🥾 Walking route
South West Coast Path (Section 20: Hayle to St Ives)
Cornwall
- 📏 7.6 km · 4.7 mi
- ⛰ +283 m
- ⏱ 2 hr 15 min
- 🐕 On lead
Walk stats
- Distance7.6 km · 4.7 mi
- Elevation+283 m
- Duration2 hr 15 min
- DifficultyModerate
- Route typeLinear
- TerrainCoastal paths, sandy tracks, estuary shoreline and short road sections
- Best seasonSpring to autumn; birdwatching best in winter
- DogsDog friendly; some beach restrictions in summer and lead required near the RSPB reserve
About this walk
This linear stretch of the South West Coast Path follows the sheltered northern shore of the Hayle Estuary before rounding into St Ives Bay. From Carbis Bay the route heads inland past the Beachcomber, then picks up the coast above Porth Kidney Sands, a long crescent of pale sand backed by dunes.
The path drops down through Lelant, passing the church of St Uny and skirting Ann's Wood before reaching the tidal flats at Lelant Saltings. Here it meets the River Hayle and the RSPB Hayle Estuary Nature Reserve, an important spot for waders and wildfowl. Continue around Carnsew Pool, a deep tidal basin near the mouth of the estuary, before finishing at the memorial to Rick Rescorla in Hayle.
Along the way you can detour to Carbis Bay Beach, the Chy an Gweal Gardens, the Mill Pond or the site of a former WW2 minefield. The Badger Inn in Lelant makes a natural halfway stop before the final estuary miles.
Route map
Route line drawn from OpenStreetMap footpath data. Numbered markers are waypoints on the route; amber star markers are points of interest a short detour away.
Waypoints along the route
10 waypoints along the way
- 1
Start: Carbis Bay
- Start
The start of the route.
- 2
Beachcomer
- 3
Porth Kidney Sands
- 4
St Uny, Lelant
- 5
Ann's Wood
- 6
Lelant Saltings
- 7
River Hayle
- 8
RSPB Hayle Estuary Nature Reserve
- 9
Carnsew Pool
- 10
Rick Rescorla
Worth a short detour
Points of interest just off the route, look for the amber markers on the map.
WW2 Minefield (site of)
~492 m off the route
Mill Pond
~277 m off the route
Carbis Bay Beach
~198 m off the route
Chy an Gweal Gardens
~186 m off the route
The Badger Inn
~198 m off the route
Route & waypoint data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).