Swanpool, Cornwall

For other places called "Swanpool" see Swanpool (disambiguation)

Swan family at Swanpool, July 2008

Swanpool (Cornish: Lynyeyn Pryskelow, 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 crosses the bar. The pool is near the town of Falmouth, on the south coast of Cornwall, England, between Maenporth and Gyllyngvase. 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.^[1]

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.^[2]

The pool is a Local Nature Reserve,^[3]^[4]^[5] and a Site of Special Scientific Interest.^[6]^[7] 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 bryozoan.^[8] Some other species of fauna and flora at Swanpool are:

Swanvale nature reserve

There is also a small Cornwall Wildlife Trust nature reserve called Swanvale which runs from the northern end of Swanpool lake towards the town. It comprises mostly willow carr, which provides shelter for many small birds and mammals.

Visitor facilities

Swanpool Beach is a useful training ground for kayaking, paddleboarding and coasteering by means of Elemental Watersports, with a beach café, a popular Beach Restaurant Hooked (formerly the Three Mackerels Restaurant), car-parking (charged in Summer), a public lavatory and crazy golf. Dogs are not allowed on the beach from Easter Day to 1 October.

References

↑ "Swanpool Mine". Mindat.org. Retrieved 2008-07-31.
↑ Bamber, R N (2010). "Coastal saline lagoons and the Water Framework Directive". Natural England Commissioned Report NECR039. Natural England. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
↑ Swanpool Local Nature Reserve website
↑ "Swanpool". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
↑ "Map of Swanpool". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
↑ "Swanpool" (PDF). Natural England. 1995. Retrieved 28 October 2011.
↑ Gainey, P. A. (1997). "Trembling sea-mat: baseline distribution in England and species action plan (Introduction)". English Nature Research Reports, No. 225. Downey, A. J.;Tonkin, B. English Nature: 1. ISSN 0967-876X.
↑ Marine life information network website: Victorella pavida

External links

Biological Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly

Summary	Summarised data for all sites (biological and geological)

Cornwall	Aire Point to Carrick Du Amble Marshes Baulk Head to Mullion Bedruthan Steps and Park Head Boconnoc Park and Woods Bodmin Moor, North Borlasevath and Retallack Moor Boscastle to Widemouth Brendonmoor Breney Common Bude Coast Cabilla Manor Wood Caerthillian to Kennack Carnkief Pond Carrick Heaths Carricknath Point to Porthbean Beach Carrine Common & Penwethers Chyenhal Moor Cligga Head Coombe Mill Coverack to Porthoustock Crow's Nest Crowhill Valley Dozmary Pool Draynes Wood East Lizard Heathlands Eglarooze Cliff Gerrans Bay to Camels Cove Godrevy Head to St Agnes Goonhilly Downs Goss and Tregoss Moors Greenamoor Greenscoombe Wood, Luckett Grimscott Gwithian to Mexico Towans Hayle Estuary & Carrack Gladden Kelsey Head Kennack to Coverack Kernick and Ottery Meadows Loe Pool Loggans Moor Lower Bostraze and Leswidden Lower Fal & Helford Intertidal Lymsworthy Meadows Lynher Estuary Malpas Estuary Marazion Marsh Meddon Moor Meneage Coastal Section Merthen Wood Minster Church Mullion Cliff to Predannack Cliff Nance Wood Newlyn Downs Ottery Valley Park Wood Penhale Dunes Pentire Peninsula Phoenix United Mine Plymouth Sound Shores And Cliffs Polruan to Polperro Polyne Quarry Porthgwarra to Pordenack Point Rame Head & Whitsand Bay Red Moor Redlake Meadows & Hoggs Moor Retire Common River Camel Valley and Tributaries Rock Dunes Rosemullion Rosenannon Bog and Downs St Austell Clay Pits St John's Lake St Nectan's Glen Steeple Point to Marsland Mouth Swanpool Sylvia's Meadow Talland Barton Tamar–Tavy Estuary Tintagel Cliffs Treen Cliff Tregonetha & Belowda Downs Tregonning Hill Trehane Barton Trelow Downs Trevose Head and Constantine Bay Upper Fal Estuary and Woods Upper Fowey Valley Ventongimps Moor West Cornwall Bryophytes West Lizard

Isles of Scilly	Annet Big Pool and Browarth Point Castle Down (Tresco) Chapel Down Eastern Isles Great Pool Gugh Higher Moors and Porth Hellick Pool Lower Moors Norrard Rocks Peninnis Head Pentle Bay, Merrick And Round Islands Plains and Great Bay Pool Of Bryher & Popplestone Bank Rushy Bay and Heathy Hill Samson Shipman Head & Shipman Down St Helen's St Martin's Sedimentary Shore Teän Western Rocks White Island Wingletang Down

Neighbouring areas Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Devon Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Somerset

Geological Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly

Summary	Summarised data for all sites (biological and geological)

Cornwall	Aire Point to Carrick Du Baulk Head to Mullion Bedruthan Steps and Park Head Belowda Beacon Boscastle to Widemouth Boscawen Bude Coast Caerthillian to Kennack Cameron Quarry Carn Grey Rock and Quarry Clicker Tor Quarry Cligga Head Coverack Cove and Dolor Point Coverack to Porthoustock Crocadon Quarry Crow's Nest Cuckoo Rock to Turbot Point Cudden Point to Prussia Cove De Lank Quarries Duckpool to Furzey Cove East Lizard Heathlands Folly Rocks Gerrans Bay to Camels Cove Godrevy Head to St Agnes Great Wheal Fortune Greystone Quarry Gwithian to Mexico Towans Harbour Cove Hawkstor Pit Hingston Down Quarry & Consols Kennack to Coverack Kingsand to Sandway Point Lidcott Mine Loe Pool Lower Fal & Helford Intertidal Luxulyan Quarry Meneage Coastal Section Mulberry Downs Quarry Mullion Cliff to Predannack Cliff Penberthy Croft Mine Penlee Point Penlee Quarry Pentire Peninsula Polyne Quarry Polyphant Porthcew Porthleven Cliffs Porthleven Cliffs East Rame Head & Whitsand Bay Roche Rock Rock Dunes Rosemullion Rosenun Lane South Terras Mine St Agnes Beacon Pits St Erth Sand Pits St Mewan Beacon St Michael's Mount Stepper Point Stourscombe Quarry Swanpool Tater-du Tintagel Cliffs Trebetherick Point Tregargus Quarries Trelavour Downs Tremearne Par Trevaunance Cove Trevone Bay Trevose Head and Constantine Bay Viverdon Quarry West Lizard Wheal Alfred Wheal Gorland Wheal Martyn Wheal Penrose Yeolmbridge Quarry

Isles of Scilly	Castle Down (Tresco) Chapel Down (St. Martin's) Peninnis Head (St. Mary's) Porth Seal (St. Martin's) Porthloo Shipman Head & Shipman Down (Bryher) St Martin's Sedimentary Shore Teän Watermill Cove White Island

Neighbouring areas: Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Devon Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Somerset

Coordinates: 50°08′N 5°04′W / 50.14°N 5.07°W / 50.14; -5.07

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