St. Ives Harbour
Live Cam

This camera looks out over St. Ives Harbour on the north coast of Cornwall, where fishing boats sit on wet sand at low water and float again a few hours later. Smeaton's Pier curves out to one side, gulls patrol the rooftops, and the light shifts constantly across the bay. It is one of the most watchable working harbours in Britain.

Why St Ives? St Ives has drawn painters for well over a century because of its light, bounced off pale sand and shallow water and back onto whitewashed cottages. The harbour is the heart of it. Boats, tide and weather rearrange the scene through the day, so a view you glanced at this morning looks entirely different by evening.

St. Ives Harbour highlights: As you enjoy the live view, be sure to look out for:

• Boats On The Sand: At low tide the harbour drains and the moored boats settle upright on the sand, a sight that surprises first-time viewers every time.
• Smeaton's Pier: Watch walkers making their way along the stone pier that shelters the harbour, often silhouetted against bright water on clear afternoons.
• Atlantic Weather: Squalls sweep in fast off the bay, turning a turquoise harbour grey within minutes before the sun breaks through again.

Beyond the Harbour: Behind the quayside runs a maze of narrow lanes lined with galleries, pasty shops and cottages. Porthmeor Beach faces the open Atlantic on the far side of town and draws surfers, while Porthminster offers calmer sand. The South West Coast Path climbs away in both directions along a rugged, granite shoreline.

Our thanks go to the camera operator who keeps this view of St. Ives Harbour online around the clock. Maintaining a coastal stream in salt air takes real effort, and sharing it freely lets people far from Cornwall keep an eye on the tide and the light.

Tune in to see whether the boats are afloat or resting on the sand, and let the changing Cornish light pull you into the rhythm of St Ives.