Five Cornish Days Out For Art Lovers

We never use AI to produce our blog content - it’s all us! So enjoy the typo’s and know that a real Ondine Ash team human being wrote this. This time it's me - Jess.

We think our little homeware shop is based in the most creative town in Cornwall, but we may be a little biased. The old Falmouth Art School, now Falmouth University, has produced so many artists and makers over the years that we happily stock here at Ondine Ash. Think Tim Lake and Hannah Lawrence for ceramics and Francli Craftwear’s beautiful bags... Artists are drawn to the relaxed pace of life here and of course in Cornwall more widely - good light and the sea.

We are a team full of visual thinkers, easily inspired and reignited by a change of scene and time to gaze and wonder (whilst wandering). So a slow, art inspired day out with friends is pretty high up our list of things to do. Here are some of our favourite tried and tested itineraries for your next day out.

St Ives

The classic Cornish art day out with something for everyone. Start by taking the train in from St Erth, the branch line into St Ives is so picturesque as it meanders along the coast above the beach and dunes of Carbis Bay. Grab a coffee and mosey through town early towards the Tate. Appreciate the surfers and the rugged downy cliffs and island as you make your way into the impressive gallery spaces.

Spend a couple of hours here before heading for lunch at St Eia, in the cobbled back streets on the way towards the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Gardens. Your Tate ticket will often get you into both places. Make sure you leave enough time to sit and ponder in the gardens where Hepworth lived and worked, it’s such a tranquil space. 

If there’s time and energy left, make your way up the hill for a look around the inspirational Leach Pottery, with museum, gallery and shop before making your way back to the train station.  The source of all our marvellous Leach Mugs and a fascinating visit for any fan of ceramics.

Falmouth 

We had to put a Falmouth day in here. Our town is a hive of creativity and there are so many galleries to take in. We recommend a slow start, some breakfast at Stones Bakery makes sense as a lot of our independent shops and galleries don’t open until 11am. Wander down the Old High Street ( be sure to pop in and say hello to us at ASH ) taking in the galleries and then meandering round to the Falmouth Art Gallery . This, along with The Poly, shows a vast array of solo and mixed exhibitions over the year. Insider tip at this point - do not miss a little stop at Salt Art Supply if you write, draw, or journal. Next, wander down through town, stopping at Sabzi for a deli lunch, then finish off by heading towards Sailors Jail, Beside The Wave and Morgans. All are contemporary art galleries, selling works, featuring hundreds of local artists between them. If you need a break whilst at this end of town, pop into Scarlet Wines for a tipple.

Helford

Not too far away from Falmouth is the Helford estuary.  An area of totally outstanding natural beauty, with some tucked away art hotspots. First start with brunch at Potager Gardens, a beautifully regenerated garden nursery, with art studios, vegetarian cafe and greenhouse learning space. Wander the gardens with a coffee and then head off down to Helford Passage to catch the little boat (summer crossing only) across to Helford Village. From here there is a well marked country ramble (30 mins - 1 hour) up to Kestle Barton, an art centre and exhibition space in an ancient Cornish farmstead that peers out over the Helford River.  With refreshments in their ‘modest’ tea rooms and plenty of land to wander, you can make an afternoon of this before heading back downhill to the ferry crossing. Finish your day out with a delicious meal (and maybe a bracing little dip in the sea) at The Ferryboat Inn, a gastro pub with river views and either outdoor or cosy seating by the fire. Be sure to book if you want a table indoors.

Penzance

Penzance is another town full of interesting indie businesses, galleries and quirky little shops. We like to arrive by train and start the day off at The Exchange on Princes Street. It has great coffee and snacks as well as a superb arts programme and a cute shop. Next we’d probably browse some shops, search out Handworked for beautiful sewing supplies and Happy Dais for the best hand picked vintage. Next we would walk along the sea front to The Newlyn Gallery (your ticket for The Exchange gets you access here too) with its garden cafe. Before leaving Newlyn, we would definitely have some Jelberts legendary ice cream - it’s delicious. Then maybe we’d decide to stay for a film at Newlyn Filmhouse and either fish and chips for tea or a lovely sit down meal at Argoe. Dreamy!

Cornwall Open Studios 

For a week in May, artists taking part in the wonderful Cornwall Open Studios open their spaces up for visits, some with free demonstrations. There are textile artists, weavers, natural dyers, fine arts and painters, ceramicists, basket makers, stone carvers and loads more. Many makers sell one-offs, seconds and samples and are around to chat. Pick a cluster like Krowji to explore lots of different mediums in a day, or a rural spot like St Just or Lamorna to explore studios, grab a cafe lunch and do a big walk. 

So that’s five of our ideal arty days out in Cornwall, we hope you try one of them out soon! 

Next time you're visiting be sure to pop in and say hello to us in Falmouth. You can find our in person shop here and a whole lot of gorgeous small-batch maker-made pieces online right here too.