What to visit in Cornwall? Part 2: Port Isaac and St. Ives

In my previous post about Cornwall, which you can find here, I described what to do in Padstow. This post will be devoted to a small fishing village called Port Isaac and a beautiful town with turquoise water – St. Ives.

We spent only a couple of hours in Port Issac, so I cannot pretend to be an expert in what to do or visit there. But believe me, just a short period of time in this adorable place was enough to make me fall in love with it. Coastal views, tiny alleys, family-run shops and the omnipresent nautical atmosphere – what’s not to love there? Well, just be careful if you’re planning to drive through the alleyways. They’re so narrow, your car will barely fit!

Low tide in Port Issac's Harbour
Low tide in Port Issac’s harbour.
Port Issac
‘Port Isaac Harbour was a busy coastal port from the Middle Ages to the mid 19th century. Cargoes like stone, coal, timber and pottery were loaded and unloaded there.’ Source here.

One thing I will always clearly remember from Port Issac is the Cream Tea, which I can honestly say was the best one I have ever eaten. The freshly baked scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam, served with tea and milk, tasted just heavenly!

Which should go first on the scones – jam or clotted cream? The Queen puts clotted cream on first, but Cornish people eat it with strawberry jam as the first topping. Rebellious souls!
The Krab Pot is a family run café where we had the delicious scones. Unfortunately, I did not try their crab sandwiches, but I assume they are delicious. It’s got excellent reviews on TripAdvisor and a big yes from me as well!
The names of some of the cottages in Port Issac are very marine. Would you like your house to be called Little Dolphins?

As I said before, we spent only a little time in the peaceful and quiet Port Issac, so I would now like to move on to St. Ives. Its atmosphere is completely different to Port Issac – it’s more lively and touristic, offering a variety of attractions like boat trips to Seal Island (which we sadly did not have time for) and contemporary art galleries like the Tate Modern. St. Ives will enchant you with its turquoise water, lovely harbour and tiny houses with cute nautical names like in Port Issac.

turquoise water in St Ives
Views from the harbour in St. Ives. What a colour!

We had a lovely stroll around St. Ives, had a close encounter with some angry seagulls, ate a big, home made, traditional Cornish Pasty (which was made in front of our eyes!) and I also finally tasted lobster for the first time in my life!

When we bought ice cream, the lady who sold them warned us to be careful of the seagulls, which are known for being little thieves. Looking at this one, one may think it wants to do some harm…
St Ives. A man preparing cornish pasties in front of the customers.
St. Ives. A baker preparing Cornish pasties in front of the customers.
  • Traditional Cornish Beef Pasty.
An amazing restaurant with views of the harbour – Porthminster Kitchen. We ordered a full lobster and ate half each. It was the first one I’d ever had, so I was a bit worried about its flavour. You can see my full-of-doubts facial expression below…
To eat or not to eat? I ate it and I liked it. I wanted to try it, but I think it was the last time. Not because I didn’t like the taste, but knowing how long it takes for a lobster to grow to this size (approx. 5 years) and reading about these amazing animals at the Lobster Hatchery in Padstow made me realise we should not destroy their population by eating too many of them. Sustainability and balance is the key.

I could probably upload 100 more photos that I took in Cornwall, but as they say, less is more, and quality is always more valuable than quantity. So I will leave you with only a couple more photos to end this post.

the Harbour in St Ives
The view of the harbour in St. Ives.
St Ives Harbour - fishing boats
St. Ives harbour – fishing boats.
Beautiful beach in St Ives
St. Ives beach.

I hope I have encouraged you to visit Padstow, Port Isaac and St. Ives, and I hope you’ll have more time to explore than I did. Unfortunately, one weekend was simply not enough!

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Magdalena Rasmus

Lifestyle and travel blog about Bournemouth. Places to see.Things to do. Food to eat. Slow and local life by Magdalena

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