Safe Haven
Coverack is a pretty fishing village tucked away in a sheltered bay on the eastern side of the Lizard Peninsula. The main point of interest is the little harbour around which are a clutch of old cottages, some of which are thatched. The harbour was constructed in 1724 from local green serpentine and hornblende for the growing pilchard fleet that operated from here. The pilchard shoals are now gone but there are still a small number of little boats working from the harbour.
Whilst the waters in the bay are relatively sheltered, this coast is notorious for shipwrecks and nowhere more so than the Manacles reef a couple of miles along the coast. This barely submerged collection of rocks sits around a mile offshore and over the years has claimed more than 150 ships and countless lives.
It was in response to the loss of over 100 lives when the SS Mohegan hit the reef in 1898 that a lifeboat was stationed at Coverack. The all-weather lifeboat service remained until 1972 with duties now covered by the Lizard and Falmouth lifeboats. These days the old lifeboat house serves as a fish and chip shop overlooking the harbour.
Safe Haven
Coverack is a pretty fishing village tucked away in a sheltered bay on the eastern side of the Lizard Peninsula. The main point of interest is the little harbour around which are a clutch of old cottages, some of which are thatched. The harbour was constructed in 1724 from local green serpentine and hornblende for the growing pilchard fleet that operated from here. The pilchard shoals are now gone but there are still a small number of little boats working from the harbour.
Whilst the waters in the bay are relatively sheltered, this coast is notorious for shipwrecks and nowhere more so than the Manacles reef a couple of miles along the coast. This barely submerged collection of rocks sits around a mile offshore and over the years has claimed more than 150 ships and countless lives.
It was in response to the loss of over 100 lives when the SS Mohegan hit the reef in 1898 that a lifeboat was stationed at Coverack. The all-weather lifeboat service remained until 1972 with duties now covered by the Lizard and Falmouth lifeboats. These days the old lifeboat house serves as a fish and chip shop overlooking the harbour.