The Lost Gardens of Heligan: Cornwall, UK

The mysterious and romantic estates of the prestigious Tremayne family in England included a garden that was genuinely lost until 25 years ago. Don't ask me how 200 acres of land was misplaced in such a small country, but this is how the story goes.

Apparently there was so much overgrowth that no one saw the entrance. I guess this makes sense, I mean we are talking about plants here. Check out the full story in the above link.

We ended up visiting the gardens because Amanda's parents were avid gardeners and we already happened to be in Cornwall at the time. (See my previous post about the Minack Theatre)

Lounging on a tree branch on the garden path

The gardens are essentially on a very long path that twists and turns in a seemingly endless labyrinth. If you are going to go, be prepared for a nice long walk! We actually brought along a wheelchair for my father-in-law which he refused to use, so we all took turns riding in it. I felt a bit like a jackass sitting in it, but it got really annoying carrying it and pushing it around with no one in it.

The best part about the whole thing to me, being someone who really isn't that big on gardens, was the awesome walk through the forest. Basically this whole thing feels like a giant well groomed forest with some really well composed plant-life.

The entrance to the gardens

There are a lot of really gorgeous flowers and plants along the way.

My favorite thing is the insane vines that grow all over everything. Some of the shapes these things make are really cool.

They also grow some food crops. I am not sure what they do with them. I think I remember there being a restaurant where they make food using the garden fruits and veggies, but my memory is not the best. I would definitely check out the Heligan website if you want to learn more about the extras.

I loved this creepy structure that is full of old farm tools. Check me out posing with a saw. I don't know what expression it is that I am trying to go with here.

There is also a lovely pond with lots of ducks swimming around. The wildlife around here don't seem much bothered by the people and they come pretty close to you.

I even learned something while there. Did you know that a Great Tit is precisely 14cm?

who knew?

I almost stepped on this little guy

The following are some more interesting flowers that I photographed. I especially like the unique color combinations on the first one.

Oh, and this may be my favorite thing that I saw along the path. Check out this amazing tree!

That seriously looks like a man to me. It is crazy how nature works.

This next tree was pretty neat as well. Look at the size of it next to Amanda. Granted, she is tiny, but it one fat, gnarly tree.

Check out the size of those leaves. It feels like being miniaturized.

Another cool feature we came across on our walk was this massive hedge maze.

Amanda's parents posing in front of the maze

We had a lot of fun walking through the maze trying to get to the structure in the center. Below, we are taking a picture of Amanda's mum trying to get to us. It was pretty funny. Her dad stayed on the outside, but eventually came in to rescue his wife, but that didn't go well.

I guess that's one way to make use of an old log!

So it turned out to be a pretty great outing. As I said, it's a long walk and great exercise. If you enjoy the outdoors as I do, this is a really great place to visit. Especially if you aren't great with uneven terrain since it's possible to walk the entire way on a paved path.

If ever in Cornwall, give it a visit!