| River Hayle | |
|---|---|
 River Hayle nearSt Erth | |
 Map of the course of the River Hayle | |
| Location | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Region | Cornwall |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Crowan |
| • coordinates | 50°9′25.2″N5°16′58.8″W / 50.157000°N 5.283000°W /50.157000; -5.283000 |
| Mouth | Hayle Estuary |
• location | Hayle,St Ives Bay |
• coordinates | 50°11′31″N5°26′6″W / 50.19194°N 5.43500°W /50.19194; -5.43500 |
TheRiver Hayle (Cornish:Heyl, meaningestuary) is a small river inWest Cornwall, England,United Kingdom which issues intoSt Ives Bay atHayle onCornwall'sAtlantic coast.[1]
The River Hayle is approximately 12 miles (19 kilometres) long and it rises south-west ofCrowan village. Its course is west for approximately 5 miles (which brings the river to within 3 miles of the south coast atMarazion onMount's Bay). It then flows through a steep wooded valley north of thegranite high ground at Trescowe Common, formerly a mining area, before turning abruptly north near the hamlet ofRelubbus. It then follows a northerly course for the remaining six miles to theestuary, passingSt Erth.
TheHayle Estuary encompasses a disused port on the east bank and a substantial area ofsalt marsh namedLelant Saltings to the west. The port was once of considerable importance to Hayle's industry (see main articleHayle). Lelant Saltings is an important habitat for birds and theRoyal Society for the Protection of Birds runs anature reserve there.[2] Areas around the estuary are designated assites of special scientific interest (see alsoHayle SSSI).
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