Places of interest near Chy-an-Creet Hotel, St.Ives

Chy-an-Creet Private Hotel in St.Ives Cornwall

Resident proprietors Judith & David Tremelling

We hope your stay at CHY-AN-CREET will be a pleasant one. Within easy walking or driving distance of Chy-an-Creet there are many interesting places to visit. Some have admission charges, but there are many places which do not and will amply repay you for the effort of getting there. This is a purely personal selection, which we hope may be of interest.

Our lush and green landscape is aided by the 38 inches or so of rainfall we receive annually. Often we have both showers and bounteous sunshine in the same day, so do be prepared. The Atlantic air here is very clear, so do take special care while out in the sunshine. Follow advice and protect yourself - especially children - from the sun's burning rays.

Do try and take a trip on our beautiful little railway branch line at some point in your stay here. You can ride direct to Penzance or stop off at Lelant and walk back along the cliff path. Connections at St.Erth or Penzance facilitate journeys to and from the rest of the UK, Europe and beyond. St.Ives Station overlooks the golden sands of Porthminster Beach and St.Ives Bay (one of "The Most Beautiful Bays in the World") so it must be one of the most spectacular places to wait for a train anywhere in the world.

The LEACH POTTERY - now a listed building on account of its association with Bernard Leach, is just across the road from our hotel. It is still a worked by a pupil of the late master potter. Exhibitions and facilities are being upgraded and an appeal is under way to secure the pottery's future.

THE TATE OF THE WEST (TATE ST.IVES) gallery with its splendid rotunda is situated on Porthmeor Beach to the north of the town. The cafe on the top floor has great views, as has the rotunda itself. (Visit the Tate and Penwith Society galleries for the work of St.Ives School artists. If you want traditional "Plein Air" Newlyn School, head for Penlee House Gallery in Morrab Road, Penzance). The TATE is about 10 - 15 minutes' walk from Chy-an-Creet. Turn left out of our drive and take a left at the "Alldays" double mini-roundabout. Go down Porthmeor Hill - the gallery entrance is at the very bottom of the hill.

BARBARA HEPWORTH MUSEUM, on Barnoon Hill, is near the Tate. It is just off Fore Street and behind the Union Inn. Fore Street is the cobbled street running parallel with the Harbour. The famous sculptress's studio [now very tidy!] and sculpture garden are open in conjunction with TATE GALLERY. Special tours are available at some times for visitors with sight impairment. (10 - 15 minutes' walk from Chy-an-Creet).

THE BEACHES OF ST.IVES BAY: Please take heed of lifeguards' advice - sea bathing can be dangerous.

PORTHMEOR (directions as for the TATE above) is the Blue-Flag surfing beach with beach huts, surf school, food, drink, ice cream, etc. Some great sunsets are enjoyed from here. There is only a small car park by the beach, so either walk down or follow the advice in the folder in your room at Chy-an-Creet.

PORTHGWIDDEN BEACH (Car Park on THE ISLAND) is tucked away between Porthmeor Beach and the Harbour. There is a good beach café here. To reach PORTHGWIDDEN by car you have to drive through the town and along Wharf Road.

Between Porthgwidden and the Harbour is Wheal Dream, site of the fascinating ST.IVES MUSEUM above little Bamaluz beach. The museum has a room dedicated to St.Ives' own "Onedin Line", the HAIN LINE which became part of the giant P&O shipping line.

THE HARBOUR beach is shared with the boats. If it were not, it would surely qualify for Blue Flag status but would lose its immense charm! The Harbour can be a sun trap for sunbathing, even sometimes in winter. Shops, pubs & conveniences, including the "superloo" in the Sloop Car Park, are nearby - as is the Sloop Craft Centre with woodcarver Guy Sutcliffe and friends [do call in and see them!]. The lifeboat house is near the 15^th century Parish Church (look for its ancient granite tower) by West Pier and the lifeboat is now launched directly from the new dedicated slipway opposite.

