Destination dining

The final destination, St Ives, offers a number of notable places to eat and stay. Top of the list should be lunch or dinner at 23 Porthminster Beach Cafe, which sits right on the shore. The Trencherman's Award‑winning restaurant ticks all the boxes for coastal dining: laid‑back artsy interior, exceptional seafood and on‑point service. Tip: the perfectly cooked dover sole with caper butter, Tenderstem and triple cooked chips with garlic and rosemary is bang on the money.

Other distractions in the small town include a visit to 24 Tate St Ives and a coffee on the beach from 25 Yallah's hole in the wall. 26 The Yellow Canary Cafe is a good shout too.

For a resort‑style stay out of the bustle of town, 27 Una St Ives is a fresh find where crisp, contemporary lodges cluster round a spa, pool, gym and decent restaurant (Una Kitchen). It's a great base to retreat to after a day on the beach, its huge semi‑tropical plants creating a luscious landscape and privacy from other guests – even when you're in your private hot tub.

Similarly, 28 Carbis Bay Estate has everything on‑site – including a pearly sand beach. Dine at Ugly Butterfly Restaurant & Bar for creative fine dining with wow‑factor or head downstairs to experience the culinary drama of Walter's On The Beach, where theatrical cocktails and desserts served in glass bowls swirling with smoke are paired with moody lighting and a grown‑up vibe. In summer, it's rather special to dine outdoors on the generous decking with festoon lighting, the rushing waves almost reaching your table before they're sucked back out to sea.

Find more things to do and places to stay on this route at southwest660.com, and get more dining and high‑end coffee shop recommendations in the region from trenchermans-guide.com and the latest Independent Coffee Guide (indycoffee.guide).

Note: EV charging provision changes all the time, and sometimes chargers are out of order, so it's worth checking on Zap‑Map or calling hotels ahead of your visit.