Living in St Ives

St Ives is the picture people mean. The island, Porthmeor, the Tate, the cemetery on the hill, and lanes that drop to the harbour. In September the light is the reason painters stayed. In August the same lanes are a queue.

Winter is the town residents talk about when they are being honest. The branch line still runs, the beaches empty, and the cafes that remain become normal. The housing that made the postcard is also the housing that priced out a lot of the people who work the season.

Move here if the place itself is the project and you have the money and the patience. If you need a secondary school run, a trades yard and a supermarket shop on a wet Tuesday, look along the bay at Penzance or inland.

Who it suits. People who will love a small, beautiful town enough to plan around its crowds.

The catch. Housing is scarce and expensive, the season is intense, and a car is a liability in the centre.