When I visited the Lizard Peninsula I was one midday at Dollar Cove a couple of miles north of Kynance Cove. Here the coast is entirely different. Just like at Blackchurch Rock in North Devon, the layers have tilted on the side due to movement of the earth’s crust. And the minerals are different with a blue colour of the stones contrasting to the more yellow on the cliffs on the side.
The name Dollar Cove comes from a ship that was lost nearby loaded with silver coins. But which ship? One source mentions the Spanish Ship San Salvador, which in 1669 was shipwrecked loaded with two tonnes of silver. Another source mentions the Spanish brig Rio Nova that in 1802 on its way from Malaga to London was lost on the coast here. It was loaded with nineteen thousand silver coins. And a third source, less specific, talks about a wreck in 1780. Finally a fourth source assures me that it was a Portuguese treasure ship that sank offshore in 1526! It is quite obvious that long before Trump introduced Fake News, facts about Dollar Cove were as contorted as the strata of the cliffs I photographed at the cove.
Outside the cove the waves rolled onto the beach and broke as they approached shallow water, offering surfing opportunities for the brave and skilful. When I finished capturing details in the rocks, I sat down on one of the sharp cliffs and switched to a tele lens and tried to capture the surfers.
The photos of the surfers where all taken from far away and enlarged quite a lot in Lightroom. It convinced me that I needed to buy a longer telephoto lens. Ah – you wondered where I got the money from? A walk at Dollar Cove at low tide is all that is needed! The spot is marked with an X on my secret treasure map, and I am willing to share the map against a suitable reward. There are enough silver dollars for all of us.