Summer’s arrived at last, and although I’m not usually too keen on getting sand stuck between my toes – or any other crevice for that matter – there are plenty of people who it seems are quite happy to. Mind you, when the sun’s beating down from a clear blue sky there are far worse places to be than a nice quiet beach: To lie there with a good book as the waves gently lap the shore can seem like heaven on earth, especially as there’s not likely to be a lawnmower around to shatter the peace – so today I thought I’d take you down to Hayle, but make sure you take some sun cream with you as I wouldn’t want you to burn.

Hayle comes from the Cornish word heyl meaning estuary, which is appropriate, as the town is located at the mouth of the Hayle River, a 12 mile long water course that ends its short journey in St Ives Bay. The name of this bay, as you might have guessed, gets its name from the holiday town of the same name, and if you’re travelling down to West Cornwall by train, you’ll be able to see ‘Hayle below’ as it crosses over a viaduct before it reaches St Erth, the station from which a branch line offers the easiest and most picturesque way of reaching St Ives.

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Originally posted 2024-07-02 16:04:58.