It is a joy to wake up to beautiful blue sky and the warm sunrays coming through the window of our motorhome. Looks like a magnificent day and we will stay another day to rest and soak up the views of St Ives. I must say Ayr Holiday Park is the best so far holiday homes, pitches for caravan and motorhomes, tent area, playground for kids, hotel/restaurant with swimming pool and the best shower/toilet block I have even been in.

Richard is in summer mode wearing his tee-shirt but the wind is a bit cool for me and the steep downhill walk to Porthmeor Beach didn't break a sweat. All around people are in their summer gear, on the golden sandy beach with deck lounges, Lifesavers on patrol, kids building sandcastles and a few in the ocean. Strolled along the beachfront through the alleyways of B&B cottages, Studios and Galleries of St Ives till we reached The Island where on the top of the hill is the St Nicholas Chapel (standing there for centuries).

Down the grassed hillside to Porthgwidden Beach where they have completely different Beach Huts to the ones we saw in Kent and a Café Bar should the gentle folk need refreshments. Looks like all are in the summer Bank Holiday weekend mode relaxing the day away by the seaside.

Round the rocky shoreline path up the stone steps we look down on a group of ladies (artists) at Bamaluz Beach painting in watercolours different scenes of the shoreline and sea. Now we know why St Ives has been a winner of a showcase of national awards including the best family holiday destination by Coast magazine and one of the 10 best European beach destinations compiled by TripAdvisor, St Ives is a seemingly subtropical oasis where the beaches are golden, the vegetation is lush and the light piercingly bright. It’s no wonder the town attracts artists who come to capture the area’s undeniable natural beauty. It started with J M W Turner and the marine artist Henry Moore who first came to St Ives in the mid-1800s and since then the town has become a magnet for some of the world’s greatest painters, sculptors and ceramists. No wonder nearly every lane has Galleries, Studio’s, Cornish Fudge and Pasty shops, forgot the Pubs, cafes and restaurants.

We soak up the atmosphere looking across the Wharf and Harbour Beach mingling among the crowded wharf front street and onto the maze of narrow cobbled streets and fisherman’s cottages. This is the heart of old St Ives, known to the locals as "Downlong". Away from the maddening crowd we stumbled across Coasters Cafe and enjoyed a Cornish Clotted Cream Tea (Devonshire Tea to us).

With very full tummies (including a Cornish pasty) we tackled to long walk along the coastline to the Ayr Holiday Park stopping at benches to enjoy the crystal clear ocean views of the rugged coastline.

Time for the usual late afternoon cuppa with cliff top ocean views. Have lovely Scottish neighbours so will get names of places to see and stay.