if you can't get into the Pedn Olva [which is a short level walk from the station so ideal for those with luggage] then I would definitely suggest looking at PZ where there is a lot of medium priced accommodation, albeit you may find yourselves taking a cab there [which really won't cost much].

you can always do a day trip to St Ives by train [train to St Erth and change onto the branch line to St Ives] which may well be even more crowded than usual because of the festival. I would suggest eating at one of the beach bars [for which you may have to book] after seeing the Tate and then have a wander round the Hepworth Garden and the town before going back to PZ - that would be a lovely way to spend a day there.

I've never stayed in PZ so I can't really help with specifics about where to stay, but I can help you with locations if you find somewhere you like. [Ditto St Ives if you decide to stay there].

Finally re BnB v DBB, there are so many great places to eat in St Ives and PZ that I would never want to restrict myself to one place. Also you may find a great place for lunch and only want a small meal at night and it's nice to have that flexibility.

We have reservations at the Beachfield in Penzance. Waiting to hear from 2 places in Exeter about some specific questions.

I couldn't have gotten to this level of specificity without your help, friends - or maybe not so much specificity as confidence in choices.

Thank you again.

cfc- the Beachfield looks very nice and in a good location - convenient for the town but also on the Prom so good for evening walks - even as far as Newlyn if you are feeling energetic.

if you'd like some ideas for what to do and see in PZ. just let me know.

Looks like you made a great choice. Hope all goes well.

Thank you both annhig and Cathinjoetown, and all - you helped me arrive at an itinerary I'm really looking forward to. Your comments have been very valuable, pros and cons and asides, all.

In Exeter, we're at Queen's Court. It'll be a Sunday afternoon and evening, and it looks like we could even hear Evensong if we get there promptly enough. Sadly, the 251 steps to the top view are beyond my abilities.

Had looked at what used to be the Magdalen Chapter and is now the (sniff-sniffy) Hotel du Vin. Was now too rich for us, and the restaurant info suggested an intended foodie-magnet. Seems yet transitional - some of the website links aren't finished. Happy to look elsewhere. (Fodors still lists it as Magdalen Chapter, but I sent a correction. We'll see how long it takes them to update.)

While visiting St. Ives, will definitely do Tate and garden.

you could do worse than the restaurant at the Queen's Court - I usually eat there when I stay and it can be very good.

Or near the Cathedral there are a number of restaurants, including Caine's at the Abode hotel [which used to be the Royal Clarence].

When I first went to St. Ives, the village church down by the harbour had a beautiful Madonna and Child by Hepworth, given in memory of her son who was in the RAF.

Last time we went the church was fenced off with no info about what was going on. I hope maybe restoration. If open, have a look in. BTW, you're most welcome, it's been a pleasure discussing your trip with you.

Be sure to let us know how you got on!

Will be back mid-September. Reluctantly.

Watch this space.

Well, I'm baaa-acck. The time went far too quickly, partly because our first day ended in a blustering squall that nearly blew me back up the hill from the Penzance promenade. Indeed things around the station and lower "Market Jew st. seemed pretty dismal at 6 pm in the rain. But later and otherwise, it was lovely - sunny or with in-and-out clouds and warm breezes. Downright summery, esp. in St. Ives on Friday.

Before I get to specifics of where we stayed and ate, I want to say that I was astonished by what Cornwall turned out to be -- having little foreknowledge other than some books and Doc Martin (and we were nowhere near Port Isaac). Our first hours during which we mostly saw the Prominade and the fishing harbor were dismally chilly, and gray - reminding me of the least attractive New England fishing areas. We had planned to see Mount St. Michael, but the sea was too rough for the ferrying boats and we didn't want to deal with the causeway in late afternoon in the driving rain and wind. So we had to admire it from afar.

But then, the next two days, WOW! That incredible, brilliant turquoise-green water! The presence of palm trees and cacti amid the evergreens and lovely roses and other flowers made me think as much of Carmel as anywhere else -- except for the half-timber and Victorian seaside architecture instead of adobe, and the pasties instead of tacos. I'm sure I'm the zillionth American not to be ready for the lovely semi-tropical feel of the "Cornish Riviera."

We walked all over PNZ, saw the Pennlee gallery and gardens, then the Morrab library (book people, take note!) and gardens, and wandered some of the nicer areas up the hill, grabbing photos and marveling. There's an incomparable view out the upper windows of the Morrab, and I tried to imagine a project that would require me to work there.

The next day was for St. Ives (Mt. St. M's isn't open on Sat.), and the little train ride was every bit as pretty and charming as boasted in the guide books -- just too short a ride! We sauntered the beach and the waterfront, again being struck by comparisons with places like Provincetown MA and LaJolla! Sorry, a tourist can't always help being struck by both similarities and differences - but no judging better/worse - just like/unlike. And I'm sorry, Cathinjoetown, we didn't check out the church for the window (normally I gravitate to any stained glass), for reasons that were pretty mundane, something about finding bathrooms.....

But the biggest disappointment was finding that the Tate is closed until next year! I had carefully checked the website as I was planning (a while ago) to determine hours and see if I needed to prepurchase anything, and there was no mention of plans to close for an entire year. We opted not to clamber up the hill just for the Hepworth, partly out of laziness but also as an inducement to come back and do it right.

