Sunday 31 January 2010

St Ives Cornwall - What's On

Long Liner Fishing Boat - St Ives Harbour - 1950s
Long Liner Fishing Boat - St Ives Harbour - 1950s.


I posted earlier this month that I was going to reduce the number of "What's On" posts. But there is a fair amount going on at the moment - so here's a selection from the coming week.

Tonight (Sunday 31st) there are two pub quizzes - at The Queens Hotel and at The Union Inn. Both start at 8.00 pm and offer cash prizes.

Tomorrow (1st) there is an illustrated talk at St Ives Infants School - Colourful St Ives In The 1950s - at 7.00 pm. Advance tickets are £3.00 from St Ives Tourist Information or £4.00 on the door. A fundraiser for Consols Pool Association.

On Tuesday (2nd) St Ives Jazz Club are back at The Western Hotel with The Ken Church Quartet. Entry on the door is £10.00 or £6.00 (members). Doors open at 8.00 pm with music from 9.00 pm.

On Wednesday (3rd) St Ives School of Painting have an art class - Life Drawing - at the school on Back Road and starting at 7.30 pm. No need to book, just turn up, cost is £7.00 which includes professional tuition.

On Thursday (4th) St Ives Farmers Market is open at St Ives Backpackers from 9.30 am to 2.00 pm. As ever a great selection of fresh local produce.

On Friday (5th) Carbis Bay Hotel are hosting a fundraiser for the Haiti Appeal - with proceeds split between Red Cross and local charity ShelterBox. Seventies band and disco - Neon Love Chicken. Fun auction and raffle. Free cocktail on arrival plus a buffet. Tickets are £25.00 - call 01736 795311 to book. They are also looking for items for the auction and raffle - so get in touch if you have something to donate.

Have a great week in St Ives - as ever more events on:
St Ives Cornwall - What's On

Thursday 28 January 2010

St Ives Cornwall - Cinema Next Week

Royal Cinema St Ives Cornwall - Avatar
Royal Cinema St Ives Cornwall - Avatar


The Royal Cinema has another good programme of movies next week - starting Friday (29th January). The winter movie season is often a bit flat as the distributors hold back their bigger releases until Easter. But this winter so far has been pretty good.

The Book Of Eli (15, 118 minutes) - post apocalyptic gunfest.
Its Complicated (15, 120 minutes) - romance, girl stuff.
Avatar (12A, 162 minutes) - Lord of the Rings meets Apocalypse Now.
Alvin And The Chipmunks 2 (U, 88 minutes) - chipmunks as furry rock stars.
Planet 51 (U, 90 minutes) - animated sci-fi comedy.
An Education (12A, 100 minutes) - Penwith Film Society presentation.

Of these I'd personally recommend Avatar - an absolutely superb movie. St Ives only has the 2D version (the 3D projector is broken), but nonetheless this is one film not to miss on the big screen. We went to see it last week and loved it.

The cinema has a number of offers on at the moment including Choose Tuesdays (all seats £3.99) and their Movie Magic Discount Card.

More details of times and prices on their website:
Royal Cinema St Ives

Monday 25 January 2010

Haiti Appeal Fundraiser

ShelterBox Deploys In Haiti - January 2010
ShelterBox Deploys In Haiti - January 2010


Carbis Bay Hotel are hosting a fundraising evening on Friday 5th February.

Entertainment is from seventies band and disco - Neon Love Chicken.

There will also be a fun auction and raffle.

You get a free cocktail on arrival and there will be a buffet.

All proceeds to Red Cross and Shelterbox.

Tickets are £25.00

Call 01736 795 311 to book or for more information.

Please also call if you wish to donate a raffle prize or auction item.

The hotel are also offering a special rate for rooms: £35.00 bed and breakfast.

Carbis Bay Hotel Website

ShelterBox Website

And in case you're wondering if ShelterBox are still hanging around the airport drinking cold beers with the UN rather than deploying on the ground - here they are on the ground getting things done with the help of the Dutch Marines:
Video - ShelterBox Deployment In Haiti

Saturday 23 January 2010

St Ives Jazz Club - Winter Programme

Ken Church - St Ives Jazz Club - Tuesday 2nd February
Ken Church - St Ives Jazz Club - Tuesday 2nd February


St Ives Jazz Club have announced their programme for January - March 2010.

