St Ives

Perched on the fringes of a dazzling arc-shaped bay, St Ives has to be one of England's prettiest seaside towns. On a balmy midsummer's day, ice-cream in hand, nothing beats wandering along its maze of narrow cobbled streets, lined with quaint fisherman's cottages, and switchback lanes which lead up to the jumble of bustling cafes, brasseries, and - most interestingly of all - dozens of galleries. For more than 120 years artists from all over the globe have been flocking to St Ives, drawn by its extraordinary light.