Lizard
The Lizard (Cornish: An Lysardh) is a peninsula in West Cornwall in the South West. The name may be derived from the Cornish expression Lys Ardh, which means "High Court". The Lizard contains Britain's most southerly point, the Lizard Point.
Get in
By plane
Aer Lingus, British Airways, Loganair, Ryanair and Scilly Skybus all operate flights to Newquay. Car hire is available at the airport.
By bus
Transport for Cornwall operate an hourly service (#34) between Helston and Lizard town, serving at Mullion en-route. Other than this, public transport on the Lizard is basic at best, and it's strongly reccomended to have your own transport in order to make the most of your visit. From Helston there are connecting services available to other towns in western Cornwall, including Falmouth (England), Penzance and Redruth, where connections can be made to the rail network.
By train
There are train stations in Penzance, Truro and Redruth with direct connection to London and West England, and there is a branch line to Falmouth Docks. However, none are terribly convenient for the Lizard. You'll need to get a bus from Falmouth to Helston, then change to another bus to get to the Lizard.
Get around
See
- 1 Lizard Point. Britain's most southerly point - a bleak and dramatic place. But whilst you will have to pay a fee to go to Land's End, Lizard Point is actually further south and you can park and look straight out over the sea, with nothing to pay except a modest parking charge. Lizard Point is run by the National Trust, and consequently has almost none of the heavy commercial development seen at Lands End.
- 2 Lizard Lighthouse Heritage Centre. Maritime museum and visitor centre based at the Lizard lighthouse. Exhibitions on the history of lighthouse keeping and tour of the lighthouse.
- 3 Goonhilly Earth Station. One of the world's greatest satellite communication centres, located at Goonhilly downs. The site used to have a visitors centre, but this has been closed for some years, though there are on-again off-again plans to re-open it. However, the nature reserve that surronds that site allows some good views of the dishes, as well as having some splendid, unspoilt natural beauty, and an ancient standing stone within site of the space-age facility.
- 4 National Seal Sanctuary, Gweek, near Helston, TR12 6UG, ☏ +44 1326 221361. open all year apart from Christmas day. Essentially a few pools containing seals, although the cute baby ones on the promotional leaflet are only likely to be present during the baby season; but the older and more infirm seals who can't be released back into the wild are there all year round. Admission fee is £9.50, specials fares apply to children, students and seniors.
- 5 The Trebah Garden, Mawnan Smith, Nr Falmouth, TR11 5JZ, ☏ +44 1326 252200, mail@trebah-garden.co.uk. Has subtropical plants with year-round colour. Admission is around £11 for adults, £5.50 for children 5-11 years and children below 5 go free, special concessions also apply.
- 6 Kynance Cove. Cliff walks, wild flowers, beach and geological features
Do
- 1 Roskilly's, Tregellast Barton Farm, St Keverne, TR12 6NX, ☏ +44 1326 280479, admin@roskillys.co.uk. Taste from a wide selection of ice cream flavours, explore the farm and visit the Bullpen gallery.
- 2 Porthkerris Divers, ☏ +44 1326 280620, info@porthkerris.com. The Lizard peninsula is renowned for outstanding diving. The Manacles reef just offshore has some of the best reef diving in the UK. Porthkerris Divers is the main outfit on the Lizard itself (though the operators in Falmouth also cover most sites on the Lizard). Porthkerris is unusual in the UK in being one of the nearest things you'll find to self-contained dive "resort". The site itself has excellent shore diving with some beautiful reefs that provide a wide variety of possibilites from trainees up to more experienced drift dives. Being east facing the shore sites are sheltered from prevailing westerlies, so are rarely blown out. On site facilities include accommodation (self catering cottages, studios, and camping pitches - hookups available), cafe, toilets/showers, dive shop (with kit hire), gas fills, 2 hard-boats, guided shore dives, BSAC and PADI tuition with on-site training pool, and easy parking/unloading right on their beach. Camping and beach is dog-friendly. Be aware the access road is steep and very narrow with tight, blind corners so take care when towing.
- 3 Kennack Diving, Sea Acres Holiday Park, Kuggar Kennack, Helston TR12 7LT, mail@kennackdiving.co.uk/. Oddly, the next nearest analogue to the "dive resort" in Britain is just next door. Kennack Diving is a PADI centre that operates out of the Sea Acres holiday park (heated pool used for training), and work alongside Porthkerris Divers. Guided dives available.
Buy
- 1 J.A.R. Hill, The Square, Helston, TR12 7NZ, ☏ +44 1326 290918, j.a.r-hill@hotmail.com. Gift shop for the Lizard Serpentine Works selling a variety of gifts and Cornish themed souvenirs.
Eat
- 1 The Lizard Pasty Shop (formerly Ann's Pasties), Sunny Corner, Beacon Terrace, TR12 7PB, ☏ +44 1326 290889.
- 2 Wavecrest, Lizard Point, Helston, TR12 7NU, ☏ +44 1326 290898, hello@wavecrestcornwall.co.uk. Café with views out to sea across the most southerly point
Drink
- 1 The Top House Inn, Helston, TR12 7NQ, ☏ +44 1326 290974, mail@thetophouselizard.co.uk.
Sleep
- 1 Franchis Holidays, Cury Cross Lanes, Mullion, TR12 7AZ, ☏ +44 1326 240301. Campsite and self-catering accommodation. Located between Mullion, Helston and the Lizard
Go next
- Land's End, England's most westerly point.