TALE OF THE LIZARD

Charming fishing villages and beautiful coastline are among the many attractions of Britain's southernmost point, Victor Charles discovers

It’s a pretty long drive to Cornwall from almost anywhere in the UK, and our own journey was no different. We arrived at Skyburriowe Farm campsite, near Helston, at 2.30pm, erected the guinea pig hutch, and after a quick snack, we were raring to go and make the most of the afternoon sunshine.

We decided to head straight for one of the many nearby beaches, Poldhu Cove. In such glorious weather, it was understandably busy with surfers and bodyboarders riding the waves. There’s a council car park here with spaces big enough for motorhomes, but as with most council car parks, not for overnight stays. Spaces are not marked and it does get busy.

We watched the action from the beach, climbed the rocks and wandered around, peering into the rock pools, finding small fish busily darting about from one side to the other.

After relaxing on the beach for a while, we followed the coastal path to The Marconi Centre, which overlooks the bay, passing a field of cows to reach the Marconi Memorial, before heading back along the coastline to where we’d started.

A short drive took us to Mullion Cove, a very pretty harbour, where you can try kayaking or explore the scenic coast path. There are two small car parks here, so arrive early as spots big enough for motorhomes are limited.

Mullion Cove’s harbour wall was built in the 1890s and continues to shelter fishing boats from storms that come in from the Atlantic.

We explored the charming village before driving back to the campsite, where Charlie the guinea pig was waiting for us to serve him his tea!

Kynance Cove

In the morning, we enjoyed hot showers in the campsite facilities block and were soon on our way to the Lizard Peninsula. We stopped at Kynance Cove on the way, walked down the steep steps to the bay, and explored this beautiful stretch of coastline, where there’s a beach, a café and several paths offering wonderful views.