Cornwall Holiday 2016 - Trewithen Gardens

On Thursday we visited two lovely gardens.  The first was Trewithen Gardens near Probus.  This wonderful estate has a large collection of camellias, rhododendrons and magnolias which must look amazing earlier in the year.  There is also some wonderful woodland walks which we really enjoyed.

We set off along one of the woodland walks 

It was really lovely and peaceful.

A magnolia which is just about to flower - lovely to see some remaining buds.

Trewithen are helping the red squirrel population with their conservation work.

We did try to see if we could see them, but they must have been hiding.

A hidden garden! We weren't allowed in here today.

The longest private lawn in Cornwall

The magnificent Trewithen House  which is open for private tours.

A pretty white rhododendron.

Some cattle in the fields.

We enjoy the ferns - more reminders of New Zealand.

An egg in a very low nest in a hollow in a tree.

Peggy Sue sits on the railing.

This was a great lookout point, so I join her for a photo.

The Sailor and his Dad and of course Percy Chihuahua

A Nuthatch

Pheasant - are you looking at me?

A lovely morning was spent here.  Only spoilt by the sound of workers in the garden and power tool noises unfortunately, which of course has to be done.  We also think the map could have been a lot clearer - some of the places we have been to have been marked out really well, others a bit 'vague'. We couldn't always find the 'numbers' and 'letters' that the map referred to and the 'Champion' Trees weren't as well labelled as they were at Trewidden for example.   The Camera Obscura was taped up and no entry - not sure why - perhaps it had become unstable, but it was a shame and there was no notification as to the reason. 

We really enjoyed watching the birds from the bird hide and spotted a jay, some tits, some pheasants and the nuthatch. 

Cornwall Holiday 2016 - Trebah Gardens

The first full day in Cornwall we visited Trebah Gardens, and wow, what a treat that was, they were beautiful.  These gardens are set in a wooded valley and were planted over 175 years ago!  That is a LONG time!  What a beautiful paradise full of sub-tropical plants that grow and thrive so well down here in Cornwall.

We start our walk on what adds up to four miles of footpaths!

The view from the top - you can glimpse the water down below.

Zooming in....

Exotic plants 

The Koi pool

I enjoyed watching them swim around and so did the Sailor - you can see him just behind me.

Big fish!

We continue walking...

Such a lovely walk.  It was reasonably quiet and not too many people which was nice.

Time for a sit down.

We saw this fledgling who let us take a photo.

Looking back up to the house.

Getting a closer look.

The Mallard Pond - not that we saw any!

Some of the hydrangeas were starting to flower.  There is a whole valley of these, but we were a bit early for them.

The bridge - the scene for many a romantic picture if you are so inclined!

Down on the beach - this is a private beach situated on the Helford Estuary

It was a shame the sky wasn't blue, but it was still warm enough to enjoy and stop for an ice cream.

This was also the site where 7,500 men from the 29th US Infantry Division embarked from Trebah beach on 1st June 1944 for the D-Day Landings.

A little later, out on the water a sailing ship came in.

The sky was starting to look a little more blue 

and more people were sitting and enjoying the late afternoon sunshine.

Such loveliness.

Looking out over the water

Some cows enjoying the late afternoon warmth as well.

This one seemed to be really soaking up the sunshine with pleasure.

More views.

We found a flying fox and all had fun on that!

The Sailor

Loch Ness monster down spotted down in Cornwall!

The Sailor enjoying the afternoon sunshine.

While we were sitting down a cheeky little robin came over to say hello.

These are such wonderful inquisitive birds

Having a good listen and look round.

Some more photos - just because it was so lovely and probably one of the best days weather wise we had!

Looking across to beach at the bottom of Glendurgan Gardens which we visited in a few years ago and also the following day.

Before we left we sat and chatted about our day and just simply enjoyed the beauty of it all.

We all highly enjoyed this day out.  The Cafe was also very good serving lovely food.  The gardens were dog friendly and we and Percy were made to feel very welcome.  We will certainly come here again.