The Lizard Peninsula
The southernmost tip of England combines a wonderfully mild climate with a beautiful varied coastline. Explore the wooded shores of Loe Pool and then cross the open heath of Goonhilly Downs. This is a tour that can be enjoyed on so many levels; wild flowers arrive early then flourish through the year in the special habitats of cliffs, hedgerows and Downs. The geology is unique and complex, creating amazing natural formations, as at Kynance Cove, and a thriving cottage industry working the Serpentine stone. Birdwatchers will find plenty to interest them, both on the coast and inland. The powerful influence of the sea on the area is always evident with tales of shipwreck and smuggling woven into the rich Celtic history. And naturally, if you love the seaside, there�s plenty of opportunities to take of your boots and paddle on the beaches! Note -Starts Helston, finishes Mullion. Attractions: Goonhilly Earth Station, Helford, Helston, Lizard Lighthouse, Mullion, Penrose Estate, Porthallow Vineyard and St. Keverne. This tour includes bed & breakfast accommodation, a tour pack (including colour coded route directions and a map), luggage transfers and emergency telephone assistance.
8 days, 7 nights Mixed Accommodation
Day 1 - Arrive in Helston, the main town of the Lizard Peninsula with a great sense of history around its streets and cobbled alleys. Look around its many shops, pubs and restaurants plus a fascinating folk museum.
Day 2 - A gentle start to the tour with an easy circular walk around the Loe Pool, Cornwall�s largest natural area of fresh water. This route takes in the woodland of the Penrose Estate and the little fishing harbour of Porthleven.
Day 3 - A short taxi transfer (included) takes you across the Lizard to Manacan from where you can explore the mysterious calm waters and wooded banks of Frenchman�s Creek which inspired Daphne du Maurier. You then follow the coast path south along beautiful rugged cliffs and sandy coves through the little harbour at Porthallow to the village of St. Keverne.
Day 4 - This circular walk takes you south across rich pastures to the coast at Coverack where pretty cottages cluster around the harbour. You then return along a section of the coast path that varies from rocky cliffs to the flat, pebble covered Lowland's Point passing The Manacles, notorious offshore rocks that have wrecked 150 ships.
Day 5 - Your only day away from the sea provides a real contrast to the trip so far, crossing rolling farmland then the open heath of Goonhilly Downs. This is a unique landscape with ancient standing stones and burial mounds that contrast with modern satellite dishes and wind turbines. It is also a National Nature Reserve with many rare plants and wildlife. You reach the west coast of the Lizard at Mullion, the largest village on the Peninsula with shops, inns, restaurants and an art gallery.
Day 6 - Take the bus down to Lizard village, the most southerly point of the British mainland. It has been a popular holiday destination since Victorian times and the coast around it still has much to attract the modern traveller. From the famous lighthouse you follow one of the most dramatic and beautiful sections of the coast path back to Mullion past the sheltered beach and remarkable rock formations of Kynance Cove.
Day 7 - A walk over gentle hills, along farmland paths with a boardwalk across rare marshland, takes you to the coast at Gunwalloe fishing village. From Halzephron Cliff you have fine views back to Loe Bar and Porthleven, so completing the circuit of your tour, then you follow the coast path past the sheltered beaches at Church Cove and Poldhu Cove back to Mullion.
Day 8 - Depart.
B&B Price: £557.00 (price per person, based on two people sharing)
7 days, 6 nights Mixed Accommodation
The 7 day tour follows as above, but misses out day 7.
B&B Price: £493.00 (price per person, based on two people sharing)
