Swanpool (, meaning ''cold pool of the elm thicket'') is a small coastal saline lagoon with a shingle bar, separating it from the beach of the same name. The

South West Coast Path The South West Coast Path is England's longest waymarked Long-distance footpaths in the UK, long-distance footpath and a National Trail. It stretches for , running from Minehead in Somerset, along the coasts of Devon and Cornwall, to Poole Harb ...

crosses the bar. The pool is near the town of Falmouth, on the south coast of

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

, England, UK, between Maenporth and

Gyllyngvase Gyllyngvase (; , meaning ''the shallow inlet'') is one of the four beaches associated with Falmouth, Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom, and is west of Pendennis Castle. It is to the south of Falmouth town centre, but was an essentially ...

. A notable building in the area is Swanpool House, a 19th-century building which was occupied by American forces during the Second World War but is now in use as holiday apartments. There was formerly a mine extending beneath the lagoon.

Natural history

Coastal saline lagoons are water bodies that are fed by saline water, in this case from the adjacent sea of Falmouth Bay, either by percolation through the bar, or, by restricted inlets such as a sluice. Swanpool also receives freshwater from a small stream and from rainfall. The water of Swanpool has permanent vertical stratification with variation in the salinity with depth. Swanpool-Swan-family

The pool is a Local Nature Reserve, and a

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...

. It is of scientific importance as it is one of the few locations that has the perfect salinity for the growth of the trembling sea mat (''Victorella pavida''), a

bryozoa Bryozoa (also known as the Polyzoa, Ectoprocta or commonly as moss animals) are a phylum of simple, aquatic animal, aquatic invertebrate animals, nearly all living in sedentary Colony (biology), colonies. Typically about long, they have a spe ...

n. Some other species of fauna and flora at Swanpool are:

mallard The mallard () or wild duck (''Anas platyrhynchos'') is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa. It has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Arge ...

moorhen Moorhens—sometimes called marsh hens—are medium-sized water birds that are members of the rail family (Rallidae). Most species are placed in the genus ''Gallinula'', Latin for "little hen." They are close relatives of coots. They are ...

mute swan The mute swan (''Cygnus olor'') is a species of swan and a member of the waterfowl family Anatidae. It is native to much of Eurasia, and (as a rare winter visitor) the far north of Africa. It is an introduced species in North America, home to ...

coot Coots are medium-sized water birds that are members of the rail family, Rallidae. They constitute the genus ''Fulica'', the name being the Latin term for "coot". Coots have predominantly black plumage, and—unlike many rails—they are usual ...

water rail The water rail, western water rail or European water rail (''Rallus aquaticus'') is a bird of the rail family which breeds in well-vegetated wetlands across Europe, Asia and North Africa. Northern and eastern populations are migratory, but this ...

kingfisher Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species living in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, ...

little grebe The little grebe (''Tachybaptus ruficollis''), also known as dabchick, is a member of the grebe family of water birds. The genus name is from Ancient Greek ''takhus'' "fast" and ''bapto'' "to sink under". The specific ''ruficollis'' is from Latin ...

siskin The name siskin when referring to a bird is derived from an adaptation of the German dialect words ''sisschen'', ''zeischen'', which are diminutive forms of Middle High German (''zîsec'') and Middle Low German (''ziseke'', ''sisek'') words, wit ...

tufted duck The tufted duck (or tufted pochard) (''Aythya fuligula'') is a small diving duck with a population of nearly one million birds, found in northern Eurasia. They are partially migratory. The scientific name is derived from Ancient Greek , an unide ...

, cuckoo flower and yellow flag iris

Swanvale nature reserve

There is also a small

Cornwall Wildlife Trust The Cornwall Wildlife Trust (founded as the Cornwall Naturalists' Club) is a charitable organisation founded in 1962 that is concerned solely with Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It deals with the conservation and preservation of Cornwall's w ...

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

called Swanvale which runs from the northern end of Swanpool towards the town. It comprises mostly

willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, of the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 350 species (plus numerous hybrids) of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions. Most species are known ...

carr, which provides shelter for many small birds and mammals.

Swanpool mine

Swanpool mine is deep and produced £60,000 worth of silver-lead ore. It started in the early 18th century, closing in 1865 and recommenced on 22 November 1880, financed by

Sir Julius Vogel Sir Julius Vogel (24 February 1835 – 12 March 1899) was the eighth premier of New Zealand. His administration is best remembered for the issuing of bonds to fund railway construction and other public works. He was the first Jewish prime mini ...

and his friends. It closed shortly after 1885.

Art

There is a painting by Wallace Martin, '' Falmouth Grammar School Swimming Sports at Sunny Cove, near Swanpool, Falmouth'', dated to 1951.

Visitor facilities

Swanpool Beach is a training ground for kayaking, paddleboarding and coasteering, with a beach café, a beach restaurant, Hooked (formerly the Three Mackerels Restaurant), car-parking (charge in summer), a public lavatory and

crazy golf Miniature golf (also known as minigolf, putt-putt, crazy golf, and by several other names) is an offshoot of the sport of golf focusing solely on the putting aspect of its parent game. The aim of the game is to score the lowest number of poi ...

. Dogs are not allowed on the beach between Easter Sunday and 1 October.

References

External links

Swanpool Management Plan 2001-2006 (pdf format)

{{coord, 50.14, N, 5.07, W, display=title Beaches of Cornwall Falmouth, Cornwall Lagoons of the United Kingdom Local Nature Reserves in Cornwall Nature reserves of the Cornwall Wildlife Trust Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Cornwall Sites of Special Scientific Interest notified in 1995