The Lizard Peninsula is the southernmost point of mainland Great Britain, a rugged headland in Cornwall, England, where the English Channel meets the Atlantic Ocean. Its dramatic coastline is studded with remote coves, sea caves, and windswept cliffs that have made it a historically significant — and notoriously dangerous — stretch of water for seafarers for centuries. The peninsula's name is believed to derive from a Cornish term, and it has been known as "the Lizard" since at least the 13th century, according to local historical tradition. The area's isolation and geography made it a favored haunt of smugglers and wreckers in earlier centuries. Gates traveled here in Season 12 to meet treasure hunters who believe the legendary pirate Henry Every may have buried looted treasure somewhere along this coastline, guided by clues in a centuries-old letter passed down through a Cornish merchant family.
The Lizard Peninsula is recorded by that name, according to local historical tradition — its earlier Cornish-language origins are older still.
Henry Every — the pirate whose alleged buried treasure Gates investigates — disappears from historical record after his notorious career raiding Mughal shipping in the Indian Ocean.
According to a letter examined on camera, Every is said to have "landed or was shipwrecked near the Lizard" on his return from India and buried three chests of treasure in "the sands of the seashore" — though this account's authenticity is unverified.
Gates films S12E04 of Expedition Unknown at the Lizard Peninsula, joining treasure hunters Tyrone Leech, Adam Cochrane, and Rob Jenner to investigate the letter's claims.
The Lizard Peninsula's remote coves and treacherous offshore waters made it one of Cornwall's most historically significant coastal stretches. For centuries it was associated with shipwrecks — both accidental and, according to local legend, deliberately lured by "wreckers" who would use false lights to ground vessels and plunder their cargo. This culture of maritime salvage and smuggling gives the landscape a rich, if murky, historical backdrop that lends at least atmospheric plausibility to tales of pirates choosing it as a hiding place.
Henry Every — sometimes spelled Avery — is a genuinely fascinating figure in the history of piracy. He rose to infamy in the 1690s after capturing the Mughal Emperor's treasure ship Ganj-i-Sawai in the Indian Ocean, one of the most lucrative pirate raids on record. What happened to Every and his enormous haul afterward is genuinely unknown; he vanished from the historical record around 1696, and his fate and fortune remain unresolved. Historians have proposed various theories about where he went, and Cornwall has occasionally been mentioned in connection with his disappearance, though no mainstream scholarly consensus places him — or his treasure — at the Lizard.
The letter examined on the episode, which the treasure hunters believe was transcribed from an original Every document and passed down through a Cornish merchant family, is an intriguing artifact but is treated cautiously by careful investigators. The presence of added marginalia — notes and question marks from apparent earlier searchers — suggests the document has been interpreted and re-interpreted over generations, which complicates any claim to its authenticity or precision. No named document expert or historian provides on-camera verification in the available transcript evidence.
Gates' episode frames the investigation with appropriate skepticism — he calls the initial claim "a bold claim" and presses the team on where the letter came from and who wrote it. The episode explores whether this document can genuinely lead to a buried pirate fortune, but the available evidence does not confirm any definitive find. As with many Gates investigations into buried treasure, the journey raises compelling questions that the historical record, so far, cannot definitively answer.
Lizard Point is the southernmost point of mainland Great Britain — further south than any other point on the British landmass.
The peninsula's name is believed to derive from a Cornish-language term, with the area recorded under that name since at least the 13th century according to local historical tradition.
Henry Every's raid on the Mughal treasure ship Ganj-i-Sawai in the 1690s is considered one of the most profitable pirate attacks in history — making the question of what happened to his fortune genuinely compelling to historians.
The Lizard's coastline was so notorious for shipwrecks that it gave rise to enduring legends of Cornish "wreckers" — people said to lure vessels onto rocks with false lights to plunder their cargo, though historians debate how widespread this practice actually was.
The Lizard Peninsula is generally accessible to visitors and is a popular destination within the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The southernmost tip — Lizard Point — is openly accessible, and the coastal path around the peninsula offers dramatic cliff-top walking. Visitors should check current weather and coastal conditions before venturing near cliff edges, as the exposed Atlantic coastline can be unpredictable.
Falmouth, Cornwall, is approximately 12–15 miles north of the Lizard Point, and serves as the nearest town of meaningful size. Truro, the county city of Cornwall, is roughly 20 miles to the northeast.
Late spring through early autumn (May to September) generally offers the most favorable weather for exploring the coastal paths, though even summer visits can bring Atlantic squalls. Avoiding peak summer weekends will make the more popular viewpoints feel less crowded.
Whydah Pirate Museum, Yarmouth
The Whydah Pirate Museum focuses on another famous Golden Age pirate, Black Sam Bellamy, connecting it thematically to Gates' broader investigations into pirate treasure and maritime history.
Neahkahnie Mountain
Neahkahnie Mountain is another Gates investigation into buried treasure guided by cryptic markings and local legend, making it a natural companion to the coded-letter treasure hunt at the Lizard.
Beeswax Wreck Beach (Santo Cristo de Burgos wreck site)
The Beeswax Wreck site involves a centuries-old shipwreck mystery on a remote coastline — echoing the Lizard's own history of shipwrecks and the possibility that Every landed or wrecked there on his return from India.