St Ives Holidays – March Edition
How busy is St Ives in March?
As I walked through St Ives town yesterday in the glorious sunshine that offered the first signs of Spring warmth, the streets were busy with couples wandering with either very young children or dogs (or ice-creams!). As you can imagine, St Ives attracts so many people and it is the fortunate ones who aren’t tied to school holidays that get to enjoy St Ives in March. There were more people on the beaches and the narrow, cobbled shop lined lanes definitely had more life in them.
The downside was because it was busier, I found it harder to park! As I was in town for a short while visiting a prospective holiday property, I thought I would try The Sloop car park but it was full. Then I tried Barnoon car park and that was full so I opted to be a bit cheeky and park in one of our holiday property’s parking spaces (the perks of the job!). So, even though it’s still only March, my advice would be to book a holiday cottage with parking in St Ives if at all possible. The good news is, if you book your St Ives holidays with Orange Roofs, 90% of our cottages in St Ives have an allocated parking space for guests.
What's on in St Ives this March?
8th March
Cousin Jack, a long distance trail running race organised by local events company Bys Vyken Events. The Island will be either finish line or the turn around point in St Ives. Come along and cheer the athletes in, they will appreciate the support!
St Pirans Ball at Tregenna Castle. Get your glad rags on and enjoy a swanky evening at Tregenna. £50pp for this special event includes a 3 course meal, glass of Fizz an auction and you can dance to the beats produced by DF Soggy.
11th March
Soundbath Meditation at 6pm, Una St Ives, enjoy a wonderfully powerful soundbath using Crystal and Tibetan bowls and gongs. Take a yoga mat or something to lie on. Tickets can be purchased here
14th March
Full moon manifesting circle. Release and let go at the CORE St Ives. Come to welcome and embrace change in a safe and non-judgemental environment and fine tune your energies with the moon. 6-10pm, £10 book online here
18th March
RUE are playing at the Western Hotel from 7.30pm. Expect soulful vocals, rhythmic guitar with a captivating jazz essence.
22nd March
BT experience are playing at the Union Inn with over 30 years playing great music some along and sing along to well known popular songs and help shape a fantastic fun evening.
26th March
Mindfulness and Meditation for your wellbeing at Bayspace St Ives, Fernlea Terrace. Discover powerful techniques to cultivate inner calm and navigate life’s challenges with balance and intuition. Tickets can be purchased on eventbrite.
29th March
Shoresearch Survey. Join the Wildlife trust and learn how to survey the shoreline for marine creatures. Meet 10am at the café on Smeatons Pier.
29th March
Kite Fest Flight day. All kites made or bought are welcome to come and meet in the skies above the Island to take flight. More info can be found on the website
Food and Drink in St Ives this March
7th March
Tarquin’s tasting event. At the Harbour Hotel in St Ives for £30pp come and learn about the gins and taste. You will get to try four gins paired with their perfect mixer along with delectable light bites to compliment.
30th March
Mothering Sunday at Tregenna Castle. Treat Mum to either an afternoon tea or Sunday Roast set against the elegant sounds of pianist, Jodie Mark. Book your table early to avoid disappointment for your memorable family gathering.
Arts & Culture in St Ives this March
12th March
Antiques and collectables fair, 10am at the Salvation Army Hall. This event is free entry.
15th March
Core crafts, feltmaking. A wet felt making course at St Ives community orchard and nature reserve. Materials are provided and no experience necessary. To book email jo.mcintosh@knitweave.co.uk. Places are £10pp
15th March
Colour language! How to apply colour theory. A hands on workshop run by artist Zoe Eaton at St Ives Art club from 2pm to 4.30pm. Tickets are £40pp
20th and 22nd March
St Ives Kite Fest. Kite making workshops. Age 16+ £5pp at St Ives Library. Come and make your own kite ready for flight day with help from Billy Wynter (the kite doctor)
27th March
The Art Collections of St Ives. This event isn’t actually in St Ives, it is being held at The Poly in Falmouth. This art history lecture by Catherine talks about her recent experience of cataloguing and researching St Ives Town Council’s Art collection which is not so well known. Tickets are £12pp and can be bought on The Poly website, the event begins at 6pm.
Restaurant Review of the month
The Tate St Ives Cafe
So, it’s not strictly speaking ‘a restaurant’ but the food is absolutely delicious and the views are sensational!
I chose to meet a family member here for some lunch as they were visiting from Wales. I thought the views from the cafe would be special and we weren’t disappointed!
Here’s the menu..
You have to order and pay at the counter and then sit at the table of your choice. Every table has a bird’s eye view of St Ives and the sea. Hence the cafe name ‘Sea View’!
I chose the celeriac and apple soup with trout and Richard chose loaded Crab fries. Both arrived within around 15 minutes of ordering and were utterly delicious. We were good and didn’t go for a cake or dessert but they did look rather tempting. Had I had more time, I would have had a little more room for another coffee and carrot cake!
Our Verdict
The views are stunning and so, you can’t beat the taste of delicious food while gazing across rooftops to the sea or Porthmeor Beach. There aren’t that many tables available so I imagine it can get busy during the summer months. There is the Tate St Ives shop on the same floor, so if you have to wait for a table, you could try some retail therapy.
The prices match the quality of the food. A lunch for two with a main course each, two bottles of sparkling water and a coffee cost £36.30 so we consider this good value for money given how tasty the lunch was. In our opinion, it beats an expensive pasty as a healthy option!
Property Review of The Month
Review from a guest that stayed at Hidden Gem for a week during February Half TermReally lovely cottage. Cosy and comfortable with everything you could want to enjoy your holiday in St Ives.
Home from Home and very dog friendly.
In fact on returning home I’m really missing it .
Perfectly located. Beach and town minutes away. It really is a Hidden Gem!
Hidden Gem in St Ives
Fun Fact for March
St Piran's Day - 5th MarchThe 5th of March became Saint Piran’s Feast Day and was observed as a holiday in Cornwall well into the mid-18th Century. It is the date on which St Piran supposedly died.
St Piran had a reputation as something of a merrymaker, which has earned him a permanent place in the hearts and minds of the Cornish people.
One story has it that the saint was executed by Teudar (or Tador), a king of Cornwall, in 480AD.
However, the more popular version is that the rather ancient saint tripped and fell into a well after drinking one too many ales!
Holiday Guides for the Cornish Explorers!
We share things to do, places to visit and where to eat and drink in St Ives and West Cornwall
Holiday Guides