We spent last Christmas in the beautiful Cornish town of St Ives and I can happily declare it the most perfect little family-friendly escape. We spent our few days sampling the many child-friendly culinary delights, getting lost among the tiny cobbled streets, running in and out of the lovely shops and galleries and playing on the beach, wrapped up in hats and scarves.

One of our best discoveries was the the delightfully named Moomaid Ice Cream Parlour. Having a three year old in tow expecting ice cream at the seaside whatever the weather, we were of course obliged to sample a few scoops. We were not disappointed. Alongside the usual flavours were some fantastic seasonal offerings – panettone, fig and mascarpone, brandy butter as well as mulled wine sorbet. Having to stick to a gluten-free diet I was also mightily impressed to find they served gluten-free cones! I was sold, and chose a double scoop of fig and mascarpone. We sat outside, wrapped up in our scarves and coats, and watched the clouds roll in over the silver sea.

A little later, having spent an hour or two exploring the shops while the boys built sandcastles, we were all hungry once again. We decided on The Harbour on Wharf Road for fish and chips, and got a little more than expected – crispy little bowls of squid, grilled prawns and sardines were just perfect (especially great finger food for children!) and the main course of grilled sea bass, chips and salad ensured we had enough energy to wander back up the road to our bed and breakfast.

The following day, Barnaby and I managed to pack even more in. One of the best things about visiting St Ives with kids is the fact it’s so compact, you can walk everywhere. We both donned waterproofs and braved the rain, took breaks for hot bowls of soup and fresh prawn sandwiches, bought little tubs of Cornish seasalt from The Digey Foodroom, ventured very quietly into several galleries, and ended our visit to the seaside at St Ives Parish Church, where Barnaby stared in awe at their lovely nativity scene. We knelt and said a Christmas prayer, before saying goodbye to the Wise Men, and very sadly, to St Ives.

Photo courtesy of  on Skutterdan1701 Flickr