Lost Gardens of Heligan - Found !

Another mottled grey, but dry morning. Though it is evident that there has been rain in the night. Blue patches keep opening up and the sun is trying it's best, but the clouds are sweeping rapidly eastwards to try and fill any rogue blue patch. The cockerels from the local farms have been clearing their throats since dawn, and the sea birds are riding the tide as it fights the river.

Managed to upload blogs for last couple of days... but will need a little post-production to add the photos and also to change the sequence particularly of the entries for 20/11, which got a little out of hand.

After a hearty breakfast we climbed the hill to the car park where we have had to leave the car. (The main disadvantage to spending time in Fowey). The plan for the day was to find "The Lost Gardens of Heligan". I'm not sure why they had been lost, as they were quite clearly shown on the map and on road signs.

Being late November, the gardens were not at their best, nor were they overrun with visitors. I'd be surprised if we saw more then 20 people the whole time we were there. So what were they like? Well they are split into two main sections; the North Gardens, which are more formal; and the Jungle and Lost Valley which are more naturalistic.

The gardens were started in the mid 1800's and flourished until the First World War. At the time of the war they went into decline, probably because most of the staff had volunteered to fight, and few had returned. The gardens became overgrown and eventually were retuning to nature. Over the past ten years people have had the vision to try and restore the gardens. This labour of love is ongoing, and must have been a gargantuan task, but today we can all benefit from the vision they guys had.


Livid Bark in a dense thicket of shrubs 

The North gardens surround a lawn. Everywhere you look are laurels and rhodedenrons. As you start to follow the path you walk through tunnels of foliage. It is quite eerie. Like being on the set of Lord of the Rings in the dark forest.


New Zealand themed area 

The gardens open up into a series of vistas, small ornamental gardens, and themed areas. At one end is the huge walled vegetable garden, next to the flower garden, and the greenhouses where they grew pineapples, melons, and peaches. Completing the tour of the north garden we visited an ornate Italianate garden, and wandered through and are known as the Ravine.


Italienate garden 

You can imagine that in spring, summer, or even early autumn it would be magnificent. However, in the damp flat grey of a November day it lacked that punch. It would, without doubt, warrant further trips at different times of year.

From the North gardens we made our way to the Jungle garden. The route led us through a woodland glade which had a number if bizarre sculptures growing out of the ground.


The Mud Sculpture Head 


The Mud Sculpture Reclining Figure. 

We then traversed a plantation of new young oak trees before the sight of the Jungle opened up in front of, what must have been, the main house.


Looking down the "jungle" valley from the top. 

This was just brilliant. The valley that ran away from the house had been extensively planted, and the stream that ran through the valley damned to form a number of ponds and small cascades.


Looking back up the valley towards the house from the first pond. 

A boardwalk had been provided to lead the visitor through the valley. Even in the grey of November, this was outstanding. One can only imagine what it is like on a bright summer day.


In the jungle 

For me, the Jungle was the highlight of the visit. Dense, lush planting of bananas, bamboo, chusan pine, sequoia, maple, yew, ferns, and gunnera filled the view in every direction. Greens juxtaposed against black, grey, and even red bark made you want to keep looking, yet at the same time move on to the next viewpoint.

We walked back to the main block by way of the wood project. This is where they handle their own timbers from trees felled within the property. They have their own saw for planking, an area for the wood to dry in stick, and even a kiln and small workshop. In the workshop they make most of the wooden items required in the gardens, and the very talented carpenter also makes some very fine furniture. One piece that particularly caught my eye was a pair of sycamore and toona side tables, beautifully crafted and finished.

We had a good time at Heligan, and then took a leisurely drive which led us to Veryan. This was a picture postcard village with some interesting round houses scattered in the village. We didn't stop, but it may deserve a further visit one day.

We were back at the hotel before five. The Silver Vixen read the paper and the Gorse Fox processed the day's photos.

In the evening we went down to the village and decided to eat at Sam's. This was the original restaurant that had been opened under the name, some 17 years ago. It has bistro-like feel, very informal, walls plastered with pop memorabilia, and a varied menu. We remember eating there with the girls some 10 or more years back. They are obviously doing well. Originally they used to close for 6 months of the year, but now stay open all but two weeks of every year - and are busy every day.