Habitat type: Disused sandpit, woodland
Size of reserve: 1 hectare / 2.5 acres
OS map number: 102
Grid reference: SW 556 351 (entrance from public footpath)
Best time to visit: All year
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Directions
In the village of St Erth, south of Hayle, from Fore Street going uphill turn left into Vicarage Gate. Keep to the left side and walk to the end of the houses where a grassy path continues alongside the playing fields. Follow this grassy path a short distance as it bears round to the right. The entrance to St Erth Pits is a little way along this narrower path between the trees on your right. Look for the hand gate and steps.
Access
Park on the village roads. There is a circular trail which is uneven and can be muddy. An information board is sited on the wall of the Star Inn in the village.
Geology
The sand and clay deposits exposed in this and neighbouring pits are called the St Erth beds. The blue clay element of these contains a rich and diverse fossil fauna including sea snails, sponges, corals, jellyfish, worms, seasquirts, fish and the most diverse ostracod assemblage yet described in the world, including over 350 species.
The picture of St Erth in Pliocene times, derived from the deposits and fossils they contain, is one of coastal sand dunes which were gradually overwhelmed by beach sand being deposited by a rising sea. A further rise resulted in the formation of the blue clay. The fossils contained here tell us that the clay was laid down in a shallow arm of sea separating West Penwith from the rest of Cornwall. The waters were as warm as the Mediterranean is today and sea levels were as much as 45 m higher than at present.
Other information
St Erth Pits was Cornwall’s first geological reserve.
This disused sandpit, formerly known as Harvey's Pit, was donated by Westward Developments (Totnes) Ltd in 1996. From about 1834 until the 1950s this was a bustling centre of activity. The pits were worked for clay, frequently purchased by the famous potter, Bernard Leach. The moulding sand used for casting metal components at Harvey's Hayle Foundry.
