The Gurnards Head, St. Ives

Imposing mustard yellow building on a remote stretch of coast road. The name of the hotel etched in the roof tiles. We parked up ready for a walk. Doors open at 9:30am, so we popped our head in the door to share our intentions of using the pub for lunch after the walk. Mrs M noting the only "light bite" is a crab sandwich. £17.50. Without chips. Walk completed, I could sense trouble on our 1pm return. Cars overspilling the large car park onto the grass verges. People sat outside on picnic benches even though the temperature was only just above zero. True enough, packed inside but we thought we'd try for a drink only. High stools at the bar, but were in the way. After 10 minutes of not even being acknowlegded by the hard working staff, we decided that this wasnt going to work. I would have gone for a Betty Stogs. We moved onto the Tinners Arms. Check out that review for the price of their crab sandwiches. Moral - book a table, if you want to eat! Good beer guide 2026 and other awards for their food.

Very much a gastropub this, with almost every table full with diners even on a somewhat overcast midweek lunchtime. Various gastropub books were for sale which presumably feature this pub. The door was decorated with numerous Michelin accolades and there was the obligatory shade of gastropub green paint on the walls. We didn't eat ourselves, but the menu was pretty much what you would expect. Short and to the point with only have a dozen or so choices at around the £16 mark, and none of them what you would call pub grub. Besides the aforementioned green paint on some wood panelling the interior was a mixture of exposed stonework and yellow plaster. The floor was a rough screed type of affair. It’s a big pub with several adjoining rooms, one with a sofa in it, but that seems to be the exception with everything else geared up for dining, although there was also an cosy wood fire next to the bar. The couple running it seemed an odd pair. He was friendly and helpful, whereas she told us in no uncertain terms that we couldn’t sit at a table because it was “reserved for diners” even though we had obviously picked one without a reserved sign on it. She also ignored a punter who proffered a cheery goodbye on leaving. Beers on offer were Skinner’s Betty Stogs and Heligan Honey, plus Tribute. Ciders were Stowford Press and the local Skreach.