The Lost Gardens of Heligan

A cloudy, damp day, so ideal for visiting and wandering through the stunning "Lost Gardens" (www.heligan.com). Originally planned, planted and developed by the Tremayne family from 1770 through 1914, the gardens fell into dereliction, and disappeared after the Great War.

Rejuvenated and restored in the 1990s, the gardens now flourish under a staff of some 26 trained and qualified gardeners and horticulturalists. A national treasure, the gardens contain some breath-taking and unique living sculptures.









No sign of Peter or Mr McGregor!



Just as well we 'gardened' in the morning, because our trip down to St Mawes during the afternoon was in the rain. Somehow it was a fitting backdrop for the castle, built by Henry VIII in anticipation of Spanish aggression.



Nothing better to raise the spirits than a little unintentional humour in St Just of Roseland. Nestled away in a palmtree-filled churchyard, the church dates back to 1260

Farewell North coast, hello South

The next morning, Monday, broke cloudy and grey. Time to leave Padstow, and head south.



Brighter weather beckoned us, as we descended into the small fishing village of Mevagissey. Narrow streets lead to the harbour . . .



. . . . filled with brightly coloured fishing boats, and surrounded by houses clinging to the sides of the hills. All very attractive, belying the hard trade plied by generations of Cornish fishermen.





Beautiful to look at, but the Cornish coast is totally unforgiving for unwary sailors, as the Spanish Armada discovered to their loss.

Deep into the West Country, the North Coast

After the gentility of Wiltshire, we headed on down through Somerset and on into Devon to visit with Sam's twin, Andrew. Just in time for tea and cake, a welcome break and sustinence for our onward journey into Cornwall. Our destination Padstow, where we booked for two nights into the Metropole hotel overlooking the Camel Estuary. It was good to be off the road.



The next day took us exploring the local area, and visiting Port Isaac in search of Doc Martin . . . but not home! Pretty though the village is, even this time of year there were loads of tourists gawking into peoples houses, looking for some of the familiar TV series characters perhaps. Can't imagine how it must be living there.




So we continued on through to the next fishing village, Port Gaverne, for coffee at the local hotel.


Coninuing our touring, past rolling farmland against a backdrop of the sea . . .



. . .and onto Tintagel, site of King Arthur's fabled Medieval castle, now only the ruins remaining on the headland . . .



. . . turn around to see surely the ugliest building (the King Arthur Hotel, built 1899), but serving the best Cornish cream tea on the terrace overlooking the scene, So the best of both worlds.

En route to Cornwall

Back in our 'second home', and this time the intention is to head to the West Country, down to Cornwall, a county we have never visited before.
Cornwall, land of rugged coasts, hidden fishing villages, smugglers of old, tin mines, independent minds, and Doc Martin.

But a welcome break on the way, to visit with Graham and Judy in Biddestone (Chippenham) Wiltshire, land of Jane Austen, English Georgian gentility, quiet villages with old stone houses, duck ponds, village greens and pubs.



and stone stiles.



. . . and speaking of pubs . . . where else should one have dinner?