Backalong, when huge towering seas meant shipwrecks not surfing, the coast around Hayle was a place for wild winds and stormy seas, still is. There was a farmer up Gwithian left his sheep out to graze in the fields behind the Towans (sand dunes) in all weathers, he thought their woolly coats would keep them dry. The sheep just hated being inside, they preferred the shelter of a hedge to the cover of a barn. One day a storm blew up, a storm like no other. The wild winds whipped the fields from Hayle to Gwithian, and grabbed the sheep and tossed them in the air, then carried them skywards. One sheep didn't fly for long, plummeted into a pool on Gwithian beach, pool broke her fall and she jumped up, shook herself off and ran back up the towans to graze. Pool still named after her adventure, Sheep Dip. The other sheep flew, flew along the coast, past Gwithian Towans, past Hayle Towans, past the port of Hayle itself.

The children of Hayle had come out on the beach to watch the storm. They saw a large flock of birds fly by.

The children thought these were the strangest birds they'd ever seen.

The birds didn't have feathers they had fleece.

The birds didn't have wings and 2 legs, they had horns and 4 legs.

The birds didn't tweet, they bleated.

The sheep flew all the way to St Ives on the back of the wind, then they fell with a splash and a crash into the sea.

The miners of St Ives had shares in fishing boats too. Sometimes they wanted sea lights not mine dark, sometimes they wanted to haul ropes not pick rock, sometimes they wanted to feed their families with a night's work,. It was hard enough trying to make a living as a fisherman, it was hard enough trying to make a living as a miner, so they did both. The night after the storm they put out to sea, put out their nets and hauled in a huge catch. The nets were full of the strangest fish they'd ever seen. The fish didn't have hard shiny scaly skins, they had soft woolly coats. The fish didn't have fins, they had feet. Strangest fish they ever seen. But they were in their nets so they were theirs.

The fishermen skinned some of the strange fish, sold some and took some home and their wives cooked up a feast. They thought it was a fish feast but we know it was a mutton feast ..tasted good mind, the St Ives families were full and happy.

Farmer down Gwithian wondered where his sheep had gone, he'd got a fair idea it was the wind to blame for their disappearance, not the foxes or the rustlers. He got an old, old wooden boat, put it in his field, turned it upside down and cut a door in it. Next time there was a storm blowing the sheep took shelter in the boat, and stayed safe and sound.

retold by Sue Field

from Robert Hunt Popular Romances of the West of England.

Sheep Dip pool on Gwithian Beach is also known as Sheep Pool.