Treasure those Memories … part 5 … Lelant Sand Dunes …

 

We are now moving south-east along the coast, following the scenic St Ives to St Erth coastal branch railway line past the dunes at Lelant – with its stunning beaches – which would lead on to Lelant Saltings always with an array of wetland birds …

 

Showing Hayle inlet ... it is small - looks bigger 
than it is here; St Uny Church is marked; Lelant
Saltings railway station marked ... line following
coast and round sand-dune golf links.

… history abounds here too – the Iverni, an early Irish people … first mentioned in Ptolomey’s 2^nd century Geographia … as living in the south west of the Ireland … were known to have travelled over, now seen as skeletons dug up from the Towans (sand dunes).

 

 

First map of Europe - based
on Ptolomey's Geographia

The 15^th century church of St Uny was built on the easterly corner of the towans facing over the inlet towards Hayle.  The railway skirts the Church … but there’s a path down to the sands.

 

 

St Uny Church

There is a thought that an earlier settlement was overwhelmed by huge sandstorms, whipped up by the sea winds … the Church itself was in danger of being lost, but marram grass has been planted which has kept encroachment at bay.

 

 The sand dunes have been put to good use as it is the most westerly golf links in the country … play is always possible here – the rain sinks in – leaving the golfers wet … but always with magnificent views – be they dry, sunny and sparkling, or damp, gloomy and sea-thrashed …

Edge of golf course looking east towards
Hayle

My grandparents were members of the golf-club – but probably used it more as a social … as kids we played occasionally … mostly whack and hack!  Seeing how many seagulls we could hit … we were kids!!

 

 

Marram Grass holding
the dunes

Usually we would walk across it to the dunes and sea, with its miles of golden sands … certainly one summer we hunkered down out of the wind in a deep dune, to play tag* of some sort … hard work in the sand but which kept us occupied. 

 

Towans, the sea at mid-tide

Then we’d scamper down to walk the walk far away to the sea … and wander back with it as the tide turned and came inexorably in …

 

 

We’d walk from the golf-club car park towards the Church and what is now the South West coastal path … over the railway line – keeping an ear out for the chuntering steam train as it hooted its way towards St Ives, or back towards St Erth – always waving if we were in sight.

The train on its way round the links -
St Ives is in the background

Round the corner up the Hayle River is Lelant Saltings, one of the station stops of our little train, where many birders will alight to spend time at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds reserve …

 

Hayle Estuary

… an estuary that does not freeze – in the genial, mild climate of west Cornwall … where palm trees grow …

 

Lelant Saltings

… the estuary, tidal pools, and marsh have long been havens for migrating birds … many a twitcher spends time twitching around this coastal retreat.

 

 

Each season offers a variety of wetland birds from … flocks of teals and wigeons in winter and maybe a vagrant ring-billed gull from North America. 

Ring-billed Gull

Migrant waders are starting to return (it’s Spring: almost) … oyster catchers, ringed plovers, sanderlings, dunlins and whimbrels.

 

Summer is quieter … though ospreys are regular visitors – but rarely seen.   Autumn sees the main wader passage through the reserve.  Vagrants often turn up sheltering from the gales … while Winter is the best time for a spectacle of thousands of birds …

Eurasian Curlew

We didn’t go bird-watching … but were educated about them at home in Surrey … we were encouraged to learn … but other childhood times were on offer when in beautiful Cornwall.

 

An oil painting I own - showing the runnels and
ridges in the sand, at a moment in time 

We would wander back very tired from a day in the sun, wind and sand … up from the dunes, over the railway line, across the links, over the Iverni skeletons, past the church and home to Carbis Bay – the tiny village for 2021’s G7 Summit – and sleep!

 

*Strange but true ... I first heard about the 2018 film 'Tag' last night ... which I'm fairly certain was the game we were playing ... odd how life confirms things for us.

Hilary Melton-Butcher

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