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Original poster

St Ives in August - yes or no?

88 replies

Trumpsgoneloco · 09/04/2025 18:47

Cant go abroad this summer so I'm thinking of a family break in Cornwall in Aug. I like the look of St Ives. How busy does it get? Is the weather very unreliable? Is there loads for a wide variety of ages?

OP posts:
Original poster
Trumpsgoneloco · 09/04/2025 19:13

@ItsNearlyEaster it does look beautiful. What other areas would you suggest?

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Springee · 09/04/2025 19:12

We love Cornwall in August, although you can't bank on the weather. I would recommend somewhere not in central St Ives though. Also, lots of bookings are done way in advance so good central places booked already.

We have always gone by train and found that works for us.

Try Helston, Porthleven, Penzance

Confusedformer · 09/04/2025 19:12

You are welcome to PM me

Original poster
Trumpsgoneloco · 09/04/2025 19:10

@Confusedformer that's good to hear! I will look at Porthminster beach. Dc are 10 & 11. Carbis Bag looks beautiful but not much there as you say.

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LuckysDadsHat · 09/04/2025 19:10

Stay in Hayle instead and get the train in to St Ives. Then you can travel around (at a slow pace) to Marizion, Penzance etc.....

Confusedformer · 09/04/2025 19:06

See my previous post, took me so long to reply that two new messages popped up!

Original poster
Trumpsgoneloco · 09/04/2025 19:05

@Misspacorabanne I'm quite flexible with accommodation (I'm not paying 😆). What holiday park do you recommend?

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Vannymcvan · 09/04/2025 19:05

Absolutely not. It's awful in Cornwall in the summer, you can't move. The roads are a nightmare. I live down here and wouldn't go near the place in the school holidays!

Confusedformer · 09/04/2025 19:05

Gosh not as busy as those places. It has five beautiful beaches in town, two of which are enormous and you’ll have plenty of space.

there are two main shopping streets that get crowded in the afternoon because of the number of day trippers. Fine in the morning.

Parking is an issue but you’ve sussed that. I personally never enjoyed staying in the heart of town in August, it’s noisy - but then you want something with parking so you’d be better suited to finding accommodation over towards Porthminster beach where you’ll find parking and where you won’t have to drive through town to get in and out.

alternatively stay nearby at carbis bay and take the train (it takes 3 minutes) but then there’s not much to do in carbis bay despite the glorious beach and good cafes on the beach.

how old are your children?

I know A LOT about St ives for various reasons, not least owning a holiday let there

olderbutwiser · 09/04/2025 19:05

I went in December just after the pandemic and it was busy enough then. Weather is UK so not reliable. I don’t remember there being a lot to do for all ages - lots of walking, beach, a bit of art/museum.

Misspacorabanne · 09/04/2025 19:04

I’ve been in august, well, we had a day trip from Newquay! It’s rammed in august, and shops are tiny and rammed full of people! Beaches are full, but it’s so beautiful! My favourite place but I’m not sure I’d go again in august!
Last year we looked for a b&b in st Ives for august but they were all booked up, so I’m not sure where you would want to stay, it books fast for the summer holidays… this is why we went to Newquay and had a day trip into st Ives in the train!
If you fancy Newquay I can recommend a lovely caravan park, but it depends the type of accommodation you prefer!

ShanghaiDiva · 09/04/2025 19:04

It’s a lovely place, but streets are so narrow that it’s unpleasant in the school summer holidays. We visited in early July - never again.

Original poster
Trumpsgoneloco · 09/04/2025 19:04

@Middleofnowhere8 any recommendations?

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WTF99 · 09/04/2025 19:03

If you're staying in the town and not planning on driving anywhere, the rugby club is good for parking. It's cheap and theres lots of space. Walk or get the bus there and back at the start/end of your stay. The bus leaves from directly outside and drops at the Tate. You will have more options for places to stay as you won't need parking space

Original poster
Trumpsgoneloco · 09/04/2025 19:03

@Cynic17 I was surprised but I found a fair bit of availability.

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ItsNearlyEaster · 09/04/2025 19:03

Trumpsgoneloco · 09/04/2025 18:53

@ItsNearlyEaster what do you love about it?

The beach close to the train station is like Spain... Beautiful golden sands and clear water. There are lots of gorgeous art shops and independent places to eat/shop, which are nice to browse. We typically stay outside of St Ives and just visit for a day or two (either via the little coastal train from further North, or via car). There's a lovely walk up a mount and it's just so picturesque and quaint. Busy, but in a lovely way... It'd be too busy for a week for us, as we prefer a rural cottage. Perhaps split your accommodation and stay a couple of nights in St Ives and the rest elsewhere?

St Ives in August - yes or no?
Middleofnowhere8 · 09/04/2025 19:03

We love St Ives! We get an airbnb in the tiny cottages and love it. Parking and driving are an issue but if you plan well, it’ll be fine.
Weather is never guaranteed given we live in the UK. That isn’t unique to St Ives.

Original poster
Trumpsgoneloco · 09/04/2025 19:03

Maybe we should go there for a few days & then somewhere else in Cornwall?

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Cynic17 · 09/04/2025 19:02

It's lovely, but will be heaving. I would expect most of the accommodation to be already booked. Try somewhere a bit less popular in either Cornwall or Devon
.

Lilyhatesjaz · 09/04/2025 19:02

In August it will feel like a Christmas market in terms of business the streets are very narrow it's lovely just too many people

Original poster
Trumpsgoneloco · 09/04/2025 19:01

@crumblingschools yes, I'm pretty flexible as have the whole month & a bit of September to play with which helps.

OP posts:
crumblingschools · 09/04/2025 19:00

Have you checked availability?

Original poster
Trumpsgoneloco · 09/04/2025 19:00

It is busy like Santorini, Positano in the Summer or busier?

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nomas · 09/04/2025 18:58

We have done it in Aug. Not in St Ives though. It’s fine for a day trip but I wouldn’t want to stay there.

MarxAndSparx · 09/04/2025 18:58

It will be super busy in August. It’s a different kind of busy compared to London. It’s very slow moving , less room on pavements/roads as the streets are narrow. All the coffee shops and food places were full. Couldn’t just go somewhere on a whim. It’s a beautiful place, no doubt, I just prefer it in the quieter months.