33 - Cornwall District - St Ives

We caught the train to St Ives and what a lovely seaside town this has turned out to be. There are narrow cobblestoned streets full of interesting and varied shops. 

Apart from Max getting her fix of op shops,(charity shops) we found pubs a plenty, cafes, beautiful local jewellery, and a shop selling jumpers, hats and slippers made from Irish wool. Everyone is friendly - Shopkeeper, local or visitor.

The view from our balcony.

I found this information in a shop window.

The Legend of St Ives

"Long ago in the far west of Cornwall, there existed a tribe of beautiful Amazonian women. They lived in the forests outside a small fishing village called St Eia. Together with their huge and loyal Eia hounds, they hunted for game in the sprawling Treganna Forests. They called them the "Feisty Females” because of their temperament which was wild and unpredictable. Also existing in the forests was a spirit form called the wicked imp which.was full of trickery and mischief and liked to lead both the locals and the feisty females into dangerous adventures.

The Tregenna forests contained rich deposits of tin and copper ore and there came from across the Tamar speculators to exploit these riches. They dug deep into the ground but needed vast amounts of timber for the Props that supported their tunnels. Slowly over the years they stripped the forests and shrank the habitat and hunting grounds of the Feisty Females which diminished and threatened their existence. They fought back by, seducing the miners; deceiving them with dreams, tempting them into sabotage and generally leading them astray. Local fishermen suspicious of the miner’s dark tunnels allied themselves with the Feisty Females and in times of need fed both them and their hounds.

Now the fishing village is known by its English name of St Ives, and the Feisty Females, Eia hounds and the wicked imp have faded into folklore and legend, but many locals claim to catch glimpses of these Amazonian women and hear their hounds howling in the night.

The wicked imp continues to make mischief and sometimes a boat can be mysteriously found on top of a fisherman’s hut or signs turned around to confuse the tourists. 

Many stories are still told of the days when the Feisty Females roamed the forests with their hounds at their side."

Plenty of finely built churches in Cornwall - Whatever happened to quality of architecture?

The Cornish have a wicked sense of humour. This particular doggy shop made us smile when we walked past.

 

And then, there are the products. These three pics are flavours of doggy treats.

The Sloop Inn has a great atmosphere. 

It is right on the coast and a bit too close to our accommodation...😋

It was built around 1312 and named after a 'sloop', another name for a sailboat.

You don't want to be taller than 185 cm... All these older buildings have low ceilings.

Never too late to go back to school...

Like Newquay, the tide levels vary immensely.

And there's something about celtic crosses I like. They use these on memorials in many villages.

Off to see Penzance in the next day or two. Not sure if we'll see any pirates...