Trebah Gardens in Cornwall

Visiting Trebah Gardens was one of the highlight of our November trip to Cornwall. I am big fan of Cornwall in Winter and have previously written about discovering the quieter side of Cornwall in Winter.  

Cornwall can be such a busy place to be in the summer, as so many of us seek its golden sandy beaches and aquamarine seas. Although I adore Cornwall in the warmer months, in Winter it has a calmer feel and as a tourist I also feel less intrusive visiting its smaller villages and towns at this time of year. Visiting places such as Trebah Gardens is also calmer and quieter, and of course much less crowded.

We visited Trebah Gardens towards the end of November, on a day when the weather was typically changeable.  We were bathed in autumnal sunshine one moment and sheltering from the rain the next.

The Gardens

The Garden covers an area of 26 acres with over 4 miles of footpaths and beauty is revealed at each turn of this Cornish valley.  There is something almost otherworldly about these gardens. There are canopies filled with exotic, almost tropical plants, the rain gave them an extra mysticism shrouding them in a haze silvery droplets.

In this sub tropical garden, the watery November sunshine brought out the celebratory autumn colours, perhaps for one of the last times before winter properly set in. Many of the plants and trees were dressed in  hues of burnished gold,deep red, and bronze.

The gardens were beautifully quiet and at times, we felt we almost had them to ourselves.  The gardens are made up of many rooms and it is lovely to wander from one to the next. The huge Hydrangea valley even had the odd flowering hydrangea in November, I can only imagine what these massed blooms would look like when in flower in the summer.

Huge champion trees tower over the garden. The largest in England have been recorded here. These are the trees that really add to the jungle feel of the gardens.

The water garden is especially beautiful and the trickling and cascading water gives a real sense of calm and peacefulness. We walked slowly through this part of the garden crossing backwards and forward on the paths over the water

Other paths wind up and down the garden and there are many places to stop and look down on the plants and breathe in the scents and sounds.

The picturesque Mallard Pond is thought to be Trebah’s most iconic view.  After you have finished admiring the large fish which swim near to the surface, you eye is unavoidably led to the bridge at the far end of the pond.  It is painted pale blue to ensure its reflection is seen in the water. It has something of the bridge in Monet’s garden in Giverney, the only difference being it is much less crowded and very easy to take pictures of without hoards of tourists – at least when we were there anyway!

If you are planning a visit, it would be worth looking at The Year In Flower section on the Trebah Garden website to plan your visits. I would love to return again to this tranquil place when it is filled with summer flowers or in the the spring when the Magnolias are at their best.

Polgwidden Cove

At the bottom of the garden is the sheltered and secluded Polgwidden Cove situated on the Helford river and in an area of outstanding beauty.  This little cove is filled with history.  It was used for thousands of years for fishing, farming, and collecting oysters. In 1850 a boathouse was constructed on the west side of the beach but during WW11 it was dynamited when the cove was selected as a D-Day embarkation point.  On 1st June 1944, 7500 American troops from the 29th US Infantry Division embarked onto newly constructed jetties which allowed the 100m flat-bottomed landing craft to moor. This was known as Operation Overlord, and became the biggest amphibious landing in history.

Today it is a lovely place to be quietly by the sea.  There are gorgeous views across the Helford river and from the end of March you can buy ice creams from the little beach house cafe.

Extras

My criteria for most visits is that they must have a cafe and a shop. Trebah Gardens has both, and both are very good.  The cafe is large, has a good outdoor area for when the sun shines.  It serves good coffee (another essential), plenty of sweet laden treats and lunch too.  If I were a local I could imagine coming here just for the cafe!

The gift shop is also very good, and visiting in late November it was a good place for some Christmas shopping. The shop prides itself on its large range of locally sourced products and sells books and toys, toiletries, food and a whole range of  fripperies and pretty things in which to adorn yourself and your house.

CURRENT OPENING HOURS

The garden is open Saturday to Wednesday from 10am and closed on Thursdays and Fridays.