Aerial photography

Hayle to Godrevy

From the mouth of Hayle Estuary to the lighthouse at Godrevy, this stretch of Cornwall’s north coast is all about sand, surf and open sea. The beach runs around the eastern side of St Ives Bay, with tidal channels at Hayle giving way to long sandy shores, the Towans dunes and the waves at Gwithian. From above, you can see how the river, sandbanks and Atlantic meet, and how much the shoreline changes with the tide.

The Towans take their name from the Cornish word for sand dunes, and they form a broad natural backdrop to the beaches between Hayle and Gwithian. At the northern end of the bay, Godrevy’s headland and offshore lighthouse mark the turn towards a more exposed coast. The lighthouse is a familiar point on the horizon, whether you are walking the sand, watching the surf or looking across the bay.

This collection begins with my view north from Hayle on a beautiful late-autumn day: sunshine over the estuary, a brisk offshore wind and clean lines of waves running past Gwithian towards Godrevy. It brings together my photography of this coast as wall prints, greeting cards and fridge magnets, with the same view available in each format. Choose a wide view of the bay for the wall, or a smaller reminder of a day by the sea.