St Erth

St Erth is a village in West Cornwall between Hayle and the A30, centred around a parish church and a small river. Despite sitting only about a mile from the main road, the village retains a quiet, rural feel.

The church is dedicated to St Ercus and is predominantly 15th century, though the tower is older. A 10th-century cross in the churchyard indicates the site has been a place of worship for well over a thousand years. The village also has one of the finest ancient bridges in Cornwall, over 600 years old, which once carried the main road before the Hayle causeway was built in 1825.

St Erth railway station - actually at Rose-an-Grouse, about three-quarters of a mile from the village - is the junction for the branch line to St Ives. More passengers change trains here than at any other station in Cornwall, with up to 69 services per day running to St Ives, Penzance and Plymouth. A new footbridge with lifts was installed in 2025 for step-free access.

Hayle is about two miles to the north, with Gwithian and Godrevy beaches beyond. St Ives is roughly four miles by rail. St Erth offers a practical base for visitors who want rail access to St Ives and the Penwith peninsula without paying resort-town prices.