The great expanse of PORTHMINSTER BEACH is near the Harbour. Above the beach, the railway train arrives in town from St. Erth and Penzance. Beach huts, beach café & conveniences are all at the sands' edge. Level walk from and back to town is through The Warren and "Lambeth Walk", or make a diversion through St.Andrew's Street and call in to Longships Gallery to see Douglas Hill's vibrant "plein-air" beach paintings. His is only one of many galleries in town - look out for the West Cornwall Arts Guide.

CARBIS BAY BEACH is next towards Lelant. If driving, take a left just after the pedestrian traffic lights in Carbis Bay (or first left after St.Margaret's Hotel). Facilities include a Wimpy Bar but the beach is privately owned, so you usually have to pay a parking fee. (about 5 minutes' drive from Chy-an-Creet).

LELANT BEACH, DUNES & GOLF COURSE - Drive through Carbis Bay then take the left turn after John Beck's Fish Restaurant. Drive carefully down the narrow lane to Lelant, park near the church and walk between the church and the churchyard onto the golf links (duck!) to the beach. Take your own drinks / food - there are no beach facilities but there's lots of space and sometimes lots of seashells. The sandy banks of the River Hayle shelve steeply and there are dangerous currents in the river at all times. Never bathe in or near the river. Around the corner, the Porthkidney beach is wide and flat, so just beware of the tide coming in quickly.

ZENNOR, SENNEN COVE, & LANDS END are covered on a separate sheet available in the folder in your room. Hardy folks put on a pair of sturdy walking boots and set off after breakfast for an energetic walk from St.Ives to the "Tinners" (Tinners Arms inn in Zennor village) for lunch. There are four buses in each direction along the B306 road in summer, so time it right and you won't have to walk back! On summer Saturday evenings, Judy and I used to take a Crème Egg each and drive out to the marvellous sunset viewpoint just above Hillside Farm on the Newmill road, just past Zennor.

If you are tempted to explore Portherras beach on this coast, do be sure to protect your feet from remaining pieces of a shipwreck which was "disposed of" by an inappropriate explosion some years ago! Pendeen Lighthouse is open to visitors at certain times and between PENDEEN and ST.JUST there is the former tin-producer, GEEVOR MINE, now offering underground tours of old working workings. Westwards, reached from St.Just, is Cape Cornwall, England's only "Cape" but consider turning off left from Cape Cornwall Road to soak up the sights from the clifftop at Carn Gloose. You'll see Cape Cornwall, The Brison rocks, Whitesands Bay at Sennen Cove, the Longships Light off Land's End and, on a clear day only, the magical Scillies way out on the horizon. Westwards, do go into Sennen Cove. Pass the Lifeboat Station (with its two slipways) and you'll find the fascinating Round House Gallery. There's a car park beyond the gallery and beyond that a very pleasant 20 minute-ish cliff walk to Land's End.

In contrast, Porthgwarra (south of Land's End) is a delightful little seaside hamlet, tucked away at the end of a narrow road. PORTHCURNO, formerly the home of the Cable & Wireless Engineering College, is where you might find your way to the Secret Telegraph Museum deep inside the cliffs. Up the hill above Porthcurno beach is THE MINACK open-air THEATRE with its exhibition centre. If you attend a performance here, take cool clothing and sunscreens on hot afternoons and warm clothing even on warmer evenings. For evening performances, at least one party will normally have a hamper with champagne and sometimes even candelabra for the interval, but make your catering arrangements according to your own preferences! Minack now offer picnic meals at a very reasonable £7.50 (2004) but you do need to order in advance. For daytimes, there's a golden sandy beach (limited facilities) at Porthcurno below the theatre, but be warned that the sand shelves steeply in to the Atlantic oceanic waters of the English Channel so bathing or toe-dipping tends to feel very chilly.

PENBERTH, turn right just past Treen, is one of Cornwall's most perfect fishing coves. Park considerately by the roadside at the edge of the hamlet, walk down to the slipway and rest awhile in the tranquillity.

