“Spring has sprung the grass is riss I wonder where the birdies is?”
Well certainly on the Lizard In Cornwall their songs provide a charming Spring soundscape in such a stunning landscape! The most southerly point on the UK mainland this finger of granite stands proud above the pounding seas and as proud as the Cornish people who live there too. Its black and white Kernow / Cornwall flag flies in every village and town on the peninsula especially around St Piran's Day in early March.
My early spring break took me to Mullion a tiny fishing harbour looked after by the National Trust where a coastal cottage was to be our home for a week. A place that is suited to be a perfect walking base and even on stormy days can offer a front seat to delight any storm chaser. With large Atlantic rollers crashing into the dark grey rocks and harbour walls makes for spectacular seaside entertainment. Should the accompanying winds batter you off the cliff top paths if you decided to hunker down in the cove.
On calm and even on foggy days the hedgerows come alive with bird song. Not being a birder so to speak the mainly LBJ’s (Little Brown Jobs) fluttering and flying around you provide a multiple of music and song. Even I, as no expert in avian matters, could recognise Cornwall’s national bird the Chough. On a walk from the harbour to Poldhu Cove which is just one of many paths radiating out from the village, I was taken by surprise as a pair of the orange legged and beak birds. Frantically feeding on the cliff top grassy cover these iconic birds carried on their food foraging within yards of us. Totally ignoring our presence.
Another reward of this walk is that the arrival at Poldhu Cove and where you can stop for a welcome drink or snack at a cafe that is open 363 days a year! Run by local man Ross Hocking and knowing that his almost year long commitment to opening the beach cafe makes it such a draw for coast path trekkers and dog walkers too. A surfing and beach destination too. This little cove has become a focus for families in summer for sure.
At peak holiday times Friday pizza nights go down well with visitors and locals alike. Throw in live music and warm summer nights what could be better? And what two days do they not open? Those days are Christmas Day and the nearby Helston Flora Day usually around May 8th!
Heading south walking for a couple of hours from Mullion the coastal path will take you to Kynance Cove and after that Lizard Point itself.This is the most southerly point in the UK. With the lighthouse on the highest point with its flashing light which can be seen in clear weather 26 miles away.
However, in fog or poor visibility its rather mournful but more modern electronic warning sound repeats every 30 seconds or so.
The Lizard is home to many coastal villages, coves and harbours such as Cadgwith, Coverack, Gunwalloe, Church Cove, Porthleven and Kynance Cove. It also is the site of the Goonhilly Earth Station. Who’s deep space modern communication dishes are hard to miss in the horizon. Back in the early 1960’s it was here that the first transatlantic satellite TV signals were received from the USA using Telstar!
RNAS Culdrose is one of the Royal Navies Fleet Air Arm bases where they operate helicopters and numerous fix wing aircraft. There is public viewing enclosure where you can instead of bird watching check out the aircraft flying from the airfield.
We were staying a week. However there are certainly two hotels worth using if you want to opt for couple of nights stay or a long weekend option. Located above Mullion Cove is the Mullion Cove Hotel and Spa. At the Lizard itself is the 23 bedroomed Housel Bay Hotel. Recently updated with rooms overlooking the Lizard lighthouse and its coves. Both have cliff top locations and offer some great dining and good local food options. Plus they are both literally on what is now the King Charles III Coast Footpath or the section called South West - Channel Coast. Mullion Cove Hotel does have an excellent attached health spa and treatment rooms with hot tub and pool. It's also Dog friendly.
Housel Bay has an option for larger groups and a dog at their ‘Bay House’ a self-catering secluded beach home escape for up to 8 guests located in the grounds. Mullion Cove hotel also have a similar options of self catering rooms right down in the cove too.
Not only Goonhilly Earth Station but there is great communications history to be found close to both hotels. With both hotels in striking distance of history making experiments by Marconi in 1901. And it all started at the Lizard Point area where one of their earliest Housel Bay guests, back in 1900, was the Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi. He undertook ground breaking wireless experiments at Bass Point.
And today you can now visit Marconi’s Lizard Wireless Station, a tiny hut to see how he developed this technology on remote Cornish clifftops.
In January 1901 those simple wooden huts Marconi received a transmission from the Isle of Wight. Some 180 miles away and that paved the way for today’s instant world-wide communication. On the cliffs above Poldhu various aerials were built by him. The bases still remain. All in order to experiment with early long range over the horizon radio transmissions. And later on 12th December 1901 Marconi sent the signal letter ‘S’ from Poldhu to Newfoundland a distance of 2,100 miles.
Be it for Spring bird song or radio communications The Lizard has a message to tell the world that it is well worth a visit at any time of year too!
Geoff Moore March 2026
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