Route Highlight
Hayle
Hayle is one of Cornwall’s surprise packages. It’s the opposite of Padstow’s culinary chic. Instead, this former industrial harbour town is a glimpse of the old Cornwall. It was a centre for smelting tin with its industrial relics forming part of the mining World Heritage site. That makes it an unpretentious place where you can buy award-winning pasties from an acclaimed bakery on the wharf side.
The sandy beaches are a distance from the town, beyond an apparently muddy estuary. But a walk along the Hayle River reveals why bird watchers love this spot. It’s owned and protected by the RSPB because it’s such a popular stopping off point for intrepid migrating birds crossing the Atlantic.
During your trip
Other Route Highlights
The Surf Beaches
From Gwithian Towans near Hayle to Constantine Bay near Padstow, this stretch of the Southwest660 offers an impressive sequence of big sandy beaches with big waves to match. That means there’s always plenty of space on vast sandy expanses like Porthtowan, Perranporth and Watergate beaches.
Newquay
We can’t hide the fact that Newquay is the biggest party town along the whole southwest660 route. Some will love the surf bars, crowds and music, others will immediately press the accelerator and head for quieter spots.
