March 18 – Trevarno Estate

No trip to Cornwall is complete without a visit to a Cornish Garden. After a long lie in, breakfast, and a much discussion, we eventually set off in the Rover to Trevarno Estate and Gardens. Trevarno Estate dates back to 1245 and has been owned by a succession of Cornish families over the centuries. It has been able to survive whereas many other notable estates have been converted to apartments or time share units due to the fact that the cost of maintaining them has become prohibitive and death duties have taken their toll.

Trevarno has been selected as an official UNESCO World Heritage Site Visitor Attraction. The estate offers a beautiful walk through gardens, woodlands, and a daffodil field where over 1000 different varieties of daffodils have been planted and are on show, depending on the time of the season. Peacocks, guinea fowl and gold pheasants wander over the lawns, climb onto rooves, and even join you on top of the table for a pot of tea. There is a beautiful ornamental lake where the South American Black Swans and the ducks laze, and a charming Victorian boathouse is located. The walled garden, a concept unique to English gardens, is just being restored. Some of the other highlights included a serpentine yew tunnel, an extensive bamboo collection and lots of beautiful camellias.

Cornwall is a collection of narrow roads lined with high hedge fences to break the winds in the fields, picturesque villages, and coasts of cliffs and yellow sandy beaches washed by turquoise green waters reminiscent of the Mediterranean. In short, its beautiful, full of character, and everything I ever imagined it to be. The weather has been warm – 15C, but the ever present winds are cold, so you are constantly alternating between being too hot and then too cold.

After our visit to Trevarno, we drove south to Marazion to view St. Michael’s Mount. St. Michael’s Mount is an island reached by walking a cross a causeway at Marazion. We stopped to have a coffee/tea in The Godolphin Arms then set out across the windy causeway. Halfway across, we found the tide on its way in and rolling over the causeway. So, we never reached the island! The beach was a great strand of sand and on our way back to the car, we watched two teams from the Marazion Pilot Gig Club take their gigs out to the ocean for a workout.

I haven’t mentioned Gemma and Bonnie. They are Camille and Stephen’s Shelties. Gemma is 6 and Bonne is 4 ½. Gemma is a shaded sable and Bonnie is sable. When I first met Ray he had a Shetland sheepdog called “Colette”, so we love and understand the breed. They are so demure, thoroughy faithful to their owners, beautiful, and protective!

After a quick respite, feeding the dogs, Camille telephone conversation with her Mom who is living in Sabinillas in Spain, we left for dinner at The White Hart at Ludgvan, which is situated at the back of Penzance. The meal was delicious, and the Shelties, who were allowed into the restaurant with us, behaved beautifully. Then it was back to Chy-Lowena (House of Joy in Cornish) and bed.