Hayle (Cornish: Heyl) is a small town, civil parish and cargo port in the Penwith district of Cornwall, England, UK. The parish was created in 1888 from part of the now defunct Phillack parish, with which it was later combined in 1935, and incorporated part of St Erth in 1937. The modern parish shares boundaries with St Ives to the west, St Erth to the south, Gwinear and Gwithian in the east, and is bounded to the north by the Bristol Channel. The town, whose name derives from the Cornish heyl, meaning estuary, is situated at the southern end of St Ives Bay on the estuary of the Hayle River, approximately 9 miles south-east of the town of St Ives by road.
Hayle's position by the sea and its 3 miles of golden sandy beaches allowed it to develop as a holiday destination. Indeed, Hayle still has more holiday accommodation than the rest of West Cornwall put together[citation needed]. The sand dunes or Towans are the favoured location for a number of holiday villages and caravan and camping sites. The Gwithian beach near Godrevy is not only picturesque but it is also a favoured area for water-related sports including surfing, windsurfing and body-boarding.Unfortunately, general dereliction and the controversial practice of the commercial digging of sand from the beach have tarnished Hayle's reputation as a holiday destination in recent years. Schemes have been proposed for the regeneration of the town and its harbour but none has yet come to fruition.