Spring spruce up round The Lizard

Digger in to repair the car park surface

The last few months have been a busy time for the practical team on The Lizard. After finishing off important winter habitat management work and all the vegetation 'cut backs' on the coast path in the New Year, the race was on to prepare for the busy summer season.

So what have we been up to?

'The Aerator'

The first job on the list was to repair the car parks and roads for what turned out to be a very busy Easter. 

The Kynance toll road sees lots of traffic each year which has a huge impact on the road, in terms of 'wear and tear'. This year the toll road needed a good few lorry loads of tar to repair pot holes and resurface the damaged sections.

Aerating the grassy sections of car park

The grass car park suffers a little from the high number of cars which compact the surface making it hard for the grass to grow. One of our contractors spent a day aerating and reseeding the grass sections of the car park, breathing a bit of life back into the surface and hopefully allow the grass a chance to develop stronger roots. 

Replacing the oak posts

Down at Lizard Point we’ve been busy working on the footpaths to improve access.

The oak safety fence that runs alongside the coast path at the Point was installed over 20 years ago and has lasted well, despite the amazing weather it must have experienced and the thousands of people that must have leant on it to admire the view. 

However, it was starting to show its age a little so over the past few weeks we have replaced the oldest section digging out 34 of the posts - It doesn’t sound like a big job but whoever had installed the fence originally had meant it to last, all the posts being set into very hard concrete. So for a few weeks Lizard Point rang with the sound of volunteers and staff breaking the concrete out by hand with bars and spades before installing the new oak posts and stainless steel wires. The new fence is now finished and looks great. 

New fence posts in place

Alongside this work, the paths to the Point have been widened in places before being swept of loose material and dusted with a fine surface coating making them easier to walk on.We've also been installing steps and improving drainage as well as simple jobs like cutting back brambles and vegetation to improve views which make such a difference.

Over the summer months we’ll be continuing to work hard maintaining and improving access to all across The Lizard, in the hope that more people can get out there and enjoy it! 

- Martin