Doug started the walk by first telling the group some of the history of the airfield

RAF Predannack

The airfield, built on the bleak Lizard peninsula using 780 acres of rough heathland, was opened in May 1941 as a satellite for RAF Portreath. 247 Squadron arrived on June 18 and found things very primitive with most of the accommodation incomplete and the airfield a sea of mud and confusion. At first there was very little action for the Hurricanes but in August the Squadron commenced sweeps over France. 247’s first confirmed victory came in September when an He 111 was destroyed at night, but the main task remained intruder operations on which it was joined by 118 Squadron in December.

Predannack Airfield is routinely used for training purposes by helicopters from the Royal Navy. RNAS Culdrose is the Aerodrome Operator and responsible for actively managing and running the satellite airfield.^[

On the west side of the spectacular Lizard Peninsula, parts of the base away from the operational areas are in a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for its combination of botany (including orchids, Cornish heath, magic mushroom), zoology (including butterflies, and snakes notably the venomous common adder) and geology (bastite and serpentinite).^[3]