All walks › Cardiff and the Vale
Cardiff and the ValeLavernock Point
The headland where Marconi sent the first radio message over water, with a wildlife reserve on the cliff and Flat Holm offshore.
- Distance
- 2.8 mi / 4.5 km
- Time
- 1 hr 35
- Ascent
- 80 m
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Shape
- Circular
Where it is
The circle shows the general area, not the exact start. Use the directions link below to get to the car park itself. Contours and paths shown are OpenTopoMap, drawn from OpenStreetMap data.
The route
Paths cross the reserve to the clifftop and loop back through the scrub. Short with rough ground.
Worth knowing
- Marconi transmitted to Flat Holm from here in 1897, the first radio signal over open water.
- The reserve is grassland and scrub and is good for butterflies and migrant birds.
- The cliffs are unstable; keep back from the edge.
What you’ll see
The clifftop and reserve, Flat Holm and Steep Holm offshore, and the Somerset coast.
Background
Marconi’s message from Lavernock to Flat Holm in May 1897 read simply, are you ready.