Sited on the North Coast of Penwith in the far west of Cornwall,
Hayle is a thriving town with lots to interest all ages. Miles of golden sand
and dunes stretching east and west as far as the eye can see make this a superb
place for a beach holiday. The surf is often good with plenty of opportunities
for surf equipment hire and tuition. Bike hire is available and this area is
easily explored by bike. Only nine minutes by train to Penzance, from where you
can explore the Scilly Isles, the beautiful St Michael’s Mount, or discover the
wealth of Cornwall’s archaeological heritage; Penwith is peppered with stone
circles, quoits and burial chambers, most with lovely views over the sea.
Footpaths abound in this part of Cornwall.
Just around the bay and visible from
Hayle is the artistic centre of St Ives with its famous Tate Modern gallery, and
its thriving artistic community. Bird watchers flock to watch the birds along
the Hayle Estuary, and ten minutes walk from the station brings you to Paradise
Park, home to the World Parrot Trust, with its exotic birds, children’s play
area, fun farm, otters and penguins. With nine pubs, ten restaurants, seven
cafes and nine takeaways you can be confident of plenty of choice when eating
out, and Hayle also has a good selection of specialist food shops and
supermarkets should you prefer to cook your own. In fact Hayle is the perfect
place to spend a relaxing family holiday!
Hayle has retained all those small,
individual character full shops that every small town used to have before the
chain stores arrived. The big names can be found even this far west but you will
need to take a 10 minute train ride to Penzance to find them. There is a Coop
supermarket within easy walking distance and a Lidl a little further out.
Some Ideas for Holiday Planning
Whether you are an individual, couple or family there is a wealth of things to do at Hayle. Below are some links we hope you might find useful;
Activity Links
Butterwellfishery- PL30 5LQ - Tel: 01208 831515 - Fishery on the Camel Estuary. Cycling in Conwall - Links to cycling routes and cycle hire in Cornwall. Horse Riding, Cornwall - Search engine for riding schools in Cornwall. Gulf Stream Scuba Diving- TR27 4HN - Tel: 01736 757475 - Scuba diving tuition and equipment saleslocated West Hayle. Leif Olsen yoga- Tel: 01736 369578 - Leif will come to the carriage and offer tuition in situ. South West Coast Path Association - Info on the SWCP, Britain’s longest National Trail. Triathalon Hayle Cornwall- Various Locations - Tel: 01736 755282 - Info on the Hayle Triathalon.
Art and Craft Sites
Griggs Forge Pottery Hayle- TR27 6JG - Tel: 01736-753696 - Digital museum of Cornish Ceramics, Potteries & Galleries to visit including Griggs Forge Pottery, Hayle. Prykernow Pottery Digital museum of Cornish Ceramics, Potteries & Galleries to visit, including Prykernow Pottery, Hayle. Tate St Ives- TR26 1TG - Tel: 01736 796226 - Cornish arm of the Tate Modern Art Gallery.
Hayle Estuary - Website with information about the Hayle estuary. Paradise Park - TR27 4HB - Tel: 01736 753365 - One of Cornwall’s top attractions, Paradise Park Wildlife Sanctury is situated on the outskirts of Hayle. RSPB- TR27 6 - Tel: 01736 711682 - RSPB Hayle Estuary Nature Reserve. Wildlife Trust - Wildlife Trust’s Website with links to Loggan Moor Nature Reserve, near Hayle. WindWatcher - Realtime wind information and places to windsurf including Hayle.
Family Days Out and Attractions Sites
Cornwalls visitor attractions and theme parks - List and map to many attractions in Cornwall Cornwall Association of tourist Attractions - Cornwall Guide to quality attractions Eden Project- PL24 2SG - Tel: 01726 811911 - Enjoy the horticultural spectacle that is the Eden Project. A unique experience in the heart of Cornwall. Excellent for family days out. Flambards- TR13 0QA - Tel: 01326 573404
- Family fun at Cornwall's own theme park. Isles of Scilly - Everything you want to know about the Isles of Scilly Paradise Park - TR27 4HB - Tel: 01736 753365 - One of Cornwall’s top attractions, Paradise Park Wildlife Sanctury is situated on the outskirts of Hayle. National Seal Sanctuary- TR12 6UG - Tel: 01326 221361 - Seal Rescue Centre in Gweek.
Gardens Sites
Gardens in Cornwall - Gardens in Cornwall website some in Hayle Isles of Scilly - Everything you want to know about the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust - The Wildlife Trust’s Website with links to Loggan Moor Nature Reserve, near Hayle. WindWatcher - Realtime wind information and places to windsurf including Hayle The National Trust - The National Trust official website
Hayle - Website of Hayle what to do and see Hayle Estuary - Website with information about the Hayle estuary Photography Hayle - Photography Gallery including pictures of Hayle Beach
Visit Paradise Park - Paradise Park is
the home to the world parrot trust and host to a great variety of birds, from
eagles to exotic pheasants and penguins. There is a fun farm, otters, red
pandas, a miniature railway, an excellent children's adventure playground and
(if you need a break) a cafe and real ale pub serving its own beer and offering
a range of pub meals.
