Walk - The Lizard to Coverack

Highlights

• Trinity House-The Lizard Lighthouse. This is a particularly hazardous stretch of coast and there has been a Trinity House lighthouse here since 1751. Apparently, there was a certain amount of resistance to the building of a lighthouse as it was seen to damage the wrecking industry!
• Spotting the black dorsal fin of a basking shark: seen on a clear summer’s day, these magnificent, gentle creatures are the world’s second largest fish and can grow up to 10 metres long.
• The lifeboat station at Kilcobben Cove: opened in 1961, the station is fairly well protected by the cliffs and therefore allows relatively safe launching in all weather conditions. The station is linked to the boathouse at the bottom of the cliff by a roller slipway. Open to the public on weekday mornings.
• Keeping a lookout for the famous Cornish Choughs. These acrobatic birds are members of the crow family and have a red beak and red legs. They are England’s rarest breeding variety, but thanks to careful farmers and landowners who work alongside initiatives like The Cornish Chough Project these beautiful birds are gradually returning to the Cornish Coast.
• Enjoying a rest or picnic on The Chair: this group of rocks was undoubtedly used by pilchard spotters, or huers, as a comfortable lookout point.
• The Devil’s Frying Pan: the roof of this cave collapsed leaving an impressive arch and 100-metre deep hole. Depending on the weather, you may see a calm pool of water or a foaming, boiling sea.
• Cadgwith: this pretty fishing village on the east coast of The Lizard is said to hold the record for catching the most pilchards in one day: a staggering 1.3 million. Look out for the old pilchard cellars, which have now been converted into holiday accommodation. Cadgwith was the setting for the 2004 film Ladies in Lavender starring Judi Dench and Maggie Smith, which tells the story of a young man shipwrecked and taken in by two spinster sisters.
• Poltesco and Carleon Cove: once the site of a successful pilchard fishery and processing plant, the buildings were then used as a water-powered factory for working serpentine.
• Kennack Sands: a good spot to rest and watch the surfers or search for marine life in the fantastic rock pools exposed at low tide.
• Watching the kestrels and buzzards flying above the wildflowers of the Eastern Cliffs.
• The Iron Age Cliff Castles of Lankidden and Chynalls Point.
• Spectacular views from Black Head: it is no wonder that there is a coastguard lookout situated here. Views extend over Coverack Bay, the Fal Estuary and out to Nare Head and the Dodman.
• Visiting the ice cream parlour in Coverack at the end of the day. Positioned in a sheltered bay, this tiny fishing village has quite a colourful past. Some of the cottages are said to still have secret passages and cellars from their smuggling days.

Shorter option

Cadgwith (3.5 miles, 5.6 km).

Longer option

Porthallow (an additional 4.9 miles, 7.9 km).

Public transport

The nearest mainline station is Truro, from where you can catch buses to Lizard village and coverack by changing at Helston. The T2 bus service runs 4 times a day between Helston and Coverack. There are also buses available from Ruan Minor, near Cadgwith, to Lizard, Helston and Coverack. For timetable information, zoom in on the interactive map and click on the train station and bus stop symbols, visit Traveline or phone 0871 200 22 33.

Parking

Lizard Point (Postcode for Sat Navs: TR12 7NU), Church Cove, above Devil’s Frying Pan, Cadgwith, above Kennack Sands and Coverack.