Meet the owner
Our Cornwall
My connection with St Ives goes back two generations. My grandfather was an artist and came here in the 1920’s with my grandmother and my mother. Our own flat, which is in the same complex as Wavetop, is full of his pen and ink sketches and drawings of St Ives Bay, Mousehole and St Michael’s Mount. My parents met in India but they came to St Ives for their honeymoon travelling from London on the Cornish Riviera Express and staying in the Tregenna Castle Hotel.
My husband remembers St Ives too as a young man, travelling down from Coventry on his scooter and falling in love with a local St Ives girl.
As for me, I fell in love with the place in 2009 when we came on a short break just after my mother died. I later celebrated a special birthday in Carbis Bay with 17 friends and family and it was then that we saw our flat, which looks out over the bay just as Wavetop does, and we bought it on the spot. It is such a lovely place to unwind, with its magical light and the everchanging sky and seascape. I wanted to share it. So when Wavetop came on the market 7 years ago, we bought it and have turned it into a home from home for other people to enjoy.
What do I love about this part of the world? The light, the sea, the people, the food, the ancient landscape with its chambered tombs and hill forts, the food, the art, the gardens, the crab sandwiches and more!
Am I connected? Yes I am! I’m a member of the Cornwall Archaeology Society, the Cornwall Museum in Truro and have a season ticket to Tremenheere Sculpture gardens – one of my all time favourite places to visit. We come here about 8 or 9 times a year, we have friends here, we know the local tradespeople and businesses - and we can’t get enough of it.
Alison
Inspiration for things to do
See below for a list of my favourite things to do or visit our Cornwall page for further inspiration.
My 6 favourite things to do
Lelant
Porthminster Beach
Porthminster Beach
Walk along the coastal path to Lelant, winding along the cliffs overlooking the wide expanse of Porthkidney Beach, down through the mysterious wood with its enticing glimpses of the sea, through the sand dunes with the local train track running alongside, past the golf course and down to the Lelant church with its atmospheric churchyard perched above the Hayle estuary and then down the winding lanes of Lelant to Birdies Bistro for lunch. Catch the local bus home or walk back by a more direct route.
Porthminster Beach
Porthminster Beach
Porthminster Beach
Walk the other way to St Ives, up the path and over the railway line, pausing at the look out point where women kept watch for shoals of sardines, then down through the woods towards Porthminster Beach, perhaps stopping for a coffee at Porthminster Beach café, then into the tiny lane leading to the harbour with its old fishing cottages on either side, a pause to look over the harbour at the boats and seagulls and then onto to explore the maze of tiny streets which is St Ives. Walk over to the “island” and see the surfers on Porthmeor beach or take in a spot of culture at Tate St Ives or Barbara Hepworth’s sculpture garden.
Godrevy Point
Porthminster Beach
Godrevy Point
A short drive to Godrevy Point opposite the lighthouse, grabbing a pastie on the way to eat al fresco, being careful to protect it from the seagulls. Park in the National Trust car park and amble up to see the seals in their private cove or walk on towards Hell’s Mouth and have lunch or a coffee at Hell’s Mouth café before walking back. If we feel like something a little wilder, we walk the other way and watch the surfers and kitesurfers off the coast near Gwithian.
Penzance
Trelissick Gardens
Godrevy Point
Over to Penzance and explore Tremenheere Sculpture gardens, a magical place with woodland walks and intriguing paths among tree ferns and tropical plants, modern sculptures and art installations surprising us at every turn and every now and then, captivating views of St Michael’s Mount.
Marazion
Trelissick Gardens
Trelissick Gardens
To Marazion, parking by the sea wall as far away as we can comfortably walk and heading into the village. It is one of the best places to find those perfect earrings or search for Cornish art and knick-knacks. The south coast bears the brunt of any storms which makes it a marvellously exhilarating place to be if the weather is wild. We may walk over the causeway or be taken by boat to St Michael’s Mount and explore the castle and marvel at what life must be like on a rocky outcrop in the winter.
Trelissick Gardens
Trelissick Gardens
Trelissick Gardens
Drive over to Trelissick Gardens on the edge of the Fal River. It is a beautiful place with many options to explore – formal and less formal gardens or a wide meadow leading down to the banks of Channals Creek. We may take a ferry from Trelissick over to St Mawes, or drive over via the King Harry Ferry and have lunch and head back later in the day.