Lizard Point is for many ships the starting point of their ocean passage and a well known shipping hazard. The
Lizard Lighthouse is situated at Lizard Point. Immediately below the lighthouse, situated in what used to be a hotel, is the
YHA Lizard
Youth Hostel. Lizard Point is situated within
Caerthillian to Kennack SSSI (
Site of Special Scientific Interest), noted for its
biological and
geological interest. Polpeor Cove is a small cove to the east of Lizard Point. The area is famous for its carved
serpentine items, which range from ornaments to the pump handles in the Five Pilchards
public house, in Porthallow. The
geology of Lizard is of particular interest, being interpreted as an
ophiolite, a piece of ocean floor, with a number of planned walks available from local tourist authorities to discover more about the local rocks. The first sighting of the
Spanish Armada on mainland
Britain was off Lizard Point at 3 pm on 29 July 1588. The
Battle at the Lizard, between the English and the French navies during the
War of the Spanish Succession, took place off The Lizard on 21 October 1707.
Sinking of Ardgarry The 1,074 gross ton bulk
coaster carrier
MV Ardgarry (1957) was lost in a heavy storm, in over 30 ft (9m) high waves, off Lizard Point on 29 December 1962. All 12 crewmen perished and were never found. She was built by
James Lamont & Co at the
Port Glasgow shipyard. The
Ardgarry was carrying coal from
Swansea and headed to
Rouen in France. Six of the crew were from Northern Ireland, five from Scotland, and one from Donegal in the Republic of Ireland. Found again in 2006, the ship's bell was recovered, and a memorial service was held by family members in August 2008.
Bugaled Breizh sinking On 15 January 2004 the French fishing trawler
Bugaled Breizh (child of
Brittany) sank off Lizard Point with the loss of five lives. There were claims at the time by French marine accident experts that the vessel may have been pulled under when her nets became entangled in a British or Dutch submarine which was conducting
NATO exercises in the area at the time. ==Lifeboat service==