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Wild Flowers of the Cornish Valleys and Lizard Peninsula
Tour Code: GBR30A 4-day tour to discover the rich flora of Cornwall's Lizard Peninsula and the Cornish valleys - Britain's southernmost point.
£895 (land only)
Highlights
Tour Itinerary and Reports
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Summary
The Lizard Peninsula is renowned as being among the top four botanical sites in the UK due to its southerly aspect and the unique composition of its geology. During our 3-night stay we’ll explore maritime grazed heathland and pasture, sheltered sandy coves, impressive cliffs and inland acid habitats in search of botanical treasures, from diminutive clovers to stately Tree-mallows. Our botanical forays will include Lizard Point, a ramble along the coastal path from Kynance Cove and the outcrops of mineral-rich serpentine rocks in this area, which harbour a variety of unusual plant species. In early June many of the flowers should be at their best, and though the focus of this short break is on plant-life, we will also enjoy birds and other wildlife as we make our leisurely daily excursions.
- Scenic coastal walks with picturesque harbours
- Rare clovers including Long-headed, Upright and Twin-headed
- Beautiful flower-studded coves and valleys
- Breeding Choughs at Lizard Point
- Rare plants and migrant birds in secluded Cornish valleys
Grading
Generally easy day walks with some steep slopes on coastal paths.The Lizard peninsula points like a finger out into the English Channel, south of Helston. It is renowned as being amongst the top four botanical sites in the UK due to its southerly aspect and the unique composition of its geology. The headland consists of large areas of maritime grazed heathland and pasture, sheltered sandy coves, impressive cliffs and inland acid heath.
During our three-night stay we will explore all these habitats in search of their botanical treasures from the diminutive clovers to the stately Tree-mallows. On one day we will start with a search of the tide-line for maritime species at Gunwalloe Church Cove and visit the inland heath at Goonhilly Down before moving on to Lizard Point where we will take a short walk to the east along the cliff path. On another we will take a longer ramble along the coastal path from Kynance Cove to the small botanically rich Gew Graze valley below Kynance Farm. Here we will be especially seeking the curious outcrops of mineral-rich rock known as serpentine which harbour many of the more unusual species. Similarly a walk south from Cadgwith should prove rewarding.
Outline Itinerary
What's Included?
- Accommodation:
Accommodation will be in a comfortable hotel. All rooms have private facilities. Evening meals will be in an adjacent inn. Single occupancy rooms available at a supplementary cost.
- Food: Breakfast and evening meals are included in the tour price but lunches are not included.
Dates & Prices
2026
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[description] => Botanical Tours – See Wild Flowers with our Expert Botanical Guides
There are few more pleasing sights in the natural world than a meadow filled with wildflowers. Seeing plants in their native habitat is always exciting and our flower tours offer you an incredible choice, from dazzling tropical blooms and the thrill of finding elusive orchids or delicate alpines, to seeing island endemics or British flora. Our tours range from week-long holidays focusing on the ‘Alpine flowers of the Swiss Alps’, the ‘Italian Dolomites’ and the ‘Alpine Flowers of Slovenia’s Julian Alps’, to orchid-hunting on Italy’s Gargano Peninsula and searching for the Autumn Plants of Greece’s Peloponnese. We also visit more remote areas of the world in search of plant-life, from the Tien Shan Mountains of Kazakhstan where we look for wild tulips, to the rainforests and spiny deserts of Madagascar where over 80% of the flora is endemic.
Many of us want to know more about the plants we see around us. Whether inspired by an appreciation of the aesthetic appeal of flowers, or a more focused desire to identify individual species, everyone with an interest in botany will derive pleasure from joining one of Naturetrek’s flower tours.
Why choose Naturetrek’s botanical holidays?
- All our botanical holidays are led by expert botanist guides
- All levels of interest and expertise are catered for, from hobby gardeners and complete beginners to keen botanists who wish to explore a new area with the help of a knowledgeable leader
- We keep the overall focus on flora, though expert guidance is also given on other wildlife
What can I expect on a typical Naturetrek botanical holiday?
