Review: The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall

During our half term at Hendra Holiday Park we were keen to explore as much of Cornwall as possible and visit some of the local attractions, starting with The Lost Gardens of Heligan. Heligan is known as one of the most mysterious estates in England, lost to the brambles of time since the outbreak of WW1 and re-awakened in 1990 to become Europe’s largest garden restoration project. Today Heligan spans 200 acres and is described as “a paradise for the explorer, wildlife, plant lover and garden romantic”, and our little explorer’s certainly couldn’t wait to get started!

For those wanting to visit Heligan, all tickets must be pre-booked on line and there is a simple check-in process on arrival. Despite being a popular attraction, and visiting during a busy half term, it felt very quiet and for the most part during our day it was just the five of us lost in the gardens.

The Lost Gardens of Heligan is split into two main sections – the gardens and the estate – and then lots of subsections within those parts. We decided to just follow the one way system from the entrance and what surprises we could find along the way and it’s safe to say the children loved every minute of seeking them out!

The children were delighted to discover The Giant’s Woodland Adventure – an opening in the woods with various obstacles to navigate. Prior to our visit I wondered just how much there would be for children at Heligan, assuming it was more of a space for grown ups to admire the gardens and enjoy the peace and quiet, but it is absolutely aimed at families, more than caters for children and is such a wonderful, and indeed magical, way to get children excited about nature.

With both Eva and Megan very much into their photography this year, Heligan was the perfect place for them to get snapping and they spent a large part of the day taking photographs as we walked, comparing their latest masterpieces and of course, making a very unwilling Harry pose for photos. I love how passionate they both are about photography and they actually took some great shots to look back on and remember.

We were very fortunate that we visited Heligan on the most beautiful sunny day which always helps and yet as we walked around and enjoyed the view I couldn’t help but think just how beautiful it must be in the Autumn with the golden leaves, winter coats and wellies, and the promise of a hot chocolate at the end of it.

Although the estate itself is huge there are maps everywhere, as well as hand held individual maps, and sign posts to lead the way. We were most excited about visiting The Jungle, home of the Burma Rope Bridge, and when we reached the entrance to the Jungle it suddenly felt as though we were stepping into a very different world!

Bursting with tropical plants, bamboo, giant rhubarb, a banana plantation and avenues of palms, the jungle sits in a steep sided valley creating a microclimate at least five degrees warmer than the Northern Gardens. With wooden decking leading you through the jungle in a one way system, we soon realised that due to the popularity of the Burma rope bridge there was a long queue at peak times. With the children desperate to cross the bridge we joined the queue and luckily had plenty of shade from the tropical palms and trees above.

Due to safety measures and a maximum of 8 people allowed on the bridge at one time, we queued for around thirty minutes for the rope bridge at lunch time and yet later in the day we walked straight through the jungle to the bridge without queuing at all. I would definitely suggest leaving the Jungle until your final stop to avoid queueing and also to be aware that under 5’s are not permitted on the bridge.

Considered one of the longest Burmese Rope Bridges in Britain, stretching 100 feet above ancient tree ferns and across the Jungle floor, the rope bridge was definitely worth the wait. The children were so excited to cross it, albeit a little nervous when they saw just how high it was, and as soon as we had crossed they were desperate to do it all again, which we did later that day.

After the Jungle we headed to the East Lawn where you will find the adventure play area, picnic areas and that all important food kiosk where they sell a range of ice creams, snacks and hot and cold drinks. You can’t beat Cornish ice cream and we made sure we had as many as possible during our week long holiday!

The East Lawn was definitely the most popular spot for families and, having cooled down with an ice cream, the children were free to explore and play whilst Gaz and I sat back and enjoyed the sun. It felt incredibly safe for our children, especially being that little bit older, and the way the playground is set up means we could keep an eye on them at all times.

With it being half term there were various activity stations set up for the children to take part in, all completely free, such as face painting, friendship bracelets, obstacle courses and the chance to contribute towards a Guinness record attempt to build the biggest bug farm. We could have spent hours on the East Lawn just enjoying the activities and play area but, with so much of the estate and gardens still to see, it was eventually time to set off exploring.