As ever they're bringing some top class jazz acts to The Western Hotel in St Ives every Tuesday night. Doors open at 8.00 pm, music starts at 9.00pm and entry on the door is £10.00 / £6.00 (members).
  • 26th January - Neon
  • 2nd February - Ken Church Quartet
  • 9th February - Tony Woods Project
  • 16th February - Dale / Milverton Quartet
  • 23rd February - Trevor Watkis Trio
  • 2nd March - Iain Ballamy
  • 9th March - Nicolas Meier Quartet
  • 16th March - Ben Clatworthy
  • 23rd March - Renato D'Aiello Quartet
  • 30th March Geoff Gascoyne Quartet
More details are on:
St Ives Jazz Club Website

More details of live music in St Ives on:
St Ives Cornwall What's On

Friday 22 January 2010

Two St Ives Hotels Named In UK Top 25

Boskerris and Primrose Valley - St Ives Cornwall
Boskerris and Primrose Valley - St Ives Cornwall


Two St Ives hotels have been named among the top twenty five in the entire UK in the TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Awards 2010.

Boskerris Hotel and Primrose Valley Hotel were both included on the basis of reviews by individual travellers.

Boskerris has 165 reviews on the TripAdvisor website and Primrose Valley has 144 - so this can't be put down to a small number of favoured guests - its well earned.

So St Ives has almost 10% (ok 8% if you want to be precise) of the top hotels in the country - not bad for a small town in the far west.

Well done to both Boskerris and Primrose Valley.

TripAdvisor Travelers' Awards

Thursday 21 January 2010

Tate St Ives - Winter and Spring Exhibition

Tate St Ives - New Exhibition
Tate St Ives - New Exhibition


The new Tate St Ives exhibition opens this Saturday - 23rd January 2010.

Dexter Dalwood and the Tate Collection runs until Monday 3rd May.

'Typically, Dalwood's works depict imagined and constructed interiors or landscapes, usually devoid of figures, that act as memorials or descriptions of various historic people, places or moments.'

There will also be a display of works from the Tate Collection selected by Dexter Dalwood, including work by Pablo Picasso, Roger Hilton and Dan Graham.

More details on:
Tate St Ives Website

Wednesday 20 January 2010

St Ives In Winter

Fore Street - St Ives Cornwall - Sunday 17th January 2010
Fore Street - St Ives Cornwall - Sunday 17th January 2010


Its been another sunny day in St Ives today - a reminder of how nice it can be here in Winter. Before we moved here we always used to come down in February. Prices for accommodation are a lot cheaper and there are no crowds to fight through.

So if you're not lucky enough to be here already - worth thinking about. All of the pubs and most of the restaurants, shops and galleries are open as usual.

A few examples of good deals on accommodation.

Sail Lofts - luxury five star apartments - have some good offers. You can currenly book an apartment sleeping six for seven nights at £425. Short breaks are also available.
Sail Lofts Website

Lyonesse Seven - luxury apartment sleeping six - are offering 20% off normal prices throughout January and February.
Lyonesse Seven Website

Cornish Gems have a variety of late offers for luxury cottages and apartments in both St Ives and the surrounding area, including some dog-friendly places:
Cornish Gems Website

If you're looking for a hotel many in town are also offering special winter rates. These include Tregenna Castle which is offering special rates on rooms plus discounts on meals, spa treatments and golf:
Tregenna Castle Website

Many of the pubs and restaurants have special meal deals at the moment. They're often not listed on their websites, so best to have a walk around town when you're here and keep a look out.

There are also lots of things going on even in winter- see my:
St Ives Events Calendar

So - well worth getting down here before the crowds return at Easter.

Monday 18 January 2010

St Ives Literature Festival - May 2010

St Ives Literature Festival - Bob Devereux
St Ives Literature Festival - Bob Devereux


St Ives Literature Festival moves into its third year and will be running again this year - from Saturday 1st to Saturday 8th May 2010.

As before it wil feature a variety of events including poetry, prose readings, talks, book launches and music.

Artistic Director Bob Devereux is still putting together the programme - more details in due course. He has confirmed that a number of poets from Etruscan Books will be here - as last year.

Others featuring are likely to include Rod Bullimore, Kelvin Bowers, Anna Chen, Charles Shaar Murray and Buffalo Bill Smith.

Each day will start with Poetry and Music in Norway Square - hosted by Bob. This year afternoon and evening events will be at St Ives Arts Club rather than The Salthouse Gallery. The sad news is that The Salthouse may be closing at Easter.

The festival have booked both rooms at the Arts Club - so while many events will be scheduled, there will also be space for spontaneous events such as jam sessions or readings. Somebody from the festival will aim to be there every morning, so you can call in to find out about events each day.

I'll be adding more details to the festival website as they are confirmed:

St Ives Literature Festival Website

Sunday 17 January 2010

Sunny Afternoon At The Sloop

The Sloop Inn - St Ives Cornwall
The Sloop Inn - St Ives Cornwall - Sunday 17th January 2010


Have just spent a pleasant sunny afternoon at The Sloop Inn

Lovely weather and even though Spring is weeks away it finally feels as if its on its way.

