Mexico Towans Beach

Mexico Towans forms one quiet section of the long arc of sand around St Ives Bay, lying between Hayle Towans and the dunes that run on towards Gwithian. The word towans is Cornish for sand dunes, and here they rise behind the beach in soft, rolling ridges, part of a chain that also takes in Upton and Gwithian Towans. The pale, fine sand and the sheltering dunes give this stretch a more secluded, away-from-it-all feel than the busier beaches around the bay.

The dunes are far more than a backdrop. They form part of one of Cornwall's largest dune systems, built from wind-blown, lime-rich shell sand, and are protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest for their geology and the hundreds of plant species they support. It is a genuinely rich habitat, alive with wildflowers and insects in summer, and walking the sandy paths through it is part of the pleasure of a visit.

There is deep history in the ground here too: a Bronze Age farmstead is known to lie buried beneath the towans, where archaeologists have traced the outlines of huts and fields. For most visitors, though, Mexico Towans is simply a place to spread out on soft sand, wander into the dunes and enjoy the broad views across St Ives Bay with fewer crowds than the bay's better-known stretches.