Hayle

Hayle is blessed with the dual attraction of a 3-mile long glorious golden beach and a remarkable industrial heritage. Established in the 18th century, Hayle town is divided into two districts, Copperhouse and Foundry. Both these names reflect Hayle’s industrial heritage as a place where copper was smelted and foundries made industrial machinery. Iron worked in the foundries went to make London’s Tower Bridge. These industries have now largely gone, but Hayle still has its harbour, from which a small fishing fleet operates. The famous ‘three miles of golden sand’ that constitute Hayle beach, attract thousands of holidaymakers every year. At the far end is the magical Godrevy Island, which was immortalised by Virginia Woolf in her novel To the Lighthouse.

Elizabeth Arden hails from these parts – she was the first person to introduce eye makeup and the concept of a salon makeover to North America – as does the great Cornish inventor, Richard Trevithick. It was here, in the early 1800s, which he built an early version of the steam locomotive and, not long afterwards, one of the first railways in the world was constructed to carry tin and copper to the town from Redruth and the mines in between. At the height of the foundry industry in Hayle, in the 19th century, steam powered engines built by the famous company, Harveys of Hayle, were being used in the majority of Cornwall’s mines and beyond.

On the southern outskirts of the town is Paradise Park, an award-winning wildlife park that is home to some of the worlds rare and most beautiful parrots and other birds, as well as various other animals such as otters, red squirrels and red pandas. The park is set around a Victorian walled garden, and features tropical plants which thrive in Cornwall’s mild climate.