Had a couple of pints of Rattler, chatted to my friend Rod Bullimore and various random people including artist Anthony Frost.

Saturday 16 January 2010

St Ives Cornwall - Farmers Market

St Ives Farmers Market - Fresh Cornish Kiwi Fruit
St Ives Farmers Market - Fresh Cornish Kiwi Fruit


Just a reminder that St Ives Farmers Market continues through the year and is still open every Thursday at St Ives Backpackers. Open from 9.30 am to 2.00 pm.

Despite the winter there was still a great selection of fresh produce available when I went in this week. Vegetables, meat, fresh fish and my personal favourite - Ruby June's amazing curry sauces.

The latest arrivel is Cornish Kiwi Fruit - from a grower just outside Ludgvan. I must admit I didn't know that anybody grew Kiwis in Cornwall. They should be available for the mext two or three weeks - so get down to the market on Thursday if you want some.

More information on:
St Ives Farmers Market Website

Thursday 14 January 2010

St Ives Cornwall - Textile Art Workshops

Textile Art Workshops - St Ives Cornwall
Textile Art Workshops - St Ives Cornwall


My wife Jo will be running a series of Textile Art Workshops in St Ives over the coming weeks.

All run on Saturdays from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm and cost £40.00 including materials.
  • 6th February - Fabric Birds
  • 20th February - Monoprinting on Fabric
  • 27th February - Fabric Collage
  • 6th March - Working with Water Soluble Fabric
  • 17th April - Weaving Without a Loom
Jo will also be running a Feltmaking Weekend - Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st March.

Great fun, a chance to learn something new and be creative.

There are more details here:
Jo McIntosh Website
Jo McIntosh Blog

Please do get in touch if you're interested and want more information.

You can contact Jo via her website or call her on 01736 797 122.

Saturday 9 January 2010

St Ives Cornwall - What's On This Week

Winter in Cornwall - What's On In St Ives
Winter in Cornwall - What's On In St Ives


Hello from a very cold - and maybe soon to be snowy - St Ives. Its been a sunny day here - but more snow is forecast for tomorrow.

Also - I know that the cold weather we've got here is nothing compared to what our friends further north are experiencing. My wife Jo is currently heading to Yorkshire to visit family - minus 18 degrees there last night. Hope you're all ok.

Gordon Brown has just announced that the gas will not run out - best start stocking up on logs and coal right now ! I did today.

Not surprisingly things have now got a lot quieter in town. I will probably be reducing the frequency of my What's On posts for a while - as there is less going on.

I'll also focus here on events that take place weekly or fortnightly throughout the year.

Tomorrow (Sunday 10th) Tregenna Castle are staging the first of their Sunday Lunch and Jazz gigs. A three course lunch with live jazz - cost is £12.95 per adult. Food is served from 12.30pm and the music continues until 3.00pm. Booking required - call 01736 795 254. Every Sunday until the end of January.

On Monday (11th) The Castle Inn have their regular Fun Pub Quiz. It starts around 8.30 pm and entry is £1.00 per person. Teams of up to five, cash prize for the winners, great selection of real ales on tap. Every Monday throughout the year.

On Tuesday (12th) St Ives Knitting Group meet at St Ives Library at 7.00 pm. All are welcome and help is available for beginners. Every fortnight.

On Wednesday (13th) you might try a Life Drawing Class at St Ives School of Painting. It starts at 7.30 pm and there is no need to book - just turn up, cost is £7.00. Repeats weekly.

On Thursday (14th) Cafe Frug is back at St Ives Arts Club. Music, poetry, prose, film and comedy. Starts at 8.00 pm and entry is £4.00. Every fortnight.

On Friday (15th) the Mixed Winter Exhibition continues at Millennium. Contemporary work by St Ives and other artists, free entry. Open daily from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm until 1st February.

There is more on:
St Ives Events Calendar

Have a great week in St Ives - lets hope it warms up soon.

Thursday 7 January 2010

St Ives Cornwall - Snow

Snow - St Ives Cornwall - 7th January 2009
Snow - St Ives Cornwall - 7th January 2009


Snow on the ground in St Ives this morning.

Wednesday 6 January 2010

New Years Eve 2009 - Video


New Years Eve 2009 - St Ives Cornwall


Take a look at this great film of the New Years Eve festivities in St Ives - by local filmmaker Alban Roinard of Eia Films.

It really captures the spirit of the night in town.

You could also take a look at a nice collection of still photos from the night by:
Rodga Harvey

I had a great evening - partly spent around town and partly in front of the log fire at home.

A Happy New Year to all of my blog readers.