Thank you to Natural England for supporting geocaching in this Site of Special Scientific Interest and for allowing us to place our Arthur cache here.
Goonhilly Downs was at one time the largest satellite earth station in the world. It ceased operation in 2008 and is currently undergoing refurbishment. Check out their website for updated information about the visitor centre. Arthur was the world's first example of an open parabolic dish and the first of 60 to be constructed on Goonhilly Downs. Built in 1962 to link with the satellite Telstar and to receive the first live transatlantic television broadcasts from the United States, Arthur is 29.5 metres in diameter and weighs 1118 tonnes. It is now a Grade 2 listed structure and therefore protected. Other dishes were named after characters from Arthurian legend including Merlin, Guinevere and Lancelot. The land around the earth station became Cornwall's first nature reserve. Ancient burial mounds and a 5,000 year old standing stone can be seen as well as many rare orchids and other plants in this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.