Please see the "Zennor" sheet for MOUSEHOLE (Pam's Pantry for magnificent crab sandwiches and cream teas, Old Coastguard Inn for good cuisine) NEWLYN, and PENZANCE. Special Penzance town features to aim for are the sub-tropical Morrab Gardens and the Penlee House Gallery. Both are in Morrab Road. Shopping streets include the curiously named Causewayhead, Market Jew Street and elegant Chapel Street.

The sleepy south-facing small town of MARAZION is just to the east of Penzance. It has the interesting distinction of having its own Postcode (TR17), some say it's something to do with the famous St Michael's Mount, home of Lord St Levan just offshore and connected by a causeway at low tide. It is now managed by the National Trust but opening times vary. Ferries operate according to tides - check on opening times - and check on the tides. The tide can come in quickly and you don't want wet feet crossing the causeway, do you?

Rocky little PRUSSIA COVE is just along the coast from Marazion (drive towards Helston and take a right at Rosudgeon, opposite the Falmouth Packet Inn). It's quite a long, steep walk from car park to the cove, but it faces south and is different from most other seaside places. Nearby, at Porth-en-Als, the International Musicians' Seminar takes place twice a year, in the spring and the autumn. The musicians usually give at least one concert in St.Ives church each season. In contrast to the rocky shore of little Prussia Cove, long sandy beaches on this stretch of coast include Perranuthnoe and Praa Sands.

FLAMBARDS is the biggest attraction in the far west, just outside of Helston. If you want to go direct from Chy-an-Creet, turn right out of our drive and head for Hayle. Immediately after passing under the Hayle railway viaduct, turn right at the small roundabout towards Helston, from where Flambards is signposted.

Farther afield, TRURO is our Cathedral City and Cornwall's main centre. The Cathedral puts on weekly organ recitals (Fridays, 1.10 to 1.55 pm) and other musical events; the Hall for Cornwall is host to many well-known entertainers as well as Flea Markets (!) and there are lots of shops, cafes, a Pannier Market and little streets to wander around. Not necessarily recommended for wet days - the rain in Truro sometimes seems the wettest around! (27 miles from Chy-an-Creet. Allow about 3/4 hour. Follow the CITY CENTRE PARKING signs on approach.

FALMOUTH at the mouth of the River Fal is a very pleasant town. It has a natural deep water harbour, a busy ship repair yard, beaches, magnificent municipal gardens and many interesting shops. A trip around Castle Drive overlooks the ship repair yard, passes the Ships and Castles leisure pool and leads to Tudor Pendennis Castle (interactive displays etc) at the estuary mouth near to the main beaches. Pedestrian ferries ply between Prince of Wales Pier and St.Mawes (for lunch?). Alternatively, take the Truro road as far as Playing Place and cross the River Fal at King Harry Ferry (cars approx. £3 fare) to PHILLEIGH, perhaps returning to Truro via Tregony. "The alternative route" is to sail by launch from Falmouth to Truro (and maybe back again) on Enterprise Boats - see our links page for a web link.

OFFSHORE: The amazing Isles of Scilly are reached by sea (Scillonian III from Penzance Harbour) or air (Skybus from Land's End Airport or British International Helicopters from Penzance Heliport). All go to St.Mary's; the choppers also serve Tresco's famous gardens by direct flights. It is said that Tresco heliport doubles as the cricket pitch on Sundays, and the departure gate fell off its hinges years ago, but the tranquillity (except during arcraft movements!) is priceless! Launches meet Scillonian III to transport visitors to the "off-islands". Chy-an-Creet is used by some guests en-route to or returning from the Scillies.

In your room at Chy-an-Creet you will find a more detailed sheet on Zennor and Land's End as well as one on the Lizard peninsula. Don't forget there's a whole adventure or three waiting for you on the Penwith Moors which take up the inland area of the Land's End Peninsula. Not least among the Moor's delights are the Men-an-Tol ancient holed stone, stone circles, the bar of the Gurnard's Head Inn and the little vegetarian bistro at Cripplesease above Nancledra which is open in the latter half of the week for suppers on Summer evenings. Details constantly change, so I apologise if any facts on these sheets are incorrect.