Coverack

Sheltered from the winds that blow in off the Atlantic, Coverack was once a busy fishing port, and a centre for the processing of pilchards on this side of the Lizard. There was also a fair bit of smuggling going on and it is said some of the cottages near the harbour still have secret hiding places.

The headland beyond the little harbour is home to the former lifeboat station and the Paris Hotel, named after the liner SS Paris which ran aground on the headland in 1899. She had been the holder of the Blue Riband as the fastest ship on the north Atlantic route in the early 1890s. Thankfully she was able to be refloated and went on to be used during World War I. Not every ship along this coast was so lucky with the nearby reef known as the Manacles being the site of many shipwrecks over the years. Because of this the reef is now a favourite diving destination.

On top of the water, the village is a centre for watersports, particularly wind surfing, sailing and SUPs. The beach is safe to swim from, but there are no lifeguards, so please keep an eye on children. Dogs are welcome on the beach but should be kept on a lead from 1st July until the 31st August between the hours of 9am and 6pm.

To get to this part of Cornwall you will usually find yourself driving across Goonhilly, a large flat area of open heathland. Natural England manage it as a nature reserve, one of the few places in the country you can see Cornish Heather. There are a number of walks across the downs and a parking area can be found shortly after passing the Earth Station. During WW II this area was home to RAF Dry Tree. An early warning Radar station for detecting aircraft approaching Cornwall and the Western Approaches, its existence was kept secret to many until after the war. Much of it was destroyed when the modern station was built, but some buildings can still be found, including the receiver block which offers great views from its flat roof.

Goonhilly Earth Station was opened in 1962 to track the satellite Telstar. The first dish was nicknamed ‘Arthur’ and ever since the dishes have been given names connected to the King Arthur stories. ‘Merlin’ is the largest dish with a diameter of 32 metres (105 feet) and has been used to communicate events such as the Apollo 11 Moon landing and 1985's Live Aid concerts. In 2008 BT decided to close the site and for many years its future has been uncertain. However in 2018, Goonhilly became part of a partnership with the European Space Agency for commercial lunar mission support services alongside Newquay Airport which is to become a Spacehub.

The name Dry Tree refers to a large standing stone that can be found between the WW II receiver block and the fence for the Earth Station. At 10 ft tall it’s one of the largest stone monuments from the Bronze Age to be found in the south-west and supposedly got its name because it looks like a dead tree.

Goonhilly in Cornish means hunting downs, so there’s no need to call it Goonhilly Downs.