Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station

Dire! This was my worst day out of a weeks holiday to Cornwall. It all looked promising on the brochures but when you get there you pay your seven pounds admission to find that the really interesting stuff is an extra six pounds!. For your initial seven pounds you get a restaurant, a shop, a huge kids play area and then an information area that tells you nothing you couldnt find in 15 minutes on the internet. I felt like they were telling us that for our seven pounds we now have the right to spend more money at their shop and restaurant, the former of which sells mainly the same cheap souvenirs we found all over the county. I would have liked to have gone ...  Read the complete review

Our visit to Goonhilly was a HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT. It's all a pretty amateurish set up. At the desk I asked for tickets to the 'full experience' and all we got was a look round some very static exhibits and a very rushed tour of the site. Two of the main attractions in the site's publicity are a tour of Arthur, a huge satellite dish and a ride on a Segway. These, it seems are £5 extra for the Arthur tour and £12 (yes, £12) for a play on a Segway. Haveing seen these were missing from our 'full experience' tickets, I asked a member of the guide staff about them. Oh, they're extra, I was told. Fine, but without any interest or even help as to where I might source ...  Read the complete review

Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station is the largest earth station in the world and has been in existence since 1962. It occupies over 160 acres of the magnificent Lizard Peninsula and has over 60 dishes, 25 of which are still in use. Goonhilly is able to transmit to anywhere in the world via space and the site also links to undersea fibreoptic cable lines. It really is one of the most spectacular tourist attractions in Cornwall, attracting around 80,000 people per year. The site is owned by British Telecom (BT) and is opened to visitors throughout the year who are able to explore the story of international communications via the visitor centre and shuttle bus ...  Read the complete review

Currently at Goonhilly internet cafe. There is a free bus ride to the Control tower and round the various antenna - named after King Arthur and his knights, Guinevere, etc. One was first used on Blue Peter, so has a Blue Peter badge and is grade 2 listed. Good access for buggies/wheelchairs, except in the Control Tower which has steep steps. Can ride a Segway for an extra £5 per person and go up an antennae to see the dish close up for £3 extra per person. Robert, my boyfriend and his friend Richard had a go on the Segways and they stated they were brilliant. I videoed their second go on them the next day, but would have loved to have had a go. Participants ...  Read the complete review

You?re on Holiday in Cornwall and its raining. What can you do? If you?re near the Lizard Peninsula then you could do worse than visit the Goonhilly Earth Station, the largest satellite station on Earth. Goonhilly was opened in 1962 with one satellite dish, called Arthur, who was built to track the Telstar satellites. The first programs received by Arthur where relayed from the USA to the UK via the Telstar satellites in orbit. Goonhilly was also one of the major contributors in bringing the pictures of the moon landing to over 600 million people worldwide. The site is owned by BT and they will make sure you know this before you leave! ...  Read the complete review