A trip down a Cornish coast…

Conor Fletcher

I have lived in Cornwall all my life, and after all these years I have to admit I’ve grown ignorant. It only occurred to me in an epiphany on the commute home that I no longer see my home for what it really is. From the Sail Lofts luxury apartments I went a short way down the western side of the Cornish coast, I didn’t stop to take note of the incredibly vast and open areas or the tiny sporadic clusters of houses dotting the landscape. I didn’t see this because this is normal to me, but all that it took was a sunny Wednesday evening for me to realise that this just isn’t commonplace to everyone, that living here, driving these roads and walking around Cornwall isn’t the norm. It may be to me, but like so many others who have grown up here, we’ve simply become blind to the beauty this county offers us.

Venturing out from St Ives offers endless possibility; you don’t need to know exactly where you are going or what you are doing. Cornish roads - admittedly haven’t caught up with the modern world. Twisting and turning, they wind their way through the landscape without clear purpose or function, it's almost as though at some point the small shortcuts and pathways ingrained into the coast that once carried countless travellers by feet slowly and begrudgingly got paved into roads more suitable (and I use this term somewhat loosely) for vehicles. Now I’m not here to tell you that the roads in Cornwall are strange and a somewhat unique. If you’ve been here before you’ll know this, what I am trying to say however is that these routes don’t take you the obvious way, they’re not straight lines that take you from A to B, driving across the coast you can take in the wide array of differing locales, from quaint cottages laden in lush greenery to expansive clearings amongst the hills, the western road from St Ives will take you past the Carn Galver Engine House, which serves as a little reminder of Cornwall's mining heritage. You can wind your way through these small roads which are seemingly crowded by stone walls cobbled together through the years and in the next minute find yourself next to the endlessness of the Atlantic ocean watching the waves crash up high against the cliffs.

In these moments it’s hard not to appreciate what Cornwall really is, myself and countless others let these instances slip past us, just the same as a Parisian no longer sees the value of the Eiffel Tower, I have let the Cornish landscape slip to the back of my mind. But to truly experience it is something else, the wild, uncontrolled nature of the Cornish coast is something one should not have to ignore, I for one regret doing so.

Book your luxury apartment in St Ives today

If you want to experience Cornwall and the many wild intricacies it has, why not look to stay in one of the Sail Lofts luxury apartments, get in contact with one of our team who will be happy to talk endlessly about the strange and unique features of the county.