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Monday, July 22, 2019

The Lost Gardens of Heligan and Mevagissey


Our next trip away was to Mevagissey and the Lost Gardens of Heligan which I have wanted to visit for a long time.
The campsite was virtually next door to the gardens and only a short walk away, which was just as well as the gardens cover 200 acres and we spent 7 hours walking them.

It also had a footpath and cycle route to Mevagissey and a bus service.

After  W W 1 the gardens became overgrown and unmanaged and were rejuvenated in the 1970's - the link tells you much more. 




As the estate had been in the same family for over 400 years the collection of plants and trees is unique and vast.








These flower meadows are a rare sight nowadays so to see this was a joy.






























Now only used by swallows!








We were lucky to have a dry day for the walk around the gardens but the walk into and around Mevagissey was a wet one.  But you cant let the rain stop you.








It's a small working Cornish fishing port, but if you wander away from the harbour and follow the small back streets it has a lot to offer.  










The climb up through the town is steep but well worth it for the views.








17 comments:

  1. I can't blame you for wanting to visit this garden, its amazing! Some of those plants look tropical and subtropical how on earth do they thrive in the northern latitudes? The meadow is also really lovely, and the town looks charming too...some of those villagers have a magnificent view off the hillside of the water. Glad you are doing some traveling! I have to be happy with day trips for a while.

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    1. It is a nice place Sondra, and is still a village because some other villages are just for holiday makers and are dead in the winter.
      Parts of the west coast of Britain are able to sustain sub tropical plants because of the Gulf Stream which keeps the real cold weather away. God help us if we loose it because we are are on a similar latitude to Newfoundland, as global warming changes the ocean currents as well.

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  2. Good stuff Dave, and a couple of places I know well! Mevagissey is a bit special isn't it - not as gaudy or big as Newquay, and not as busy as St Ives.
    Glad you gave Heligan a proper visit - a lot of people apparently 'do' Heligan and the Eden Project on the same day, doing neither justice, as both need a full day really to properly appreciate them.

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    1. Both places were great Mick, thoroughly enjoyed the visit. Anywhere like Heligan and the Eden Project needs time to go around because although we spent 7 hours there we did not see all of it. Your'e right about Mevagissey, I think they should do a guided route of the back streets and up to the top, because I bet not many bother to walk up there and there's so much to see.

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  3. Our favourite area in the days when we could travel the country and it looks like you thoroughly enjoyed yourselves. We caravanned for 20 years - how do do it, Dave?

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    1. Avus, our van is the nearest one in the first picture. We caravanned for many years, and then returned to a tent for a few years. We then got a camper and this is now the third, and last, one for us. Its more or less the same size as the Peugeot panel van, on which its based, so we can take it out during the day if we want. You can just about fit it into a car parking space. I didnt want to be towing again although that gives you the freedom of the car. But the van is roomy enough for the two of us and has all that we need.

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    2. I was wondering if that was your RV or a rental. Having the smaller vehicle is nice, you don't have to tow and it's not a pain to park. The tropical gardens are just amazing at your latitude. Your trip has been fun to follow.

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    3. Thanks Allison, and as you know our roads are narrow so a small RV is much more usable. With climate change and the oceans warming then the Gulf Stream could well change course, and things could become very different.

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  4. The variety of the gardens is wonderful.
    The town looks good, but better in the sun.

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    1. The gardens are well worth a visit Mr A, but they do cover a large area and there is a lot of walking. Yes its true that most things look better in the sun but we never let the weather get in the way of a day out. We tend not to go away during the main holiday season so we have to cope with whatever the weather throws at us.

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  5. Beautiful gardens and photos, I like when a property has been cared for by a family for a long time, i.e. 400 years.

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    1. Thanks Terra, its always good to see old places looked after and loved.

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  6. both nice places... we bought scallops on the quay at mevagissey :)

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    1. Its good that Mevagissey is still a working village and not just all holiday lets like Polperro.

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  7. It's about 15 years since I visited Heligan but I just loved it, even though I had a migraine most of the time wandering around. I remember watching the programme of the reclaiming of the gardens. The continuity of remaining in the same family shows, but so sad that many of the gardeners didn't return from the battlefields after WWI. I hope to go back some day. Thanks for the gorgeous photos. And we didn't get to Mevagissey so that's one for the bucket list next time.

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    1. Places like this Sian are always worth revisiting as things will have changed so much.

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As you have taken the time to read my blog and comment then whenever possible I will always reply. Thank you. Dave