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Walking holidays on the Lizard

Penzance to Falmouth - 61 miles around Britain’s most southerly Point 

South West Coast Path - The Lizard

Welcome to The Lizard Peninsula -  Cornwall’s wild and imposing outpost. This rocky, battered headland has an untamed, end of the world feel to it. It’s an area that sometimes feels like its largely forgotten and walking the South West Coast Path draws you through an isolated and dramatic landscape that provides some of the best walking and coastline, as well as the rarest flora and geology to be found in Cornwall and indeed the South West.

The walking route is challenging at times but rewarding - On the Lizards battered west side, you climb lonely windswept uplands that break into breathtaking cliffs, pass ghostly ruins of tin mines, hidden smugglers coves and some of the most captivating cliffs & beaches in the UK. Then, as you reach the more sheltered eastern side of the Lizard everything changes as the coast path enters stunning valleys and rounded coombe's that turn into secretive, wooded and mysterious creeks hiding lush sub tropical, gardens en route to the Helford and Fal river estuaries. 

You will wander through a rich history of lives always shaped by the churning ocean that stalks you. Of lifeboat men risking all for others, of infamous local smugglers, pirates and the Revenue Men who patrolled the Cornish Coast Path to try and apprehend them.  With over 400 ships wrecked in these perilous waters you will encounter the misfortunes of the Shipwrecked Mariners as well as follow in the footsteps of the Victorian painters, poets and romantics.   A botanists paradise, on the Lizard itself the trail is often a carpet of wild flowers with some 15 of the Uk’s rarest plants growing here in amongst the Cornish heath, gorse and heather.  Lining the walking trail you will discover craggy towers and stacks of the remarkable Serpentine rock so called as its colours resemble a reddish snakeskin when wet, along with beaches of huge “dinosaur egg” pebbles or fine sands made up of nothing more than crushed shells.

 Keep your eyes out to sea as you climb and descend the trail to look for grey seals basking on the rocks and in the caves, dolphins in the larger bays and at the right time of year huge basking sharks, an incredible 500 visited during May in 1998.  The Cornish national bird The Chough which died out here for 30 years reappeared in 2001 at Lizard Point, now the only place you are likely to hear or see them, along with Fulmar, Kittiwake and a host of other coastal birds.

The good news for any walkers searching for secluded and unspoilt trail is that tourism is still low key here with the lizard tending to attract visitors who want to get away from it all and explore a unique and spectacular terrain without the crowds.  A designated Area of Outstanding Natural beauty and a site of special scientific interest, walk the Lizard Adventure and be immersed into an exhilarating, bracing and drama strewn walking trail that never ceases to surprise and captivate throughout its 61 miles.

 

 

Loe Pool Option

 

Loe Pool makes an outstanding inland diversion in great contrast to the scenery on the Cornish Coast Path. Protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, the National trust maintain an fascinating 5 mile inland trail circling the lake taking in viewing hides over marshland which holds a notable array of birdlife amid patches of tropical looking  willow and alder swamp.

 

On route pass through the impressive estate, grounds and woodland drives of Penrose House along with the stunning  remote and idyllic Carminowe Creek. A place of legend its claimed that this is the spot where King Arthurs Excalibur was returned to its watery home in a  lake that takes a victim every seven years…. maybe....but we thinks it’s worth the risk!.

 

It’s easy to build in a circuit of this impressive water  to your days walk finishing in Mullion rather than Lizard Town - just let us know !

 

 

After tacking Halzephron (or Hells) Cliffs pass through a succession of striking coves to reach the 15^th C Gunwalloe Church virtually on the beach with its odd detached bell tower cut into the cliffs and usually half-buried in the very fine blown sand.  A Spanish boat laden with silver dollars was wrecked here and has so far resisted  various attempts to bring up the treasure to what is now known as Dollar Cove.  

 

Average Walking Time 4.5 Hours not including breaks

From the impressive Lizard Lighthouse, Tennyson’s “Southern Eyes of Britain” you soon come across the huge conical hole in the cliff top know as Lions den created when a sea cave collapsed in 1847. Climbing Bass Point covered in the South African Hottentot Fig you reach the Lloyds Signal Station which had in its heyday 1000 ships a month passing by  to collect and deliver semaphore messages and register their route onwards. The Old Coastguard lookout here is still manned and as you head into the more remote sections of the trail you will be logged in as you pass. Serpentine Steps, a Shist Rock seat and Marconi’s experimental wireless station now restored by the National Trust are all passed before descending to Church Cove and its crumbling buildings from the Pilchard Fishing industry in days long gone.  Beyond this admire Hugga Dridgee or the Devils Frying pan, so called due to its boiling waters, a stunning natural arch bridge over the mouth of an inlet.

 

Welcome refreshments are found at Cadgwith a timeless Cornish Village  where the fisherman still winch boats onto the cove to land lobster and crabs amongst thatched white washed stone cottages. In the afternoon pass through Kennack Sands a popular bathing spot with its rock pools full of sea cucumbers, starfish and other surprises. From Beagles Point you enter one of the most remote sections of the lizard.  Its here notorious Pirate Captain John Avery is reported to have buried the fabulous treasures he took from the Great Mogul of India’s ships.

