The Loe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Loe |
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 The Loe
Location in Cornwall
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| Location | Cornwall |
| Coordinates | 50°04′35″N 5°17′22″W / 50.07639°N 5.28944°W |
| Lake type | Eutrophic |
| Primary inflows | River Cober |
| Primary outflows | Mine adit Infiltration |
| Basin countries | United Kingdom |
| Max. length | 2 km (1.2 mi) |
| Max. width | 0.8 km (0.50 mi) |
| Surface area | 50 ha (120 acres) |
| Max. depth | 6 m (20 ft) |
| Surface elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Islands | None |
| Settlements | Helston |
The Loe, also known as Loe Pool, is the biggest natural freshwater lake in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It covers about 50 hectares (120 acres). People first called it "La Loo" in 1337, but it was mentioned as 'the lake' even earlier in 1302.
The Loe is located between Porthleven and Gunwalloe, and it's downstream from Helston. A long bank of pebbles and sand, called Loe Bar, separates it from Mount's Bay in the sea. Both The Loe (including a southern part called Carminowe Creek) and Loe Bar are part of the Penrose Estate. The National Trust looks after this area. It's also a special place for nature, known as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and part of the beautiful Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The South West Coast Path, a walking trail, goes right over Loe Bar.
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How Loe Bar Was Formed
The Loe used to be where the River Cober met the sea, like a river mouth or a "drowned river valley." Now, a long bank of sand and pebbles blocks it, creating the freshwater lake behind it. Scientists think this pebble bank, called Loe Bar, formed thousands of years ago.
After the last ice age, when huge ice sheets melted, sea levels rose. This caused the sea to bring in pebbles and sand, forming a natural barrier beach. These pebbles likely came from far away, even from old riverbeds in the English Channel. Strong ocean currents also help keep the Bar in place by moving pebbles along the coast.
Over time, Loe Bar has grown bigger. In the 1500s, people said storms would break through the Bar every few years, letting seawater mix with the fresh lake water. But the Bar would always close up again. In the past, people sometimes had to cut open the Bar to let water out and prevent flooding in Helston. This was called "cutting" the Bar. When they cut it, a lot of water would rush out, making the lake much shallower.
By the late 1800s, the lake became mostly freshwater all year round, which changed the types of plants and animals living there.
Important Moments in History
- 1200s: The town of Helston bought the rights to the port of Gweek on the Helford River.
- 1272 and 1302: King Edward I allowed William de Treville to use his boat and fishing gear on The Loe whenever the King visited.
- 1534–1543: John Leland visited and was the first to write about the sand building up to form the Bar, stopping the River Cober from flowing into the sea.
- 1780: A special tunnel, called an Adit, was built to help drain water from a nearby silver and lead mine.
- 1807: A terrible storm caused the HMS Anson warship to crash on Loe Bar. Over a hundred people drowned. This led to the invention of the rocket life-saving apparatus by Henry Trengrouse, who saw the wreck.
- 1874: This was the last time people manually cut open the Bar to release water.
- 1881: The Loe Pool froze completely, and young people skated on the ice!
- 1938: Mining stopped in the Cober valley.
- 1974: The National Trust took over the Penrose Estate, which includes The Loe.
- 1984: Heavy rains caused the last time the Bar was cut open using machinery.
- 2018: Large pumps were set up at Loe Bar to help prevent flooding in Helston.
Mining in the Cober Valley
For hundreds of years, people mined metals like silver and lead in the Cober valley. One mine, Wheal Pool, started in 1780. In the mid-1800s, waste from tin mines further up the river started to build up on the Bar, making it less able to drain water.
Sometimes, after heavy rain, miners could even collect tin from the stream flowing into The Loe. In 1880, 22 tons of tin were sold from the Loe Pool stream. However, mining in the Cober valley eventually stopped in 1938.
A Special Place for Nature
Loe Bar and The Loe are very important for nature. The beach itself is special because of how it formed and how storms affect it, creating unique layers of sediment.
This area is also a rare habitat in Cornwall, with unusual plants, mosses (called bryophytes), algae, and insects. It's also a vital place for many birds to spend the winter, with nearly 80 different species and up to 1,200 wildfowl.
However, the lake's health has been a concern. Sometimes, the water levels are not right, and pollution from farms and sewage treatment plants can affect the water quality.
Plants of The Loe
The Loe Pool has a unique environment for plants, including rare types of algae, mosses, and flowering plants. Some of the aquatic plants you might find here are amphibious bistort, horned pondweed, and shore-weed.
A very rare plant called strapwort (Corrigiola litoralis) used to grow here. It was at high risk of disappearing from the UK. To help it, scientists grew strapwort seeds in a greenhouse and planted over 1,000 young plants on the east side of Loe Pool in 2015.
Animals of The Loe
Loe Bar is the only place in Britain where a special type of sandhill rustic moth (called leechi) lives. Its caterpillars eat the roots of sand couch-grass. The moths fly from late July to September.
Another interesting animal found here is Porcellio dilatatus, an uncommon type of woodlouse. The Loe Pool is the only place in Cornwall where this woodlouse has been found.
Local Legends and Stories
The Loe is famous in legends! Some stories say that King Arthur's magical sword, Excalibur, was thrown into this lake by Sir Bedivere. Another lake, Dozmary Pool on Bodmin Moor, also shares this legend. The poet Tennyson chose Loe Pool for his famous poem Idylls of the King.
There's also a local legend about a giant named Tregeagle. The story says he was forced to move sand from Gunwalloe to Porthleven, but the sea would always bring it back. One time, he supposedly dropped a bag of sand at the entrance to Helston harbour, which created Loe Bar!
Another local belief is that The Loe "claims a victim" every seven years. This is a common superstition shared with other waters, like the River Dart.
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