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Lizard Point and Kynance Cove Loop

South Coast · Coast path · Loop · Moderate

50 min – 1 hr 20 min · The Lizard, village green → The Lizard, village green

Desk-researched

Desk-researched — not yet run on the ground

Elevation profile

145 m gain · high 76 m

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14 m – 76 m

Line mapped on a filtered walking graph that keeps to paths and quiet lanes and treats fast or classified roads as cross-only (scripts/walk-graph.mjs); elevation from EU-DEM 25 m. Not from a recorded run.

Mapped from OpenStreetMap footpaths on the OpenTopoMap contour map — a planning line, not a recorded run.

Distance
7.6 km
Climb
145 m
Per km
19 m
On foot
50 min – 1 hr 20 min
Line
Mapped

From Lizard village green to the lighthouse and most southerly point, then west along the cliffs to Kynance Cove before cutting back inland across the downs. The rock here is serpentine — beautiful, dark green, and polished to glass wherever feet have been.

Getting there and back

Buses reach Lizard village from Helston. The last one back matters more than the first one out — check both.

Parking

The village green car park runs on an honesty box; the NT Kynance car park is the expensive way to shorten the route.

Conditions

Cliff-top path with rock steps and those glassy serpentine sections, then firm tracks and a lane across the downs.

Navigation

Coast path signs to Kynance, then follow the inland track signed for the village. The lighthouse makes a hard landmark to lose.

Season

Spring for the wildflowers, autumn for empty paths. Summer works only if you start before the tour coaches roll in.

Dogs

Workable on a lead; Kynance beach has summer restrictions and the cliff edges are honest drops.

Good for

  • Ticking the southernmost point at run pace
  • Kynance before the car park fills
  • Chough-spotting along the cliff tops

Watch for

  • Polished serpentine underfoot — treat every smooth dark step as wet ice
  • Kynance's paths jam solid with visitors from late morning
  • No shade or shelter on the downs section

On the ground

  • Car park, shops and cafes in Lizard village
  • Seasonal cafes at the point and at Kynance

GPX download

The line on this page is mapped from OpenStreetMap paths, not a recorded run. Treat the file as a planning aid and check it against conditions on the ground.

Download GPX

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