Short answer: The harbour front and Porthminster are the flat bits. The old town streets are steep, narrow and cobbled in places — a smaller buggy handles them far better than a large travel system. The park and ride train drops you low, which helps.
St Ives is built on a hill running down to the harbour, and photos never convey the gradient.
The harbour front and the walk out towards Porthminster are level and straightforward. This is where to base a buggy day.
Steep, narrow, cobbled in stretches, and busy in season. Passable with a small buggy, genuinely hard work with a big one, and near-impossible in a wheelchair unaided.
Reachable, but the approach involves a climb from the harbour side. Coming down is fine; the return is the bit to plan for.
Worth using specifically because the train drops you near the harbour rather than at the top of the town — saving you the steepest section entirely.
If you have a choice, bring the smaller one. Wide travel systems struggle with the narrow pavements and shop doorways.
Soft sand stops most buggies, as at any beach. Porthminster's approach is the gentlest of the St Ives beaches.
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