If we do get back, I would try to find a shared ride or tour to see SO much more around the peninsula. People do walk to some things I'd really have liked to see, but one of us is moving a lot more slowly than a while ago.

I suspect we saw a lot less of St. Ives than there is to see, all the way around. However, we were a bit touristed-out after 8 days in London, and wanted to be more in vacation mode. So we ate, had ice cream (Moo-maid, et al), and went back to Penzance as the sun was setting. Again - so pretty.

Our next and last visit was to Exeter, mainly to see the Cathedral. That was all I'd hoped, and then some. We timed it purposely to allow us to hear some of Evensong in the glorious acoustics of the place. Lovely. Peaceful. Then we made it down to the Quay for a proper fish and chips dinner (our only one on the entire trip) watching swans and seagulls battle it out for the free food along the river.

Next post - logistics.

Places we stayed:

Penzance: the Beachfield. Front rooms have pretty views but disturbing sounds in a gale, with the wind rather like a disgruntled witch humming and coughing. Lovely property, though, clean, well-tended, and exceptionally congenial staff. Rachel is a great story teller, and all went out of their way to be helpful. Breakfast is beyond filling if you order hot breakfast in addition to the buffet - and largely well done if unvarying. Dinners are ambitious but also vary less, night by night, than you'd like. Two alternating menus (MWF, TThS or some such) aren't as different from each other as they should be. Stick to whatever came in fresh and is special for the day. The soup was wonderful, pudding dangerous. Also filling.

Exeter: Queens Court is entirely agreeable and I was sorry we hadn't had their dinner -- nice as it was to wander the Quay. Like many BnB's, the arrangement of sockets in our room was spare and unhelpful; and there's a floodlight shooting upwards along the front wall that made a ceiling "light leak" that required using a blindfold. Still they were very very accommodating -- a lot of pride in ownership and partnership there, and it was another great breakfast.

Food outside the lodgings:

Penzance: We only had one other dinner there after the first night, when we stayed in the hotel. But it was exceptionally good at the Cornish Barn. Hours in Penzance seem to be rigid: stores close at 5, restaurants open at six. So that means a minimum of an hour for drinking (I don't drink, but have developed a taste for the elderflower softdrink). Traveling with a wine freak meant that I learned that these are knowledgeable people about ales and some wines. And we discovered that the chef has been educating himself about smoking meats and fish. He brought in a snippet of brisket for us to sample (not even knowing we'd spent a long time in NC with all kinds of 'que) that was very very good. We ordered a smoked half-lobster and instantly regretted having eaten anything else all day because a whole lobster would have been outstanding. On retrospect I think our mistake was partly our experience with US places that operate on the bigger-is-better theory re: lobsters (**note: if you really know your lobster, the chicken lobsters -- 1.5 lbs. or so -- have more taste than the big uncles that can be double that size or more**). We ordered the half-lobster to save a little money, but then the sides were superb too.

Interestingly, T-advisor rankes the Cornish Barn 17th out of 138 restaurants in Penzance. First, that's too low, even with the couple of upscale, highend places in town. Second, I'll be damned if I can remember seeing anything like 138 restaurants there... but it was late, late in the season, so maybe...

St. Ives: we had to leave too early for the Pedn Olva's dining room (or many other places that were appealing) and were also a bit full from the street food. So we grabbed a fish stew and a family stand of no special note and regretted that. Next time, we'll be much more picky.

Exeter: I won't bother to name the riverside place where we had the fish'n'chips, because it was generic and fairly typical of anything you'd find in such a clustering of places - and the service was flirtatious among itself and brusque with us. Instead I'd recommend the Queen's Court's Olive Tree - the careful menu and fragrances coming from the dining room suggested it would be a good option.

Thanks for getting back to us about your trip. It was an actually a sculpture inside the church that I hoped you would see, Madonna and child by Barbara Hepworth. I have to do some research about what is going on with the church. They may have moved it as being too valuable to be housed in an unattended church. Wish you could have seen Hepworth's atelier and sculpture garden, maybe next time!

Good news for St. Ives visitors:

http://www.stiveschurch.org.uk/Lady_Chapel.html

Oh, of course a sculpture - read it as tribute and misinterpreted.

Would love to see Hepworth stuff - would have had to leave companion down alone in the town - inadvisable.

Thanks for link - sweet, poignant sculpture. Had poignant madonna/child moment at Exeter, actually, in front of "Our Lady" chapel rose window -- re: being a mother, having had a mother, knowing a mother in pain now.

Penzance: the Beachfield. Front rooms have pretty views but disturbing sounds in a gale, with the wind rather like a disgruntled witch humming and coughing. >>

thanks for the laugh, cfc - that sounds just like our house!

loved your report, it is so accurate about the highs and lows of being in Cornwall, from the weather, to the views, to the dismal appearance of Market Jew Street at 6pm on a wet evening. There is a definite opening for a business that sets out to fill the gap between when the shops shut at 5pm and the restaurants open at about 6.30pm.

And thanks for the recommendation of the Cornish barn - I don't know it but next time we're in PZ, I'll give it a go.