Cornish Riviera Guides
Cornwall's leading partnership of
Blue Badge Tourist Guides
Please note that no responsibility can be taken for the content of linked sites !
The
Eden Project at Bodelva (Official Web Site)
Situated in a former china clay pit just over a mile from here, Eden's massive 'biomes' first opened to the public (on schedule) in March 2001 and attracted nearly 2 million visitors in its first year.
Is it really the "eighth wonder of the world", or at least of St Austell? Come and judge for yourself - even Tony Blair has ventured this far away from Islington to see how a millennium project should be run!
If you can't make it to Bodelva just yet, or you have already been and want to keep up to date with happenings at the project, why not pay a visit to Keith Martin's excellent unofficial Eden Web Site which is updated almost daily with up to the minute photos and news stories.
Photos by Keith Martin, July 2000 ... & .... Rene Beamond, July 2001
Hestercombe
Gardens, near Taunton
A unique and dramatic combination of an 18th century ravine garden, a Victorian Garden and one of the best formal Edwardian gardens ever designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and planted by Gertrude Jekyll. The welcome is warm and the catering is good so why not break your motorway journey here rather than at one of those service areas?
The 'temporary' residence of the Acland family is, together with the surrounding hillside garden, now owned by the National Trust. A visit to the Bear's House and the splendid Chapel are real musts. The link above is to the current national Trust website for up to date details of events, charges and opening times, but click here for their old site which has some great pictures as well as more info on the gardens and details of other walks on the estate.
With all the press & TV coverage over the past ten years, not to mention being voted by "Gardeners World" the top garden in the UK for 2002, Tim Smit's first major Cornish project needs no introduction.
Whether it's for a preview of what there is to see there or as a reminder of an enjoyable visit to Flora's Green, the Jungle or the Lost Valley, this site offers a gallery of photos as well as a web cam.
One of the most delightful "stately homes" of Cornwall, a visit to this 'lived in' house and its magnificent gardens is a real must. Still owned and run by Lady Molesworth-St. Aubyn, you are assured of a warm welcome ... and entering down the mile long drive through the rhododendrons is just like Daphne du Maurier's description of the driveway to Menabilly - "Manderley" in 'Rebecca'.
Pine
Lodge Gardens, St Austell
Think that it's just pines ? Think again! A real treat at any time of the year, this gardener's paradise on the eastern outskirts of St Austell by Shirley and Ray Clemo always receives rave reviews so is well worth a visit. Sadly there are no Geisha girls serving tea in the new Japanese Garden yet ... but Ray's working on it!
This sub-tropical valley garden with its splendid views over the Helford is, like so many Cornish gardens, at it's best in the Spring but it has more to offer than most at other times of year. Laid out by a member of the Fox family with great care and forethought during the early nineteenth century, it became rather neglected during the mid 20th century but, thanks to the work of Major Hibbert and the Trebah Gardens Trust, it is now back to its former glory.
Created by Augustus Smith some 150 years ago, these idyllic gardens are surrounded by a shelter belt of tall trees to keep out the high winds and sea spray. Starting with a walled area around the old monastic ruins, the gardens were progressively expanded as the shelter belt grew to embrace a total of 17 acres on a variety of levels and be home so some 20,000 plants, many of which can only be found indoors elsewhere in the country.
Click here for more photos of the April 2003 Tresco tour
there's no substitute for local knowledge !
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Last updated 27/01/2005
