Our Environment
& local Wildlife
From rare butterflies in the sand dunes to dolphins on a marine tour. What will you discover?
Our Coastlines
Beyond our dunes lies 3 miles of golden sand. The beaches start at the mouth of Hayle Estuary, an internationally renowned bird-watching spot. Sightings have included Avocets, Ospreys and innumerable wading birds.
Moving Northwards up the beach brings you to the first lifeguard patrolled area - Hayle Towans, followed by Upton Towans. Gentler waves are found here as it is sheltered more from the Atlantic swells. This is a huge expanse of sand for families to enjoy, especially at low tide. Next is Gwithian, many people's favourite beach. It is one of the most popular surfing beaches in the area and holds a decent sized swell. The string of beaches end at Godrevy Head with the famous island lighthouse lying about 100 meters off the coast. The headland is National Trust owned and there are lovely walks along the cliff paths or to the top of the field to "Mutton Cove" where seals can often seen sunbathing on the beach below.
Wildlife at Upton Towans
We treasure the magnificent sand dunes which border our chalet park. This area of Special Scientific Interest is managed by Cornwall Wildlife Trust to protect and enhance the environment for some of the rare species that live here.
You'll find plenty of wildlife locally that is uncommon elsewhere, including a very rare butterfly - the Silver Studded Blue. They emerge in June and can be seen through July and August.
One of our favourite wildlife pastimes is spotting glow worms at night. You're most likely to see them hiding amongst the marram grass during June and July.
Other night time visitors are our resident hedgehogs. These come shuffling around the chalets from time to time eating up the slugs and snails - we do not use any chemicals on site for gardening and maintenance. We let the dune side grow wild and put up fencing to prevent erosion and encourage native flora and fauna. However, Carol is still figuring out how to keep the rabbits out of her garden!
We love the birds here too, and from year to year we see many different species, encouraged by nest boxes and feeding points.