Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Holidays

Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

Flip

Original poster

Parking in St Ives August

21 replies

Headfulahorlix · 27/01/2016 19:21

Have booked St Ives holiday but am worried about parking. There are none with the apartment.

Any advice would be great.

Is parking there a nightmare? If I got a Rover ticket would there be a long queue into parking? Would it be better to book a space in a secure space? Its a 20 minute walk away though....

OP posts:

OutrageousFlavourLikeFreesias · 27/01/2016 19:34

Unless you have some sort of allocated space somewhere then yes, parking will be a nightmare. Parking is at a severe premium and restrictions and time limits are strictly enforced.

However you may be able to buy a short-term parking pass for the time you're down there for use on a nearby car park. The Tourist Information Office should be able to help.

St Ives is gorgeous but it's absolutely not built for cars! Any chance you could take the train?

Pepperpot99 · 27/01/2016 19:40

St Ives is beautiful but the parking situation is really bad. We stayed a few years back and the cost of renting an apartment with a (tiny, inadequate) parking space was loads higher than one without.

cuntycowfacemonkey · 27/01/2016 19:43

We bought a 7 day parking ticket before we went although you don't get to pre-book a space as it were. We had to sit in the car park and wait for a space to come up. We didn't move the car all week though as chances are you won't get one again!

Eachleechsparethumb · 27/01/2016 19:45

Parking is awful

Herrerarerra · 27/01/2016 19:46

Nothing positive to add, it's a lovely place but parking is an absolute nightmare.

sleepwhenidie · 27/01/2016 19:47

It's not so bad, especially if you don't need to actually move your car during your stay. Drive and unload your stuff near where you are staying then head for the leisure centre where there is almost always space, it's 5 mins walk down a lot of steps into town again.

cuntycowfacemonkey · 27/01/2016 19:48

The one we park in was at the top of a hill and obviously our cottage was right at the bottom, least fun ever unloading and loading. We paid a premium the next year for a cottage with a parking space, which like pepperpot described was teeny tiny and once again once we'd wedge the car in it stayed there for the whole week.

Love St Ives though, fantastic place for a holiday

sleepwhenidie · 27/01/2016 19:48

Actually, to be fair, it's not so bad providing you don't move the car, otherwise yes, pita.

24balloons · 27/01/2016 19:50

We were ther last summer - I wouldn't go without parking unless you're not planning to use the car all week. Parking is a nightmare apart from something like after 6.30pm

Original poster

Headfulahorlix · 27/01/2016 20:09

Thank you! After your advice will use St Ives Parking company which guarantees a space. Phew!

OP posts:

Original poster

Headfulahorlix · 27/01/2016 20:15

My oh says parking is better in evening when tourists have driven away? Is this true?

OP posts:

Potterwolfie · 27/01/2016 20:20

It's a gorgeous place to visit, make sure yo head to the Tate and Barbara Hepworth's studio/sculpture garden.

As for parking, it's a nightmare in most Cornish towns. I wonder if any local families rent out driveway space? I hope you find a solution and have an amazing holiday!

mummymeister · 28/01/2016 14:46

OP - I think you need to check about st ives parking company. do they guarantee you a space nearby where you can move your car during your stay or is this a long stay equivalent like when you go on holiday and leave your car at the airport? We go to cornwall a fair bit (albeit mainly to the se bit) but I have never heard of them. would check with the cornwall tourist board, visit cornwall, to make sure you are getting what you want.

if you want to get around cornwall then the only way to do it is by car. public transport is intermittent at best and you will spend most of your time hanging around. plus lots of places are inaccessible.

cuntycowfacemonkey · 28/01/2016 20:08

Sounds like a private parking company that either rents out people's driveways or is on an industrial estate (and Miles from St Ives itself). The only long stay car parks I know of in st Ives are public ones and you can't reserve a space

Bunbaker · 29/01/2016 08:26

We nearly came a cropper in Tenby over parking. There was no parking with the apartment, so we parked in the public car park near the hospital. One of us had to get up early every morning to feed the pay and display meter.

We will never book a UK cottage holiday again that doesn't offer parking.

I hope you find somewhere to park.

sleepwhenidie · 29/01/2016 09:35

You can book a whole week's parking in one go in the council car parks in St Ives, and/or extend via the app (like Ringo but I don't think it is Ringo).

mummymeister · 29/01/2016 15:54

the OP can pay for a space sleepwhenidie but this does not guarantee a dedicated space. just means when you do find one you don't have to pay for parking. the issue is that if the op goes out during the day when they come back the carpark might be full and that is there tough luck. they might just have to sit and wait until someone goes.

I cannot understand why anyone would come to cornwall on holiday and book to stay somewhere that doesn't have parking as it is a complete nightmare without.

sleepwhenidie · 29/01/2016 17:47

Yes, my point was that you won't have to wake up every morning and physically go feed the meter as a pp did .

We go to St Ives several times a year, have done for 10+ years and I can only remember moving the car once parked about once in all that time (in a solid week of v bad weather). We're happy with everything there is in town, have been known to get the train to Penzance (that same week I think!) So for us it isn't a problem but I understand it's a hassle if you do want to venture out and about.

Paddingtonthebear · 29/01/2016 17:49

We went midweek in rainy early June last year and had to sit and wait an hour in the car park for a parking space. Didn't dare move the car after that.

Paddingtonthebear · 29/01/2016 17:50

Oh and we had pre booked a space! There just weren't any free

FishWithABicycle · 29/01/2016 18:10

We just went for a day trip the first time but after that I swore never to take the car there again. These days when we holiday in Cornwall any day trip to st Ives is by train (though that has it's own challenges when you want to leave at the same time as 1000 other tourists who had the same idea)

However, St Ives itself is small enough to walk around so if we had a holiday in the town itself I would book a permanent guaranteed space with no worries about how far away it was, and get a taxi to the car if it was beyond walking distance on the few occasions we had need to leave the town.

Flip