...a breezy walk along the jagged clifftops of the Lizard Peninsular?
Roger Butler says you’ll be ‘choughed to bits’ on the Lizard, where ragged clifftops lead to the southernmost point in the UK.
The Cornish coast is wild and windswept, raw and rugged. Yes, there are plenty of popular beaches – and any number of hidden coves – but a breezy walk along the jagged clifftops of the Lizard Peninsula creates abiding memories of crashing waves, classic geology and cavorting choughs.
The glossy black chough, with its distinctive red feet and hooked bill, was once known as the Crow of Cornwall and still appears on the county crest. But by the early 1970s the birds had departed the cliffs and close-cropped headlands of its former West Country stronghold. Thankfully, they found their way back in 2001 and the Lizard’s coastal paths are now one of the best places to spot this rare playful acrobat.
But there are other reasons to explore this part of Cornwall. The ancient rocks and oceanic crust have thrown up blobs and boulders of stripy red and green serpentine, whilst strange adder-rich heathlands stretch inland towards the satellite dishes at Goonhilly Downs. These once beamed the moon landings around the world and in 1901, by the start of the walk at Poldhu, the very first transatlantic radio signals were sent to a certain Mr Marconi over in Newfoundland.
Kynance Cove is the place for a picnic, with dark caves, tidal islets and glorious pristine sand. Enjoy a paddle or a dip before climbing back up to the cliffs and striding out to Lizard Point. This is the southernmost point of the United Kingdom and, if you arrive at the end of the day, you’ll be able to stand in silence on the last rocky ledge and imagine yourself as the person who first spotted the Spanish Armada from here in 1588.