Visiting Tyneham

Today is a dull, rainy day but yesterday was gorgeous and sunny. When hubby asked me where I’d like to go for a trip out, I didn’t hesitate. I wanted to go to Tyneham Village, Then I had to make sure that it was open this weekend, and that dogs are welcomed there. Yes was the answer to both questions so off we went.

Pics by Jim Champion

Why did I want to see Tyneham? No-one lives there now, but until 1943 it was home to a number of Dorset families. In that year during World War II, at very short notice, they were all ordered to leave and the village and surrounding area was commandeered for troops preparing for Operation Overlord, the D Day landings in Normandy, France. They left believing they would be able to return after the war, but unlike those from the Slapton area in Devon which was similarly evacuated, they were never allowed to do so. (I know about Slapton as it is near where I was brought up. I believe there were other villages also evacuated in wartime, but Tyneham is the only one where families never had the option to return to their homes.)

The village now lies in the Lulworth tank firing ranges which are still owned by the UK’s Ministry of Defence. All the former dwellings were left to the ravages of nature but some passionate campaigners managed to maintain public access to the Tyneham’s nearby beach at Worbarrow Bay. At first this was only on public holidays and while you could drive to the village and park your car, the derelict buildings were off limits. 

But the campaigning continued and in 1979 a service was held in Tyneham’s Church of St Mary – the first for 36 years.

Now many of the buildings have been reclaimed from the undergrowth and there is a large car park between the village itself and Tyneham Farm. Although most of the cottages are just ruins, you can enter them and read signs about their former inhabitants. The old schoolhouse is laid out with poignant exhibits and a sign in the church includes the final entry in the school diary; “Closed the school today”.

There are also permitted walks on the range when it’s safe and the area is open, and from Tyneham there is a cart track to the beach and a woodland walk so Jade was happy and accommodated. The range walks are marked by the yellow postsyou can see in the photo, and you have to keep between them.

The area is very beautiful. On the way home we stopped at a high viewpoint with rolling green hills to the sea on one side and a distant vista of Poole harbour on the other. I can’t believe we’ve been living here for over 3 years and not found that before. We'll be back.

Lost Gardens of Heligan: Part III

Before we left the gardens, I was determined to see what was in the North Gardens area. Hubby had had enough but I had recharged my batteries in the café, so he agreed to take Jade back to the car and wait for me provided I wasn’t too long. I just had time for a quick gallop around, to see and take some photos of:

the ravine

the Italian garden

the flower garden, unfortunately looking somewhat bare in October

the crystal grotto, with its circular stone seat which only my camera

could see with its flash. It was pitch dark when I peeped in.

the northern summerhouse,

and its views out to sea.

In case you missed them, here are the links to my posts on the Lost Gardens of Heligan; Part I and Part II.

Wordless Wednesday: the Heligan Shepherd's Hut

Lost Gardens of Heligan: Part II

The jungle at Heligan has a board walk encircling and crisscrossing the water at its centre. The long hollow in which it sits is so sheltered from the British climate that it is possible for its tropical plants to survive and thrive, as you can see from my pictures.

 After feasting our eyes on them, we left the jungle before attempting to follow the very steep walk down to the bottom pond. (Fortunately for us old fogies all the steep bits were marked on the map we got with our entry tickets so we were able to avoid most of them.) We crossed a field that was labelled the East Lawn to reach the Sunken Lane which we followed down to the Lost Valley with trails beside a river. It also had interesting features such as charcoal kilns and a charcoal sculpture, plus a shepherds hut on wheels that was doubling as a bird hide. I took the picture of the odd shaped tree in my Wordless Wednesday post along the trail here.

By this time we had been on the move for nearly two hours and were beginning to feel it, so again we avoided the steeper paths and skirted the estate via the Georgian Ride till we arrived back at the Grey Lady and retraced our steps through the woodland walk to the exit. We were wearing stickers that had been issued to allow us to enter the gardens as often as we liked on the day we bought our tickets. We needed sustenance but there was a lot more to see.

After a satisfying lunch of local produce in the café, hubby opted to take Jade back to the car and wait for me. I just couldn’t leave before a quick gallop around the more formal areas of the northern gardens. I took more photos of course. So look out for Part III to come.

PS I found a much better photo online of the Mud Maiden. Click the link to see it.

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.

Wordless Wednesday: Cornish Tree with Character

Dogs Enjoy Holidays Too

I'm back. Had a great time and took loads of photos but haven't yet had time to upload them. I shall shortly be boring you silly with Cornish pics.

Our self catering cottage was at the back of the owners' bungalow, and they thoughtfully provided an enclosed yard which was safe for Jade. There were a number of attractions that welcomed dogs and she enjoyed all the different walks we took as well.

This is one of my favourite pics of her, although she has grown a bit since then, and certainly looks more scruffy at the moment. But I won't be sending her to the groomers till after the winter now.