Picturesque fishing village
Web: www.coverack.org.uk
Web: www.visitcornwall.com/destinations/coverack
Coverack is a fishing village on the east coast of the Lizard approached along the B3293, with its tiny harbour wall built in 1724 from local hornblende and serpentine, built on both sides of a spur of rock that juts out into the sea. There's a large, crescent-shaped beach in the sheltered bay, ideal for swimming and windsurfing. Fishing boats rub gunnels with pleasure craft in the small harbour which is built out of local serpentine, and the old lifeboat house and slipway are reminders of a past rich in maritime adventure. It lies in the parish of St. Keverne. The population of the village was 255 at the 2011 census.
The Coverack lifeboat rescued many ships wrecked on the Manacles: 1.5 square miles of jagged rocks lying just beneath the waves, which claimed ships such as the SS 'Mohegan' in 1898 with the loss of 106 lives, and HMS 'Primrose', lost in 1809 with 120 officers and men, the only survivor being a drummer boy. Smuggling was a regular, and often necessary, way of life in these parts, and if you walk to one of the nearby coves, you'll be treading the paths of the coastguards and Preventive men.
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) stationed a lifeboat at Coverack in 1901 following the wreck of the SS 'Mohegan'. A boat house with a slipway was built on the harbour. The all-weather lifeboat was withdrawn in May 1972 and replaced by a D-class inshore inflatable. The station was closed completely in March 1980 following the allocation of a faster boat to Falmouth Lifeboat Station.
You can enjoy a pasty and a pint at the hotel, named after a liner 'The Paris', which was stranded on the Manacles in 1899. There are also shops selling local crafts. The small church of St. Peter, built in 1885 for £500, has a serpentine pulpit, a gift from the old serpentine factory along the coast at Poltesco.
In 1956 the government built a bomb proof nuclear bunker named RAF Treliever on the outskirts of the village, but it was abandoned only two years later for already being outdated.
Time your visit right and you'll catch some of Coverack's many events. The Coverack Singers perform in the village hall and there are beach barbecues, an annual carnival, regatta and lifeboat day. Art Club exhibitions and harbour-side displays.
In July 2017 the village was severely flooded after heavy storms in the area. About 50 properties were damaged and roads were swept away, and although people had to be rescued nobody was hurt.
Coverack Carnival - Mid July
Coverack Regatta - Mid August
Coverack RNLI Lifeboat Day - End August
Christmas Day Swim - Every year on Christmas Day, all the local villagers and many holiday makers turn out to watch volunteers go swimming in the harbour in aid of charity. This tradition has gone on for nearly 50 years and raised thousands of pounds for Cancer Research.
Cadgwith Lizard Peninsula Coverack Youth Hostel St. Keverne The Coastal Footpath