- Travel with a group of like-minded people
- Stay at a comfortable hotel or lodge, close to an area of outstanding botanical interest
- Enjoy a series of leisurely day excursions with ample time to appreciate the local flora
In addition to our dedicated flower tours, we also offer holidays with a wider theme to encompass birds, butterflies and other aspects of natural history as well as the flora. Our spring tours to 'Crete' and ‘The Island of Cyprus’ are both timed to allow us to enjoy the botanical highlights as well as the spring bird migration, whilst ‘Croatia and Slovenia – Spring in Istria’ also allows time to enjoy a little of the local culture. ‘Romania – the Wildlife of Transylvania’ combines an appreciation of the flora of the Carpathian Mountains with birding, butterflying and a trip to look for Brown Bears from a purpose built hide, and our holidays in both the ‘French Pyrenees’ and the ‘Spanish Pyrenees’ combine birds, butterflies and botany throughout the week.
Our specialist recommends...
David Tattersfield - Tour Leader
Short Break Wildlife Holidays
Among our programme is a significant range of short breaks, designed specially for those wishing to enjoy some of Europe’s top natural history highlights at the best time of year. All of these holidays have the bonus of being short-haul and supported by like-minded wildlife enthusiasts.
Naturetrek Short Break Wildlife Tours
Short breaks are becoming increasingly popular and in response to the high demand for this type of holiday we are continuing to increase our programme both within the UK and abroad. Most of our short breaks are within Europe, for convenience of travel.
For some of our mini-breaks there is an option to travel by plane or train, and we offer a choice of duration and type of break, from a weekend’s birdwatching in the Somerset Levels to a 6-day whale watching tour in the Azores.
A selection of our UK short breaks:
- A winter bird watching break in Norfolk
- An autumn holiday to enjoy the Red Deer rut in Ardnamurchan, Scotland
- A wildlife weekend in the New Forest
A selection of our overseas short breaks:
- In Spain we look for the world’s rarest cat, the Iberian Lynx
- Wolves on the plains in rural northern Spain
- An exploration of La Brenne’s exceptionally rich butterfly-life in northern France
Our specialist recommends...
"We offer two superb short breaks to the lovely island of Madeira in search of whales, dolphins and seabirds. It’s hard to beat our Just Brown Bears trip for families, while if you fancy something off the beaten track, try Estonia in Early Spring for some excellent spring birdwatching."
Paul Stanbury - Operations Manager
Flight-free Wildlife Holidays
At Naturetrek we make full use of the Eurostar rail service through the channel tunnel, and of the ferry routes between England’s south coast and France and Spain, to offer a range of ‘flightless’ wildlife holidays in Belgium, Holland, France and Spain. In addition, we also offer the widest selection of wildlife holidays within the UK, none of which require a flight to participate in. Therefore, if you prefer not to fly, for whatever reason, we have a range of varied and exciting wildlife holidays for you to choose from, and we are committed to regularly adding more.
It is also the case that many of our other holidays within Europe are also accessible by rail. Generally, where there’s a will, there’s a way, and we’d be pleased to offer advice to anybody who wishes to join any of our tours within Europe by a means other than flying!
Our specialist recommends...
Kerrie Porteous - Operations Manager
Prefer to Travel in a Private Group?
For any interested natural history club or society, we can arrange for a private departure of this tour.
Enquire
Why Naturetrek?
At Naturetrek we craft expertly-guided group and tailor-made wildlife holidays and cruises to all seven continents. On one of our holidays, you can be assured that our passionate team will enable you to experience and enjoy the best of the world's wildlife and natural spectacles in as comfortable and rewarding a manner as possible, caring as best we can for the environment in the process. We are proud to provide:
- The widest choice of wildlife holidays worldwide
- Tours managed and led by naturalists, for naturalists
- Outstanding value and exceptional customer service
Furthermore, as a Naturetrek client, our office team are always to on hand to help you – so if you have any queries about your holiday, whether before or after you have booked, we will be delighted to answer them on the phone. Please just give our team a call!
