Ives but as others have said would Never go in school hols now if I had a choice!

You are definitely better staying outside and going in for a couple of days instead - if you stay somewhere on the Trainline it's super easy too; we also used to mostly walk in to St Ives along the coast path route (actually practically a road in places) from carbis bay, very beautiful.

Biggest downside is that like many places in Cornwall you're a bit stuck if the weather is crap but more so in st Ives as there really isn't much apart from beachy stuff to do 🤷🏼‍♀️

We've actually just come back from a day out to Penzance and marazion which I also Love (jubilee pool, promenade, st Michael mount, lovely independent shops but cheaper!) so worth a thought?

No. I went once in august. Tiddly little lanes rammed with slow walking people. Total nightmare.
It's nothing like brisk London busy.

Just to say that the train can be and is often absolutely rammed full in the school holidays.

If you stay west of St Ives, then Portheras is a stunning rural beach that is also like Spain! But it has no facilities and is very rural (you walk down a footpath to get there). It's a beautiful walk down to the beach, where you can enjoy the sea and play on the rocks if you have DC, and even spot a seal! Sennen Cove is also a lovely long beach.
For a harbor alternative, Mousehole is absolutely beautiful and not far from Penzance. Penzance is ok, but busy in a non-idyllic way iyswim!! St Just is a nice little village. Lots to explore surrounding it and only 30mins from St Ives.

Try Carbis Bay - get train into st Ives - it’s like 19 mins and cheap then go back to much quieter Carbis bay !!!!

Oh yes, book all your meals in advance

Well, in that sense St Ives is quite well served. It's on a branch railway line, and there are also buses to Penzance and around the Land's End peninsula.*

*although best check that- I was shocked to find that the Land's End Coaster seems to have been cancelled out of season recently 😥

However, IMO there are far, far better places to stay in Cornwall than St Ives. My preference would be Penzance if you want a buzzy, town kind of vibe.

I've been going to St Ives several times a year for 30 years. Heaven in June. Hell in August. People are correct about booking eating places now. Places with parking......absolutely depends on the type of car you have. If it's a cottage near the harbour the parking space will be small and probably has a low ceiling. If you have a long car or a tall SUV type forget it. There's no way your car will fit in a space you've paid extra for. If you're paying for a driveway parking space a bit further out you may be okay. Weather generally lovely in August but that means hundreds of people will be doing the same as you.Seagulls very aggressive.

There's a good bus Penzance, Marazion, St Ives route. It goes via the holiday village. From the double decker open top you see what it's like, definitely put me off plus it's not in St Ives or anywhere really

@Trumpsgoneloco Hendra holiday park in Newquay! We love it snd really can’t fault it!
It’s immaculately clean and well kept, and plenty to do for any dc. There’s some stunning beaches nearby to Newquay too, and plenty to do in the local area. If you then did fancy a trip to st Ives, you can catch a train directly from st Erth (which is about 40 mins drive away from Newquay)
I love that whole area, it’s beautiful.

https://www.aspects-holidays.co.uk/st-ives-webcam
I look every day at the webcam on here
St Ives, Porthminster Beach, Marazion and Penzance
You'll get the vibe from watching St ives over the next week or so.
Fantastic place. I'd recommend staying in Hayle or Penzance and bussing around to different places