Hayle and The Towans

A circular walk on the Towans at Hayle, where Cornwall's beam engines were cast using sand from a prehistoric lagoon when West Penwith was an island.

Get the app to guide you around the walk

App Store

Download iPhone/iPad app from App Store

Scan with your phone to get the Apple app

Google Play

Download Android app from Google Play

Scan with your phone to get the Android app

Download the (free) app then use it to purchase this walk.

Phone showing Google navigation to start of walk

The app will direct you to the start of the walk via satnav.

Hand holding a phone showing the iWalk Cornwall app

The app guides you around the walk using GPS, removing any worries about getting lost.

Phone showing walk directions page in the iWalk Cornwall app

The walk route is described with detailed, regularly-updated, hand-written directions.

Each time there is a new direction to follow, the app will beep to remind you, and will warn you if you go off-route.

Phone showing walk map page in the iWalk Cornwall app

A map shows the route, where you are at all times and even which way you are facing.

Phone showing facts section in iWalk Cornwall app

Each walk is packed with information about the history and nature along the route, from over a decade of research than spans more than 3,000 topics.

Person looking at phone with cliff scenery in background

Once a walk is downloaded, the app doesn't need wifi or a phone signal during the walk.

Phone showing walk stats in the iWalk Cornwall app

The app counts down distance to the next direction and estimates time remaining based on your personal walking speed.

We keep the directions continually updated for changes to the paths/landmarks - the price for a walk includes ongoing free updates.

either as a GPS-guided walk with our app (£3.29) or a PDF of directions (£2.79) Example of directions

Fullscreen map

The walk follows the quays where Harvey's of Hayle once shipped beam engines around the world and enters the dune system of The Towans. The route follows the coast path across the cliffs with views over St Ives Bay to reach Mexico Towans. The route turns inland through the dunes to reach the mediaeval churchyard of Phillack and then descends to Copperhouse Pool which is walled using blocks of slag from the copper smelter. The final stretch of the route is through the King George V Memorial Gardens.

Highlights

Views over the Hayle Estuary and St Ives Bay
Vast sandy beach stretching to Godrevy
Bird life in the Hayle Estuary
Colourful gardens along Copperhouse Pool
Industrial and mining heritage
Can be combined with Gwithian and Upton Towans walk via a very short drive

Considerations

Note that most coastal walks in Cornwall have paths close to unfenced cliffs.

Dogs

Beaches with seasonal dog restrictions: Hayle Towans, Gwithian. Dogs are not allowed on the shore within Copperhouse Pool as this is a wildlife reserve but fine on the Memorial Walk alongside. There are no stiles on this route. You are unlikely to encounter livestock on this route. There are no accessible natural sources of fresh water for dogs.

The walk is available through the iWalk Cornwall app for Apple and Android for £3.29 which each include everything listed here.

This removes worries about getting lost by tracking you using GPS, reminding you when you need to follow the next direction and warning you if you wander off the route.

To install on your phone, search the app store for “iwalk cornwall” to download the (free) app. Then either use it to scan the code at the top-right of the page to locate this walk or search for the walk title in Walks Shop > Search All Walks.

Once you've installed the iWalk Cornwall app from the app store, click on the button below to locate this walk:

Open walk in iWalk Cornwall app

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Vital statistics

OS Explorer: 102
Distance: 2.7 miles/4.3 km
Steepness grade: Easy
Recommended footwear: walking shoes
No stiles: ✓
Pub: ✓
Café: ✓

OS maps for this walk

OS Explorer 102

Beaches

Pubs on or near the route

The Bucket of Blood

Points of interest

Links for this walk

Walks nearby