Where to Watch the Sunset in Hayle

Short answer: Hayle looks across St Ives Bay, so the sun goes down over the water towards St Ives — watch from the dunes of the Towans, from Godrevy Point with the lighthouse, or from a sea-view terrace like the Bluff Inn or Coast.

The Hayle angle

Hayle's beach curves around St Ives Bay, so the evening show happens across the water — the sun dropping over the sea towards St Ives with the town's lights coming on beneath it. From spring to early autumn it sets out over open water; in the depths of winter it slides behind the land to the south-west, so this is a summer-and-autumn guide at heart.

The spots

• The Towans — three miles of dunes and sand. Climb any dune, sit down, watch. Free, and nearly empty on a September evening.
• Godrevy Point — the National Trust headland with the lighthouse on its island below: the most dramatic silhouette in the bay, and seals on the rocks for the early arrivals. Keep dogs on leads near the point.
• The Bluff Inn — a Wetherspoon with a genuinely stunning sea view and a large beer garden; the budget sunset drink.
• Coast — the restaurant terrace with views across the bay, for turning the sunset into dinner.
• Cove Café — tucked into the cove at the beach, log fire inside for when the evening turns cold.

Timing it: sunset falls around 7pm in mid-September, drifts towards 6pm through October, then jumps to around 4:45pm when the clocks go back on Sunday 25 October. Arrive twenty minutes early — the colour often peaks just after the sun has gone.

Make an evening of it

A late walk on the off-lead beach, a Philps pasty for supper, then Godrevy for the light. Or walk the coast path from Hayle to St Ives and watch it from the other side. More in the Hayle guide.