Lizard Point, Cornwall
Lizard Point in Cornwall is the most southerly point the Lizard Peninsula, while the southernmost point of England on the main island of Great Britain. Its northern counterpart is Dunnet Head in Scotland.
Lizard Point marks the northern entrance to the English Channel and is the only country point of mainland Britain, which - even if only a tiny - is located further south than the 50th parallel ( equivalent to the German Mainz or the Amiens in northern France ); even Land's End, which is often mistakenly considered to be the most southerly point of England, is located north of the 50th parallel.
Geology
The tip is the best preserved example of an exposed oceanic crust in the UK. The rocks of the peak continues to consist of serpentinite and metamorphic rocks. Geological round trips in which the special geological situation is explained, are offered on site. Upstream from the top are still some rocks that Velan urge to Taylor 's Rock, Snag rock and Man O'War be called.
Environment
Directly on the top there are some houses, the real place The Lizard is located approximately one kilometer north. Below the houses at the top is the old station of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, which is no longer in operation but. Furthermore, there is a little east of the tip of the two lighthouses Lizard Lighthouse, only one of which is still in operation. Next to it is the built in Victorian hotel, which is managed by the National Trust in order to protect it from decay. It is now used as a Youth Hostel ( YHA Lizard Youth Hostel ). As well as hotel also Lizard Point is owned by the National Trust since 1987 and is thus under his protection.
In the summer come a day up to 2500 visitors to the Lizard Point. To protect the landscape, and to separate the through traffic from the visitor traffic, the National Trust paths and parking has created. To beautify the landscape above-ground power and telephone cables were laid in the ground and 51 telegraph poles removed.
Flora
Conservation Worthy is next to the landscape, the still pristine preserved plant world at the top. About 600 species of wildflowers are described here, including wild asparagus growing, Brachsenkräuter and Cornwall Heath. Fifteen of the rarest native UK plants occur here.
Sea area
The first point of the UK, was seen by the ships of the Spanish Armada, Lizard Point was on 29 July 1588th Shortly thereafter it came to the battle between the English and Spanish.
The waters off Lizard Point, like the Land's End before a vast ship graveyard. Ships from the English Channel to target Irish Sea circumnavigate both peaks at a short distance. So the French trawler Bugaled Breizh is, among other things on 15 January 2004 sunk off Lizard Point. Five sailors are drowned, the cause of the loss could be in a collision with a submarine. The last large sailing ship that went down at the Lizard, was the German master Adolf Five Vinnen on 9 February 1923.