Lost Gardens of Heligan: Part I

I was really excited when I learnt that from October 1^st you can take your dog with you to the Lost Gardens of Heligan. It was only a few miles from our week long Cornish retreat and was on my list of desired places to visit, but I wouldn’t have made it on this occasion if we couldn’t take Jade.

Lost no longer, over the last 20 years, these gardens have been extensively restored and returned to their former glory around the 400 year old seat of the Tremayne family not far from the coastal village of Megavissey. And we are lost in admiration of the dedication and passion it must have taken.

As we had Jade with us, we decided to take the woodland walk as soon as we entered. This meandering path cuts through the woods which skirt the edge of the estate and form the shelterbelt for the house and gardens. The wood is home to some small Heligan pigs that help to keep the ground clear.  They are contained behind a low electric fence which we were warned to keep Jade away from.

 The other side of the path has been decorated with some fascinating garden sculptures, all well in keeping with their surroundings. Here is the first, the rather scary Giant’s Head.

The next one is the reclining Mud Maiden. She just wouldn’t fit into my camera lense, but I got most of her to show you. The head is a bit unclear but you can see a hip, thigh and waist as well as a shoulder and arm.

The final one is the grey lady. She’s a bit of a giant too. Made of wire, you can look right through her to the trees behind, so she’s quite hard to see in the photo. Everything was in silhouette so I’ve added a lot of light to try and make it easier to make her out.

She stands close to the end of the woodland walk and was inspired by a ghostly grey wraith said to haunt this area of the estate. The sculptors of all these were Sue and Pete Hill. The grey lady is a recent addition and has been planted with wild roses.

After this bit of the walk we headed down a steep hill into the hollow that houses the jungle. That calls for another post so our memorable visit to the Lost Gardens of Heligan will be a series on here.