Cornwall’s hidden gem – the Lizard Peninsula
When winter days are at their darkest, summer seems a long way off. Cheer yourself up with daydreams of a perfect seaside break, walking the shores of Cornwall’s Lizard Peninsula, says
it does have them – sometimes bewilder. The beaches on the Lizard’s western coast tend to be the busiest – for example at Poldhu (while on eastern shores, Kennack Sands and Coverack Bay are both popular).
Mullion’s harbour is busy too, but within minutes the crowds are behind you and seven miles of idyllic clifftop lie ahead. You may want to pause at iconic Kynance; but England’s most southerly point awaits.
Time your visit right, arrive hungry, and aim for the Polpeor Café. This simple building must be one of the most spectacular places to eat in Britain. Perched high on a narrow rocky headland (pictured top right), the terrace looks down through clear blue seas of Polpeor Cove. Nine times out of ten, you’ll see seals swimming or basking sharks among the ragged rocks of Vellan Drang, which lurk dangerously in the waters below.
TWO VILLAGES
Cadgwith, the fishing village three miles on from Lizard Point, can sometimes feel busy, too – but nowhere near as busy as Mousehole or Port Isaac, elsewhere in Cornwall. It’s a tumble of pretty thatched cottages and fishermen’s lofts, crowded on steep slopes around twin coves. But it’s also a working village, crammed with stacked crab pots and scuffed plastic crates brimming with fishing nets. Even the small chapel has a maritime atmosphere: a shed painted a cheery blue, and a place of touching spirituality.
The people of Cadgwith still live the life, hauling in catches, gathering on the small beach on sunny afternoons. The fishermen sing shanties in the Cadgwith Cove Inn on Friday nights, because that’s what you do; they do it not for incomers, but for each other – for the village.
Coverack lies just six or seven miles north of Cadgwith – but it feels further. The last mile or two is sublime: the rough path over Chynhalls cliffs; small and sandy Porthbeer Cove; the green arc of Perprean Cove. Pass beneath shady sycamores and find yourself on a footpath flanked by a row of white cottages overlooking the cove and, arguably, Britain’s most beautiful vegetable gardens. Coverack makes an excellent base for a few days’ exploration of the area.
SOFT LANDING
From Coverack, the coast path heads north, through the thrillingly bleak and remote stretch between Lowland Point and Godrevy Cove, and leans inland for a few miles, before popping out by the sea again at Porthallow. Before long you have reached the hamlet of Gillan, and the landscape becomes softer, prettier. On the far bank of the creek, cradled in the crook of low and leafy Dennis Head, is the village of St Anthony-inMeneage: a church tower, a scattering of houses and a shoreline crowded with hauled-up sailing boats. It’s softer still when you reach the mouth of the River Helford, where green woodland and pastures slope down to glossy waters. The lovely, treefringed Bosahan Cove, a sandy beach near the mouth of the river, is an idyllic place to take a quiet moment and enjoy the peace of the shoreline before you end your journey.
By the time you bid farewell to the Lizard at Helford’s Shipwright Arms, watching the bright sails of yachts on the river, the miles of brilliant, jagged coast behind you may feel like a dream. Only the sun tan, the sore calves and the happy memories will remind you that this purest of adventures really happened to you.
“THIS IS VARYING COUNTRY OF OPEN SKIES, SHADOWY WOODS, HIGH COMBES”