Outdoor Activities in St Ives

Early. A session in the water takes far more out of children than they expect, and a tired child in the sea is a miserable one. Doing it first also means the rest of the day requires nothing of anybody. St Ives Surf School can say what ages and abilities they take, and that is worth pinning down first rather than after a morning has been planned round it.

Pick on facilities rather than looks, because with children the practicalities decide the day. Shelter, somewhere to change, where you can park and how far you have to carry everything all matter more than the view. Those differ between Porthminster Beach, Porthmeor Beach and St Ives Bay, and the best way to find out is to check each in advance.

Change the activity rather than the location. Sand tends to stop working well before anybody is ready to leave, and a walking puzzle such as The St Ives Mystery Treasure Trail fills that gap neatly. It gets everybody upright and moving without requiring you to pack up and drive somewhere else.

Nowhere on this list. None of the six outdoor listings carries an indoor flag, so a genuinely wet day means looking elsewhere rather than reshuffling. Worth knowing before you travel: decide your alternative in advance, because working it out in a car park with wet children is not a decision anybody makes well.