Relocating the coast path between Porthleven & Penrose

As a ranger for the National Trust with the privilege of looking after Penrose I always enjoy hearing the stories of how at one time you were able to drive from Porthleven, along the coast, dropping down across Loe Bar then up towards Chyvarloe. That must have been an amazing yet slightly scary drive in a Morris Marina. Ever since a section of that ByWay fell into the sea in the 70’s that route remained hugely popular for walkers, cyclists and horse riders for decades.
It was with much sadness that on a rainy January morning we heard the news that a large section had fallen away into the sea. The route which had served as a favoured walk for visitors and locals alike had finally become part of the ever changing coastline at Penrose. The challenge now was to take this problem and from it create a new opportunity.
There was a great response from the many thousands of people that once walked those cliffs with offers of help and support. It was clear that whatever work we did going forward we would need to make sure it catered for all those who enjoyed the stunning clifftop path, be it walkers, cyclists or horse riders. This was the start of many conversations and trips out to the coast with a range of groups and societies, we were lucky enough to get help and support from the British Horse Society, the South West Coast Path Association and some fantastic feedback from a public meeting in Porthleven town hall.
After absorbing all these great ideas and looking at the practicalities of building a brand new route through steep cliff fields, it was decided that we would not only create over half a kilometre of new surfaced footpath but also another brand new bridleway link again over half a kilometre in distance.
To make sure the work was done in a way that worked for the landscape of Penrose we undertook a series of surveys to make sure that we were taking into account the Archaeology, the ecology and the historical significance of that stretch of coastline. As part of this process all of this information was submitted to the local council for planning approval. We took this time to fundraise for the new route and had an amazing response to our online donation page, raising over a £1000 within 7 days.

Small sites can play a big part in protecting our wildlife

Earlier this year the Trust completed the purchase of a small parcel of land near Mullion; just over 12 acres of flower-rich permanent pasture.
Funding was made available through the Lee Bequest, a generous donation made by Mrs Elizabeth Lee to acquire land to be managed for nature on the Lizard. This same funding has helped with the purchase of other land across the Lizard now being managed for wildlife and conservation.

The land, near to Vroe Farm just south of Mullion, comprises of four small damp enclosures bordered by thick bushy hedges. They are rich in wildlife with many wild flowers including orchids, knapweed, yellow bartsia, fleabane and ragged robin. The fields are also home to many invertebrates and consequently farmland birds, such as meadow pipit, linnet, swallow, blackbird, goldfinch and whitethroat.
Through the Linking the Lizard partnership and local farmers, land across the Lizard Peninsula is being managed in a landscape scale approach. Following the Lawton principles, we are aiming to provide areas which are BIGGER, BETTER and, importantly, MORE JOINED UP for wildlife. Sandwiched between the existing National Trust owned land at Teneriffe farm, Predannack Airfield and parts of the Lizard National Nature Reserve managed by Natural England and Cornwall Wildlife Trust, this parcel of land may be very small, but it plays a crucial role in this long term vision, providing a wildlife corridor between important habitats.

‘Up-cycling’ Marine Waste

Volunteers on The Lizard (and elsewhere in Cornwall) have been playing their part in an innovative recycling programme established by Keep Britain Tidy and Fathom’s Free which is helping transform marine plastics into swim wear, kayaks and more.

Volunteer Ranger Matt unloading abandoned fishing net found on Poldhu beach

National Trust Images: Catherine Lee

While we can all do our bit at home and in business to reduce single-use plastics there’s still a mind boggling amount of plastic in our oceans, much of which eventually washes up on the coast. Volunteers across Cornwall work tirelessly to collect beach rubbish to help protect wildlife and keep their special places healthier and looking beautiful. Unfortunately, most of the waste collected on beaches is presently sent to landfill which is something we are working to change.
Earlier this year, Friends of Poldhu (a National Trust beach cleaning group) collected over four cubic metres of abandoned fishing net and hard plastics from Poldhu beach. With the help of the recycling programme this waste will be recycled or ‘up-cycled’ into useful plastic products. For example: the hard plastics are being repurposed into ocean recycled kayaks.
A circular economy for marine plastics is a trend that will lead the way for cleaner oceans worldwide. We are proud to be working with Rob (founder of ‘Fathoms Free’ and director of ‘Odyssey Innovation Ltd.) whose efforts have recently been recognised by the Prime Minister through a ‘Points of Light’ award.
If you want to help us collect beach rubbish join the Friends of Poldhu beach cleaning group on the first Friday of every month 10am - 11am Oct - Mar and 7pm-8pm Apr – Sept.
The Marine Conversation Society runs the Great British Beach Clean in September, check out their website for information on how you can get involved at a beach near you: https://www.mcsuk.org/beachwatch/greatbritishbeachclean
Published: Aug 2018
Author: Catherine Lee, Community and Volunteering Officer, Lizard National Trust

