Holiday rentals in Hayle

Hayle is a Cornish town with a long history. It sits at the mouth of the twisting River Hayle, not far from the turquoise waters and sandy beaches of St. Ives Bay. Lined with stone houses and a protected harbour, its long main street meanders from the Copperhouse District, where you’ll find most shopping, all the way to the historic Foundry District, home to the Heritage Centre and the original foundry for which the district is named, which now holds an art space and offices. These names evoke Hayle’s 19th-century industrial boom as a port and processing centre for Cornwall’s mining industry. Many of the industrial buildings now house harbourside shops and restaurants.

Hayle’s three miles of broad, golden beach are popular for swimming and watersports against the backdrop of extensive parkland and golf links. Surfers flock to the waves here, and walkers strike out along the cliff tops for sweeping views of the aquamarine sea below. Once you’ve worked up an appetite, you can pick up a hot Cornish pasty to eat sitting on the harbour wall.

Summers in Cornwall are warm and winters are mild, but the temperate climate makes rain possible at any time of the year. June, July, and August bring sunny weather perfect for surfing off the county’s famous beaches and dining al fresco at holiday cottages in Hayle. The colder months from November to January are more likely to be rainy, and some local businesses are closed for the season, so you might have to venture further afield for a cosy fireside pub lunch. In August is the Hayle Carnival, when the streets are filled with a colourful costumed parade, music, and dancing.

St Ives Bay Line

The green and yellow trains on the St Ives Bay Line, which runs from Lelant Saltings station near Hayle, take you on a 10-minute journey through some of the most picturesque coastal scenery in Cornwall, skirting Carbis Bay beach and Porthminster Point as you trundle towards St Ives for a day enjoying the beach and the town’s famous Tate gallery.

Hayle Estuary RSPB Reserve

The estuary of the River Hayle and its surrounding cliffs, meadows, and marshlands are fertile habitats for birdlife all year round. Over the winter months, the tidal estuary draws more than 15,000 migrating birds from all over the world, in part because the water never freezes. You can watch as flocks of curlews take to the sky and red-beaked oystercatchers forage along the shoreline. There are accessible paths and a bird-watching hide at Ryan’s Field. In the summer, you could even spot a majestic osprey.

Trencrom Hill

Less than ten minutes outside of town, you’ll find Trencrom Hill. At 175 metres high, the hill is the tallest point in the Penwith district, and from the top you’ll see spectacular views of the entire region. Rolling green hills slide into the blue waters of Mount’s Bay, the beaches stretch for miles, and in the distance you can spot St Agnes Beacon. Once topped with a Neolithic enclosure, the site then became a fortress during the Iron Age. What’s left of the ancient structure can still be seen today.