Go for a cycle ride - Hayles Cycles hire out bikes and offer a 10% discount to Railholiday customers. We had a lovely cycle ride along
quiet lanes through St Erth to St Michael's Mount in Marazion and then caught
the train back from Penzance.
Spend the day on the beach - Three miles of golden
sand flanked by sand dunes and a surf hire shop en route to the beach make it
the ideal place to relax for toddlers and teenagers alike.
Visit the model
railway club - Hayle model railway club, with its extensive track is only a
minutes walk away. Meetings are held on Monday and Thursday evenings, and the
youth group meet on Friday evenings and Sunday mornings. Non members are very
welcome.
Go for a walk - A booklet detailing five walks is provided in the
carriage, from strolls around the beautiful Godrevy head to inland ambles.
Bird
watch - Hayle estuary is home to a wealth of bird life and very popular with
bird watchers.
Spend the day on the Scilly Isles - The Scilly Isles, with its array of lovely beaches, clement, sub-tropical climate, antiquities and stunning gardens is easily accessible as a day trip from Hayle. Both ferry and helicopter leave from
Penzance - two stops down the line!
Do the Eden Project - Tropical biomes, café and gift shop, plenty to see and do - and very easy to get to by train.
Look
around St Ives - This lovely town is packed with art galleries. From the station you can see the train running along the branch line - simply change at
St Erth for St Ives.
Go to St Michael's Mount - Catch the train to Penzance then bus to Marazion and walk across the causeway to this beautiful stately home
sitting on top of a pinnacle of rock jutting out of Mounts Bay.
Go Bowling - Just in case it rains, Hayle Bowl offers a variety of indoor activities, from bowling to snooker, laser clay
and target shooting
There are plenty of other places that are easily accessible
by train and bus, including Flambards, Lands End, and Falmouth Maritime Museum. You may also find ideas
on www.theguide-cornwall.com.
A book
I produced in 2001 called Day Trips By
Train has been very successful. If you book a holiday with us and would like to
have a copy for planning your stay, simply make a request on your booking form
and we will send it to you, or alternatively click on the link as all the trips
are detailed here on our web site.
Other local attractions:
Hayle Golf Driving Range - Tel: 01736 753655 - "Rain or shine, daylight or dark". Country Skittles - Tel: 01736 850209 - "Over 60 different games". Jeepers Karting - Tel: 01736 754960 - Karting, short golf course and Pitch and Putt.
Events in and around Hayle
The listing below gives some of the local festivals - there are always lots of smaller events going on in the Hayle area.
June - Golowan Festival of Cornish Culture - including Mazey Day and culminating with Sea and Sail Day.
July - Lafrowda Festival, St Just - showcase for musical, dance and theatre talent in the local community.
August - Hayle Community Heritage Festival - includes a summer art show, Old Cornwall Society Exhibition,Horticultural show, Lions Club Fund Day and a summer carnival in early August
- Newlyn Fish Festival, Penzance - Stalls, cookery demonstrations and fishing exhibitions, with Celtic entertainment.
September - St Ives September Fringe Festival - Last year's festival featured nearly 200 events.
- For an excellent web link that details all the festivals of West Cornwall and many more events, go to Go Cornwall
For pictures and further information visit - www.hayle.co.uk Nowhere guide to Hayle - An informal visitors site made up from emailed comments and contributions Look around Cornwall - panoramic views of Cornish places you can explore. Includes a tool for panning through the views.
Info on Hayle and West Cornwall, St Ives, Penzance, Newquay,
Truro, Mousehole, St Michaels Mount, Lands End, The Lizard, Falmouth, St Mawes and the Lost Gardens of Heligan
Railways and trains (standard, narrow gauge & model railways),
heritage & attractions to engage the technically minded (prehistoric sites, Cornish mines,
the cornish mining world heritage site, china clay extraction, lighthouses etc.)
Theme parks (Flambards, Creally) kids play areas, aquariums,
animal attractions (Newquay and Paignton zoo, Paradise Park, National Seal Sanctuary etc.)
The best beaches with info on facilities, access, family friendly,
dog friendly plus walking, surfing, fishing, canoeing, golf, sailing, diving, karting etc.
A massive resource with sections on; Cornish and south west railway, environmental,
railway sites around the world, Fotopic and other rail photography sites, history and heritage, holiday and charter train, mail by rail,
model railway, alternative places
to stay including self-catering cottages, camp sites,
caravan parks, bed & breakfast, guest houses, farmhouse b&b, hotels and holiday parks, preserved railways, railway search engines
and groups.
Just around the bay and visible from
Hayle is the artistic centre of St Ives with its famous Tate Modern gallery, and
its thriving artistic community. Bird watchers flock to watch the birds along
the Hayle Estuary, and ten minutes walk from the station brings you to Paradise
Park, home to the World Parrot Trust, with its exotic birds, children’s play
area, fun farm, otters and penguins. With nine pubs, ten restaurants, seven
cafes and nine takeaways you can be confident of plenty of choice when eating
out, and Hayle also has a good selection of specialist food shops and
supermarkets should you prefer to cook your own. In fact Hayle is the perfect
place to spend a relaxing family holiday! 
