The most southerly point on the British mainland is Lizard Point. Take the A3083 from Helston and keep heading south. Go through Lizard village and about half a mile on, take the road to the left (it's one way, but they don't tell you till you're at the car park on the other side) From here both the lighthouses and Lizard Point itself are easily walkable.
There was a lighthouse established here in 1619 but it wasn't popular with the locals as it reduced their income from shipwrecks! The current building was completed in 1751, and consisted of two towers, with a cottage built between them, in which an overlooker lay on a sort of couch, with a window on either side commanding a view of the lanterns. When the bellows-blowers relaxed their efforts and the fires dimmed, he would remind them of their duties by a blast from a cow horn.
The octagonal west tower (above) was put out of action in 1903 when the lantern was removed. There are visitors facilities and you can do tours of the lights but we didn't, mainly because they were a bit pricey. The East Light can apparently be seen 26 nautical miles away.
The most southerly point on the British mainland is Lizard Point. Take the A3083 from Helston and keep heading south. Go through Lizard village and about half a mile on, take the road to the left (it's one way, but they don't tell you till you're at the car park on the other side) From here both the lighthouses and Lizard Point itself are easily walkable.
There was a lighthouse established here in 1619 but it wasn't popular with the locals as it reduced their income from shipwrecks! The current building was completed in 1751, and consisted of two towers, with a cottage built between them, in which an overlooker lay on a sort of couch, with a window on either side commanding a view of the lanterns. When the bellows-blowers relaxed their efforts and the fires dimmed, he would remind them of their duties by a blast from a cow horn.
The octagonal west tower (above) was put out of action in 1903 when the lantern was removed. There are visitors facilities and you can do tours of the lights but we didn't, mainly because they were a bit pricey. The East Light can apparently be seen 26 nautical miles away.
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