Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Near the Heyl

Early Forget-me-not (Myosotis ramosissima)


In Cornwall the Hayle Estuary is as tautological as the River Avon is elsewhere. The photo was taken near the West Cornwall golf links, where the footpath crosses down from St Uny Church Lelant. This is on the pretty west side of the estuary, where a popular branch line runs up to busy St Ives. 

This is the tiny deep-blue forget-me-not that you always find growing on sand dunes in April.

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 The currents and whirlpools in the Heyl are unusual and sometimes deadly.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2332714/Fears-swimmer-Jacob-Cockle-drowned-body-Hayle-whirlpool-zone-Cornwall.html

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Hayle and its harbour (on the less sheltered east side) comprise a gappy working town in perpetual almost-regeneration, with various supermarket proposals circling offshore.


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St Uny = St Euny, also the patron saint in Redruth, where the church guide explains that Uny was a Celtic missionary from the post-Roman period.

"Euny (or Uny) was one such missionary. The story is that he came from Ireland with Ia and Erth and that the three of them established churches and communities of monks or nuns in places that still bear their names (Lelant has St Uny church, St Erth is near Hayle, and St Ia is St Ives)."

More elaborated stories say that he came from a royal family in Ireland, was abducted to Wales by heathens, educated at St David's, made landfall at the Hayle Estuary and lies buried at Lelant. 

The feast of St. Euny (February 1st) was at one time the occasion for significant local merry-makings.

St Euny's name has also become attached to Carn Euny, a late Iron-Age site (c. 200BC-100AD) near Sancreed.


Dove's-foot Cranesbill (Geranium molle)

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