Our children are used to walking a lot, it’s something we do for hours at every given opportunity, but for younger children or those who aren’t quite as keen on walking, I would advise thinking out your route when you arrive at Heligan to make sure you don’t stray too far. With the estate spanning 200 acres we must have walked the entire perimeter, with some areas more than once, and although we had plenty of moments to rest and enjoy the view, by the end of the day we had done over 20,000 steps!

Despite spending an entire day at Heligan and feeling as though we had explored every single corner, there was still so much of it we didn’t see. Annual memberships are available to buy and if we lived closer we would 100% be investing in them. I’m very jealous of those who get to go there more frequently and, with dogs allowed on a lead, it would be the perfect place to go on the weekend to walk Oscar as a family.

For those, like us, who love to take photographs it’s also a beautiful place to get some great shots, the light through the trees is stunning at this time of year and we well and truly made the most of that opportunity taking countless photographs which will be going in a frame just as soon as I find a moment to get them done.

The thing I loved the most about The Lost Gardens of Heligan was that although it is certainly impressive, and the adventure play area is hugely impressive, just being out in nature always seems to bring out the best in the children and encourage them to simply use their imaginations to keep themselves entertained. I loved seeing them jump, skip and run through the paths, giving each other piggy backs and playing tag, and finding joy in the simple pleasures.

As much as we all enjoy a day out at a large scale attraction, visiting theme parks or zoos or other very commercial events, days like this will always be my favourite – just enjoying time together as a family, enjoying the most weird and wonderful conversations with the kids, eating ice creams, enjoying the sunshine and taking time to just relax and live in the moment.

From spotting bluebells in the woods to tadpoles in the lakes, climbing trees to identifying leaves, even the smallest things always bring so much excitement when you’re visiting somewhere like Heligan and the children loved hearing the stories of the lost gardens and how they were re-discovered. “Mummy I think I know why they really got their name,” Eva told me as we found ourselves straying off the path, “It’s because every time you try and find where you’re going you end up getting lost!”.

Eventually we found our way to the farm, another fantastic area of the estate and recently awarded the Rare Breed Farm Park status by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust. Heligan farm boasts various breeds of cattle and sheep, all of which were likely kept at Heligan over a hundred years ago. The children loved seeing the animals, peeking inside the barns and even watching a very skilled carpenter creating candle holders on the wood lathe.

Having explored the estate we headed over to the gardens and it’s hard to believe they were only rediscovered thirty years ago after being lost in time for so long. These days the gardens are flourishing and have been beautifully restored and lovingly cared for by a very talented team of gardeners at Heligan.

Although neither Gaz or I are fans of gardening, we definitely can admire a beautiful garden when we see one and I’m not sure the children have ever seen flowers so beautiful. The girls were instantly snapping away on their cameras and even Harry, who is usually oblivious to things like this said, “Oh Mummy. It smells so good in here!!”.

We loved wandering round the gardens, admiring the restoration and pottering in and out of the greenhouses. It’s funny because as far from green fingered as we are, Eva is actually a very keen gardener and was in her element in the green houses sharing her gardening knowledge, gleaned from her Grandad, with Megan.

By late afternoon the gardens and estate were very quiet with most people having left after a long day out. We took the opportunity to revisit some of our favourite parts, starting with one of the most well known parts of The Lost Gardens of Heligan – the Mud Maid. As The Mud Maid is a living sculpture she changes through the seasons which must be incredible to see and, although we each had our favourite parts of Heligan, I think this one was mine.

Before we left we made one last dash to the Jungle again, enjoying it for ourselves without the earlier queues, and making one last trek across the Burma rope bridge. The children would definitely say that the jungle was their favourite part and I can see why. It blows my mind that amongst an expanse of Cornish countryside is a living, breathing jungle such as this!

Considering when we arrived at Heligan I imagined we would stay for a couple of hours or until the children got bored, eight long hours later we were the very last family to leave, and the very last car on the car park, and all three of the children were desperate to stay for even longer. If that’s not a sign of a good day out then I don’t know what is. For a family of five (two adults, three children) you can visit Heligan for just £48 and for a full day out, and one as enjoyable as this, you really can’t complain!

We left Heligan with three very tired and happy children, so many lovely memories and the promise that just as soon as we are back down in Cornwall we would return to Heligan and do it all over again. If you live in Cornwall or plan to visit, I genuinely can’t recommend visiting enough. You can find out more and book your tickets here at www.heligan.com.

** We were invited to Heligan for the purpose of our review. All words and opinions are our own. **