SWRCMP 2018

19. Gwithian Towans

These sand dunes form the eastern part of St Ives Bay and are contiguous with Upton and Mexico Towans to the west, extending to the beach at Godrevy and the Red River Valley.
The dune system is wide with a patchwork of short coastal vegetation, maritime grassland, and dune vegetation.

The sand is soft and medium-coarse grained with a high shell content.

On the east side of Gwithian Towans the active face is replaced by rock cliff with some fresh sand falls. The sand at the top of the beach along this section is darker with a high lithic content, presumably eroded from the adjacent cliffs.

The eastern boundary is marked by an adit flowing onto the beach and a smaller adit slightly further to the east.

Walkover report and photos of 28 January 2022

DW19_Gwithian Towans_2022-01-28.pdf

Issues
Sand cliffing. Recreational pressure. Poor interpretation. WWII features. Conflicts with commercial use. Complicated ownership. National Trust considering moving car park and access road at Godrevy due to coastal erosion.
Potential Actions
Development of Beach Dune Management Plan.
Community Groups
Gwithian Towans Group
Key Stakeholders

None yet identified
CCMA potential
Unlikely

Shoreline Management Plan
SMP Management Area: MA28
SMP Policy Unit: PU28.3
SMP Policies:
  • Present - Managed Realignment
  • Transition - Managed Realignment
  • Target - Managed Realignment
Link to SMP Chapter 4 assessment for Management Area 28

A link to the Gwithian Towans page on the 'Let's Talk Cornwall' website will appear here in due course.