 

Reaching Black Head your trail around the Lizard turns from east to north with first glimpses across Falmouth Bay and for those walking further along the coast as far as Dodman Point on the Roseland Peninsular.  More menacingly and much closer The Manacles appear below you, a fearsome reef whose jagged points have taken over 150 ships including the Mohegan which sank just as the passengers were sitting down to dinner leading to106 lost lives all buried in a mass grave at St Kerverne which took 3 days to dig. At Chynhalls Point the protective rampart of the Iron Age Cliff Castle is still clearly visible over the neck of the peninsular. Finally some modern day comforts present themselves as you arrive in the pretty village of Coverack

Grade:  13 miles Moderate  -   Average Walking Time 5 hours not including breaks

Start today with a rare inland diversion around the Gabbro producing Dean Quarries however At Rosenithon Village this allows you to take a short detour to see The Giants Quoits standing stones. Returning to the path after Lowland Point  you encounter the remains of  a second Century salt works at Trebarveth where Sea water was boiled in clay troughs leaving valuable salt which was packed into pots. Look closely and you will still see pottery shards in the cliff edge More climbs and descents lead to Porthoustock with its gabbro pebble beach in a location that fished for pilchards by day and landed brandy by night,  218 barrels landed in just one night here in 1762. At Porthallow you reach the official half way stage of the full 630 mile coast path and the chance to take refreshments at the excellent Five Pilchards Pub an atmospheric place stuffed with its relics of Old Porthallow.

In the afternoon great panoramas start opening up across Falmouth Bay. Through Nelly’s Cove with its occasional orchids, a good spot for butterflies and on to the aptly named Snails Creep and the white rock quartzite at Turwell Point.As you round Nare Head Crags with its MOD observation post on a clear day you will see Rame Head this side of Plymouth 70 odd miles and a good 8 days walking away for those following the Coast Path. Then it all starts to change as you entering the Gillian Creek with its unusual mix of ancient woodland and Monterey Pines. Shelducks, egrets and Curlew appear along the mudflats and it its close to low tide you ford the creek on stepping stones or wade across the inlet.  If it’s too deep use the longer route round the head of the creek. Either way you end up at the Isolated and idyllic little church at St Anthony in Meneage, “meneeg” meaning land of the monks,  this being one of Cornwall’s earliest Christian sites.

Dennis Head from the Cornish Dinas(castle) has always been a strategic spot with its Iron Age earthworks and Royalist fortification and yet another magnificent viewpoint. Finally today you now enter the Helford river area with its forested creeks and swampy inlets and pills including of course Daphne du Mauriers Frenchman’s creek which is just off the coast path here in an area renowned for being overrun with pirates.

After a welcome stop at the Shipwrights Arms,  you cross over Helford passage summoning the ferryman by swinging open a semicircular black board to make a brightly coloured circle for him to spot. This crossing  has operated here since medieval times when traveller’s horses swam alongside the ferry. Your overnight stop will be in one of the pretty villages close to the ferry.

Click here for information about overnight facilities and accommodation in Helford Passage

Section 5. Helford Passage to Falmouth – 10.5 miles

Grade:   10.5 miles Moderate  -   Average Walking Time 4.5 hours not including breaks

Today’s walk into Falmouth is much more gentle than those that preceded it yet the Helford is a  very special place its beautiful winding wooded creeks gradually receding as the Coast path follows the cliffs to the pretty whitewashed National Trust village at Durgan which sits in its own steep sided cove. Two outstanding gardens are passed here, the coast path running below Trebah and Glendurgan Gardens both of them open to the public and set in tumbling, ravine-like valleys that run down to shingly beaches where they meet the coast path. Glendurgan in particular is a stunning sub tropical garden with great blooms and foliage from around the world, whatever the season and as it’s a shorter days walking today a visit to one or other garden is easily possible and fits in well for those staying at Mawnan Smith.

Back on the path leaving Trebah beach which was an embarkation point for the D-Day landings in June 1944 each new viewpoint gives better and better views ahead across the Fal. Mawan Church is worth a quick look, just off the path, overlooking the entrance to the Helford River and there are  plenty of Cormorants, shelduck, egrets and kingfishers to keep an eye out for along with Morgawr the giant sea serpent sighted fairly regularly since 1926 in the Fal area !  Further on is the prominent headland of Rosemullion and suddenly a splendid open area of grassy downland with great panoramas. Refreshments are possible at the pub and cafes on Maenporth Beach marked by its notable wreck of the Ben Asdale Trawler which was driven onto the rocks on New Years Eve 1978. 

Pause at Swanpool so named for the swan breeding that went on here and now a local nature reserve before entering Falmouth by  the appealing Gyllyngvase Beach.  From here a pleasant amble along the seafront  takes you round the bay to visit dramatic Pendennis Point. Pendennis or “headland of a fort” was built by Henry 8^th to protect Falmouth from the French and is well worth a visit, steeped in history and also able to provide the inevitable end of walk cream tea, this is as good a location as any to finish your walk as you guard the entrance to the mighty Fal River whilst gazing back towards the mighty Lizard recalling the wild wanderings that brought you here.

Click here for information about overnight facilities and accommodation in Falmouth

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