Cornish Xmas Vista

    My view from the apartment in St Ives looks out over the Cornish rooftops with their aerials, wires and seagulls, to the sea. It glistens in the distance and the headland beyond is shrouded in haze as the winter sun beams down on the little seaside town. The aforementioned seagulls seemingly own the place. Perched as they are on chimney pots and slated roof, as if they are sentries looking down on their captured souls that are milling about down in the town itself, frequenting the shops and taverns that are found within the town along its cobbled streets.

    We come to St Ives every year and every other Christmas to immerse ourselves in the Cornish air and sample the local life, albeit briefly in our time here. We have our favourite places to eat, drink and to shop. Creatures of habit we haunt these places like restless souls intent on staying forever but knowing they can’t. Disturbing the peace of the locals who welcome us openly and, I am sure, welcome our departure in equal measure.

    Coming down for Christmas is quite a big ordeal and I never relish the first day. We get going early which consists of endless trips to and from the car with gifts, Xmas decks, clothes and other various items that are all necessary for 10 days away. The car seems to sigh under the extra weight and I struggle to see much out of the rear view mirror.

    A quick stop for breakfast aside, we do the trip in one go. It only takes around 2 and a half hours, coming from North Somerset as we do so we enjoy the journey. And once at the apartment (getting the keys from a wall safe on the way) we have the odious task of emptying the car of its cargo and putting everything away. Then it is a trip to the local supermarket, returning with our goods before setting Christmas up and then finally...finally, we can relax. And that is day one!

But why St Ives?

    Crowds aside, it is one of the most beautiful Cornish towns you would want to find with its small harbour, fishing fleet and seafront. I guess you can say it is a typical English seaside town but due to its narrow streets and quaint houses, has so much more. It used to be a seasonal tourist destination but now finds itself busy all the year round, give or take which makes it attractive for the wealthy second home owner. And that is the problem.

    Recently, there has been a ban on people buying property in the town who don’t have a direct connection with the town. The council are trying to encourage local people to buy in the town and stay in the vicinity to live and work. Thus avoiding a holiday town situation with empty houses in the winter time and keep a small Cornish town, well, Cornish!

    And I hope it works, I really do. Despite us coming here for holidays I really do believe that this small town should stay with the local population and give the younger generation every opportunity to invest and grow in the place they were born.

    The only way to keep St Ives beautiful, quaint and vibrant is to ensure that local people are able to stay local. This will allow the tourists to continue to flock here and enjoy the delights that Cornwall has to offer for years to come. And this can only be a good thing.