Lowland Point (Coverack)

Mention The Lizard, and you may think of the wild west coast, with its serpentine cliffs and iconic coves, or the open expanse of heathland at Goonhilly. Delve a little deeper though and there are many less well known treasures waiting to be explored.

One such place is Lowland Point, forming the northern edge of the bay in which the east coast fishing village of Coverack sits.

Springtime thrift and sea campion, and the view back to Coverack - Rod Allday - geograph.org.uk

Whichever way you choose to approach, it’s no short walk in. Consequently Lowland is a tranquil spot, especially since adjacent Dean Quarry has been silent for almost two decades, having previously produced road and other stone, much of which was shipped out from the quarry’s now abandoned jetty.

Both Dean and Lowland are underlain by gabbro, part of the Lizard suite of rocks, but lesser known than its more unusual neighbour serpentine. Lowland is aptly named, as viewed from afar it is indeed low land. Geomorphologically speaking, this flat coastal platform, just a few metres above sea level, is a raised beach, formed during the last ice age when sea levels fell. The ‘cliffs’ are now ¼ mile inland, and clothed in heath and elm woodland. The raised beach supports an interesting mix of wet willow woodland, and flowery pastures, with at least one seasonal pond adjacent to the coastpath.

Lowland viewed from the relict cliffs above - Dereck Voller - geograph.org.uk

Colour in the Margins

My name is Hannah Gibbons and I work on the Colour in the Margins project as the Farmland Monitoring and Advisory Officer for Devon & Cornwall.

Corn marigold (Glebionis segetum 15) c CathShellswell

Colour in the Margins is an ambitious new Back from the Brink project. Led by Plantlife in partnership with the RSPB, it will work to secure the future of some of our rarest arable species. The project will target the conservation of 13 key species: ten plants and three ground beetles that rely on the farmed environment. By working to secure the long term future of these species we will create thriving arable habitat for many other species, from farmland birds, mammals and mosses to a host of other plants and insects.

Small flowered catchfly (Silene gallica 13) c Cath Shellswell

Arable plants are the fastest declining suite of plants in the UK.

Penrose, Loe Pool and Hardworking Volunteers

In the heart of Penrose is Loe Pool, with a fabled history including King Arthur’s Excalibur and local legends of giants moving sand to create the bar which isolates this, the largest natural freshwater lake in Cornwall, from the sea.
More recently, mining and agricultural activities in the Cober catchment during the last few centuries have led the Pool into a state of enhanced nutrient enrichment known as eutrophication. As a result of this, its impact on the ecology of the Pool, and the expansive algal blooms seen during the 1980s and 1990s, the Loe Pool Forum (LPF) was set up in 1996 to bring together all the different organisations with an interest in the health of Loe Pool.
The great work of the partnership has already seen some positive results over the years. One of the many aspects of the Forum’s work that have made an impact over the years are the practical days, on the ground, carried out by amazing groups of volunteers.

National Trust volunteers creating leaky dams in the willow carr on the River Cober

Whilst other groups, like the Wildlife Trust’s Wild Cober volunteers, focus upstream, as Rangers for the National Trust at Penrose our team of volunteers tackle the tasks on the land directly next to the Pool. In the past a mix of small projects like leaky dams and willow coppicing, which have improved habitats and water quality, and larger projects like the strapwort reintroduction project (http://www.wwct.org.uk/conservation-research/south-west-uk/slapton/strapwort), aiming to establish this critically endangered plant at the Pool for the first time in a century, have all had a positive impact on the area.
Along the Cober, bank erosion and invasive species are also big issues with many days summer dedicated to removing Himalayan balsam from the willow carr and around the Pool.