As previously posted, Chris and I are visiting a favourite place for both of us, and revisiting does not disapoint. With views of St Ives bay and Godrevy lighthouse this location has the wow factor as far as views are concerned.
Never mind how many times i expierience this sight it never fails to lift my heart.
Gwithian is popular with both locals and holiday makers. This is one of the most popular surfing beaches in the area and holds a decent sized swell. Beneath the sands lie the remains of one of Cornwall’s oldest churches. The village of Gwithian is an attractive cluster of cottages and church on the winding coastal road between Hayle and Portreath and is an easy walk through the dunes or along the beach.
The stretch of Hayle sands end at Godrevy Point where Godrevey lighthouse stands on an island about 50 metres out to sea. Godrevy Island has a lighthouse maintained by Trinity House which is said to be the inspiration for Virginia Woolf's novel To the Lighthouse.
The cliffs, offshore rocks and coast around Godrevy Head form a renowned habitat for seabirds including cormorants, fulmar, guillemot, and razorbills and several species of gull. There is also a substantial population of grey seals throughout the year. Occasionally, bottlenose dolphins can be seen in the area.
The towans have seen many uses from,Gwithian Towans cover the site of a Bronze Age farm which has been excavated although no remains are visible to recent history when Upton Towans was the site of the National Explosives Works which was established in 1888 to supply explosives to the local mines.
The dunes were flattened and small enclosures made to house individual buildings for the manufacture of the explosives. The enclosures were built to avoid chain reactions when an explosion occurred and although overgrown with vegetation, are still clearly seen today as is the network of single–track railways.
On one occasion an explosion occurred in a nitroglycerine plant which broke windows in St Ives and, it was said, was heard on Dartmoor. During the First World War 1800 people were employed and the works supplied cordite to the Royal Navy. The company went into voluntary liquidation in 1919 and closed in 1920 but the storage of explosives continued until the 1960s. The site is now part of the Upton Towans Nature Reserve.
As well as ofering accomodation in Chalets or Caravans the enterprising managment of the site is offering you the chance to spend your holiday in what looks like Hobbit homes.
Only for those who like the cosy feeling.
