Heligan

I remember visiting the Lost Gardens of Heligan as a child, but not very clearly. There were bits I recognised and I had a general idea of the whole place but it was definitely good to revisit. There was probably more open than last time as they're still working on it all. For those who don't know, the story of the gardens is explained here.
The whole place combines two things I like very much; fascinating history and pretty flowers.
We started out by walking down to the Lost Valley.

Where we had to be very careful not to tread on tiny frogs.

It'd rained the night before so everything was covered in droplets.

The jungly part is full of plants from all over the world.

Giant rhubarb!


There are some big old rhododendron bushes.

Friendly wildlife

The more formal and kitcheny parts of the garden are full of nice things too.


The old boiler is still there, but very much not intact.

This was used to provide heat for the greenhouses growing tropical fruits.

The huge walled garden is now home to an amazing array of fruit and vegetables, based on the varieties traced as having been grown there previously.


It's amazing how the garden could just be forgotten, become so overgrown, and then be recovered so well. I'm too young to have paid attention to the TV series about the restoration of the gardens at the time, but it's a fascinating story and definitely well worth a visit. (even at £10 a go!)