11 Interesting Facts about St Ives for Kids

Whether you’re planning a holiday to St Ives, or you’ve just come back from one, kids will love learning more about St Ives. Why not print them out to help pass the time on a car or train journey to Cornwall. Take a look at 11 of the best facts about St Ives below:

Here are 11 facts about St Ives, Cornwall for kids:

1. St Ives has a big lifeboat. The lifeboat first arrived into St Ives in 1840.

2. St Ives has a small train line linking the town with the big train line that runs through the UK. The train line first ran in 1877.

3. There are 5 beaches in St Ives:

Porthmeor beach is popular with surfers.
Porthminster beach has white sand and is very long.
At the harbour beach, you can see lots of boats. You may also see fishermen arriving with fish.
Porthgwidden beach is a small cove and lovely for swimming.
Bambaluz beach is very dog friendly.

4. St Ives is located in the south west of Cornwall, UK.

5. In the Cornish language, the word St Ives means St Ia’s cove.

6. Before lots of tourists visited St Ives; the town was a small fishing village. People made money through catching and selling fish.

7. Over the years, lots of famous artists have lived in St Ives. Some of these include Barbara Hepworth and Bernard Leach. You can see the paintings and sculptures throughout lots of art galleries in St Ives.

8. It is thought that people moved into St Ives as early as the Bronze age.

9. St ives is 20 miles away from Lands End, the Southernmost point of the United Kingdom.

10. Lots of bird species are found in St Ives. The most famous of these is the seagull. Seagulls eat by catching fish from the sea (and sometimes taking food from people).

11. There are many grey seals in the sea around St Ives. You may be lucky enough to see one. Lots of boat trips run to seal island, where you can see lots of seals.