The Lost Gardens of Heligan - 30 Photos

The weatherman promised me a bright sunshiny day. I know he didn't mean to lie but ... well, that's what Tammy Wynette used to sing and that's what happened when we booked a time to visit Cornwall's Lost Gardens of Heligan. It was supposed to be sunny but it turned out quite cold with a sharp easterly wind and a colourless sky.

Such is life, but there were some wonderful rhododendrons on display at Heligan, as a consolation. 

Some of the rhododendron are very old. 

One specimen is claimed to be around 170 years old. It is thought to have been part of an 1851 expedition by Joseph Dalton Hooker.

Of course Heligan is not only rhododendrons, there are tulips and much more. 

We decided to head for the Jungle and the Lost Valley.

On our way there were a couple of lakes but nothing to get excited about.

We passed the Witches Hat. Actually it's a sculpture by the Cornish sculptor James Eddy. It is said to represent Growth & Decay.

Bamboo, now that's a bit more exotic, wonder what it is hiding.

A mixture of trees and ferns plus more rhododendrons in the background.

It's all getting a bit more mysterious.

Lots of Gunnera starting to grow now. I've heard some people describe it as giant rhubarb.

From the valley sides there are several places which lead down to small ponds or lakes. 

Here we are by a large pond and fern trees. You might be able to pick out some goldfish.

More water.

Heading into the Jungle's Fern Gulley - 3 photos.

Out of the jungle - more rhododendrons and also camellias.

Once out of the jungle refreshments are available, though it was a bit too chilly for most people to sit outside.

As we carried on walking we noticed the goose had found something of interest ...

... but it all got a bit confusing in the next photo.

The turkey was showing off his favourite finery. Actually there's something about turkeys that give me the collywobbles. Perhaps it's just because I'm vegetarian.

Ah, but the lamb gave me a nice smile. There are usually more farm animals to see.

From the animals we made our way to the Sundial Garden. A few other people had the same idea.

We found a seat and drank some of our coffee supply.

There is an unusual tree in the Sundial Garden - a Handkerchief Tree (Davidia Involucrata).

The tree originates from Szechwan in China and the seed was collected by Ernest Henry "Chinese" Wilson in 1905.

At the right time of the year the ball of small brown flowers flutter delicately in the wind - like silk pocket handkerchiefs.

We decided to make our way home, though there is still much more to see at the Lost Gardens of Heligan - and more rhododendrons.

All in all an interesting visit, even though we have visited Heligan many, many times.

See also Lost Gardens of Heligan - Voted UK's Top Visitor Garden.

The Peaceful Holy Well and Chapel at Menacuddle Cornwall

Today it's Menacuddle with its Holy Well and small chapel. I have previously covered this in an older post - see The Secretive Menacuddle Holy Well and Chapel, Cornwall - but its appearance changes with the seasons.

It's now rhododendron time so lots of red and pink flowers. 

And a few yellow flowers as well.

I like wandering around the area, especially when there is no one else about, which mostly seems to be the case on the occasions I have visited. It seems to be off the tourist trail.

There is a small lake, though it has a green topping at the moment.

It's very pleasant to sit and just enjoy. A while back I brought one of my wife's German relations here and she was fascinated by the Holy Well. She filled a large bottle with the water to take back to Germany. She now looks twenty years younger - okay, I lied about the last bit!

As I have written previously the Holy spring water was once held in high regard for its curative powers. Sick children were regularly bathed here and the Victorians recommended the drinking of its salubrious fluid. It was also used to treat ulcers. 

Anyway, I wandered back through the gardens.

There's a picnic area, all on it's lonesome.

The small chapel below is where the holy well lives.

Here's a better photo of the small chapel I snapped a while back, from a different angle. As I mentioned earlier Menacuddle changes with the seasons.

Details of how to find Menacuddle can be seen on my Post : The Secretive Menacuddle Holy Well and Chapel, Cornwall


Thanks for visiting my blog, good wishes ~ Mike.

A Short Walk and Finding New Houses to be Built at Charlestown, Cornwall

You'll see the details of the new homes at Charlestown, as mentioned in the heading, later in the post.

Firstly, a neighbour asked if we had ever walked the Public Footpath from near Sea Road, at Carlyon Bay, to Carlyon Beach. We hadn't so we thought  we'd take a look.

The start of the footpath is per the photo above, but I couldn't see how it could possibly lead to Carlyon Bay. It all looked quite pleasant so we walked the path to see where we ended up.

We passed some fields and a gate. The sky was blue so what not to like.

Some nice houses along the edge of the path.

We then saw the tall chimney, so it was obvious where we were heading -  Charlestown!

The path carried on alongside a few more houses ...

... with the hills in the background.

And then we saw the large placard giving details of 15 luxury houses to be built at Charlestown - the smaller houses starting at £495,000. 

You can see details of the houses and a video here. 

As regular readers will know the harbour wall at Charlestown is currently undergoing some repairs. 

There were quite a few people walking about in Charlestown, now that the coronavirus rules have been eased.

Mmmmm, a house in Charlestown does sound tempting!

That's about all for today, all good wishes.