Come for the view, and stay for the food at The Gannet Inn near St Ives.
Hotels have come a long way in recent times. Gone is the Corby trouser press, the Teasmade on the bedside table and an overload of chintzy soft furnishings. Today expect cool heritage colours, Egyptian cotton bedding and all mod cons – superfast broadband, smart TVs and chrome bathroom fittings.
Our room at The Gannet Inn about a mile outside St Ives ticked all the boxes. A palette of muted greys, tick. King size bed with crisp white sheets, tick. Shiny white bathroom with retro suite, tick. But there was something missing and I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. And then I twigged. There was no art on the walls. No watercolours of fishing boats in the harbour, no classy photos of waves on the beach or Cornish sunsets. Nothing.
But who needs seaside scenes when you have the real thing in front of you? Many of the rooms at The Gannet Inn are blessed with one of the best beach views in the country – Carbis Bay. The Blue Flag beach covers 25 acres of golden sands and clear water. In the distance you can see the iconic Godrevy Lighthouse, made famous by Virginia Wolfe in her novel To The Lighthouse. It’s the only landmark in an otherwise uninterrupted view across St Ives Bay.
The hotel have thoughtfully provided comfy chairs and a table to enjoy the view, this is Cornish art in real life.
No wonder so many artists came to this part of the world to paint. There is a scientific explanation – the sun reflects on the sea, scattering bright light. Even in winter months, cloud and mist (or mizzle) make a light that is special and appealing to artists. They took their inspiration from the sea, the coast and the Cornish landscape.
There is something inspirational too about the unstuffy menu. Local produce simply cooked with lots of old favourites to appeal to all. Cornish moules mariniere, pan roasted hake and traditional fish and chips. For little ones there is a nice choice of dishes on offer including many dairy free options.
The hotel also does a lovely cream tea for under a tenner and a great breakfast which – as well as the traditional fry-up - includes continental pastries, eggs Florentine and smoked salmon with scrambled eggs.
This close, it would be rude not to head for St Ives which manages to offer rich pickings when it comes to art, as well as beautiful sandy beaches. They say fortune favours the brave and it takes courage to negotiate the narrow, busy streets of St Ives in search of a car parking space. We did and got lucky, but I’m not sure I’d do it again. However there is a park and ride scheme to avoid the hassle. The journey by rail from St Erth into St Ives takes less than 15 minutes and when you reach the end of the line, you’re about a 15-minute walk to the Tate St Ives on the other side of the headland. You can, of course, take advantage of your proximity to Carbis Bay rail station and jump on the train there and be in St Ives in three minutes.
The walk to the Tate, if that’s what you choose to do, takes you through the town, past quirky shops, interesting galleries and places to stop and eat and drink.
The Tate St Ives is in an impressive location overlooking Porthmeor Beach. Inside you will find fascinating work by contemporary artists including many who made this corner of Cornwall their home – Patrick Heron, Ben Nicholson, Barbara Hepworth, Peter Lanyon and Alfred Wallis, a fisherman who painted on cereal packets, wood, anything he could get his hands on. He began painting at 70 and his naïve work was championed by more experienced local artists.
You can see more of Barbara Hepworth’s work at her studio and sculpture garden. She lived here with her husband, Ben Nicholson, and created work in the small studio. The bronzes on view are exactly where she placed them.
For more information on the Tate St Ives, and the Barbara Hepworth Museum go to tate.org.uk
