We took a quick trip down to Cornwall last week for a press trip and were so lucky with the weather. We've been to Cornwall a few times now {previous posts here} but we've never been in mid summer before and it was such a treat to see it all in the height of the season, and the sea so sparkly & blue. It was summer solstice so we got up at 4am with the light and travelled down early, driving past Stonehenge and the solstice celebrations on the longest day of the year. I'm reviewing the hotels from a honeymoon perspective over on So You're Getting Married here but all the photos from the first part of our trip are below if you'd like to see...

One of these days we'll stop at Stonehenge, it seems like such a magical mystical place? Especially around Solstice time when everybody gathers.

Blue skies on the drive down to Cornwall. We always leave as early as we can, the drive to St Ives is particularly long and then it means you max out on a full day rather than being stuck in traffic. We arrived by 10am!

Dropping our bags off at The Gannet Inn where we were staying for our first night, we were ready to go and get some breakfast and start exploring. St Ives and Carbis Bay are particular favourites of ours, we got engaged when we were staying in Carbis Bay back in 2012! And have been back a couple of times since. There's nowhere else like St Ives in Cornwall and the beaches around here are stunning.

Walking the steep, but scenic, coast path from Carbis Bay into St Ives. Parking in St Ives is a nightmare so we prefer to walk in.

So many pretty wild flowers at this time of year.

Cornwall or California?! Somebody told me about a cool hashtag on Instagram called kernowfornia {Kernow is Cornish for Cornwall}. 

Hydrangeas and palm trees! It's so much milder down on the coast that tropical palms survive the winters.

Always love that first glimpse and view of St Ives, it's like a postcard perfect town with all the lichen roofed buildings in front of the harbour.

First stop = St Ives Bakery!

There's a cobbled main high street, lined with bunting, with some really gorgeous shops and delis to explore. Fudge shops, interiors, lots of art galleries, a million bakeries all claiming to make the best Cornish pasties and scones, nautical inspired clothing stores and some seaside classics like Joules and Seasalt.

Ben can never resist a pasty.

Then surrounding the town are five beaches, all easily walkable but some of the streets are super steep! There's a real arts vibe down here so there's also the Tate St Ives which has expanded recently. We used to members when we lived in London but haven't been for a while.

It was such a gorgeous couple of days and if you sheltered from the wind, felt really hot.

Dress was last summer but this year's version/similar online here. Basket here. Shoes here in the sale.

Ben's best beach pasttime, skimming stones.

We picked up a crab sandwich to share from the Cornish Deli, somewhere we've been visiting for over 4 years when in Cornwall after originally finding it on Tripadvisor. I love it when small independents keep going from word of mouth and online reviews. It was a particularly good crab sandwich that one seagull decided it was worth battling me for. Luckily I was quick enough to defend it but my nail got cut in half! The seagulls down here are particularly scary and we saw two ice creams get divebombed by the harbour so be careful if you're eating outside!

Cute Cornish cottages... 'having a whale of a time'

Can never resist a classic deckchair photo.

We walked back to the hotel along the coast path, our legs aching and ready for an afternoon at the spa!

The Gannet Inn is owned by the Carbis Bay hotel which means as guests, you can book in and use their C Bay spa and facilities. There's a pool there overlooking the beach that feels tropical!

We had a Head in the Clouds couples treatment and literally floated out, feeling so sleepy and relaxed afterwards. It's a back, neck and head massage with essential oils that restored my love for massages - I've had two really bad massages recently! Such a heavenly afternoon.

I feel like this reflection wouldn't be out of place in the Caribbean?!

That pool! So so dreamy for Cornwall. We had a tour around some of the new lodges being built at the Carbis Bay hotel which will be incredible when finished.

Check-in at The Gannet Inn.

A boutique B&B in Carbis Bay perfect for visiting St Ives.

You can read the full review over here. I'll save repeating myself.

Dinner at The Gannet Inn, oh my gosh this pork! And I would never normally choose pork but it was so delicious.

We slept ridiculously well after our early start and full black out curtains compared to back home and then woke up to a feast of a breakfast before heading up the coast for another day of beautiful Cornwall.

Back with Part Two soon! 

Are you a St Ives fan? You can see previous posts here and some suggestions below;