SW Coast Path - Lizard Point

Navigating The Route

This is a circular Treasure Hunt around the South West Coast Path at Lizard Point, with Explorers helping Paige Turner, a local librarian, follow clues and a map found in the archives below Lizard Lighthouse to track down the Fire Lizard's long-lost stolen jewels.

The quest covers approximately 4 miles and should take around 3.5 hours to complete. You'll start at Lizard Village Green, set off below Lizard Lighthouse, follow coastal sections towards Lizard Point, investigate Church Cove and the lifeboat station locations, then loop back to Lizard village green at the end.

This Trail is not suitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs. The route includes uneven ground, steep cliffs, sheer unfenced drops to water, some steep hills, many steep up and down climbs, steps, a 45m cliff down to the Lizard Lifeboat Station and two hundred steep steps. There is also a gate onto a track, narrow sections of coast path and a kissing gate.

Please note - there are many steep up and down climbs on this Trail that can be physically demanding, but they're totally worth it for the amazing views. Check the weather before setting off, stay on marked paths and keep children closely supervised around the steep drops, tripping hazards and coast path sections near water and cliffs.

Getting There

By car: Set your course for Lizard Village Green (TR12 7NH), where the treasure hunt begins.

By public transport: The start is by the bus stop on Lizard Village Green. Make your way there to begin the quest, then follow the circular route back to the village green at the end.

Need the Loo?

Public toilets are in the village green at the start and end, so it is worth making a comfort stop before heading out onto the coast path.

Bring Your Furry Sidekicks

If four-legged Explorers are coming along, keep them closely supervised at all times. 🐾

The route includes narrow coast path sections, steep climbs and descents, steps, sheer unfenced drops to water, a 45m cliff, tripping hazards and areas close to cliffs and water. Leads are sensible throughout, especially anywhere the path narrows or the ground drops away.

Food & Drink Stops

Refreshments and shops are sparse once en-route, so stock up at the start, at Lizard Point around Clues 14-16, and at the end back in the village. Britain's Most Southerly Cafe is at Lizard Point, and Wavecrest Cafe is on the route near the car park area.

For a proper Explorer's feast, pack a picnic to enjoy along the coast between Clues 05-17.

Want to Make a Day of It?

Lizard Lighthouse and Lizard Point

The adventure starts below Lizard Lighthouse, the story setting for Paige Turner's lost-jewels discovery. The route also follows the South West Coast Path at Lizard Point, the most southerly point in Great Britain, making this a spectacular place to slow down once the treasure trail is complete.

Lizard Lifeboat Station

The quest passes lifeboat history at Church Cove and again at Kilcobben Cove. The building at the top of the slipway in Church Cove once housed the station from 1885-1899. The current station at Kilcobben Cove was formally opened in 1961 at the foot of a 45m cliff or down two hundred steep steps, and the original boathouse there was replaced by a larger one completed in May 2012.

Church Cove

Church Cove gives Explorers a lovely coastal pause, with the old lifeboat station building at the top of the slipway and St. Wynwallow Church nearby. The route continues down to the cove and back onto the coast path, so it is a natural place to take in the scenery before pressing on with the jewels hunt.

Lizard Wireless Telegraph Station

Guglielmo Marconi stayed at the nearby Housel Bay Hotel in 1900 and leased a plot in a nearby wheat field, now the site of the Lizard Wireless Telegraph Station. It is the oldest surviving Marconi station in the world, in its original state, and looks as it did in 1901; Marconi first received a transmission from the Isle of Wight here, and restoration has been completed by The National Trust.

Pistil Meadow

For a more reflective piece of coastal history, look out for Pistil Meadow. A frigate troopship, the Royal Anne Galley, sank at Lizard Point on 10th November 1721. 200 sailors drowned and were buried in a mass grave at Pistil Meadow, and the mass grave mounds can still be seen today. 'Pistil' comes from the Cornish term 'pystyll', meaning 'waterfall'.