Cliff walks and country houses – in Cornwall (and a bit of Devon)

It was supposed to be a summer break, but my friend couldn’t make it and so we re-booked for October. In August I’d planned a lovely country house hotel; relaxing with a glass of wine on the terrace; walking the cliff paths; exploring the stately homes and gardens of Cornwall. In October it was all of those things, except perhaps the sitting on the terrace (far too autumnal for that!)

The Horn of Plenty near Tavistock in Devon

The Horn of Plenty near Tavistock in Devon

Our adventure started with the crunch of car wheels on the gravelled drive of the Horn of Plenty, tucked down one of those narrow Devon lanes, but with a magnificent view over the wooded valley. On the distant hillside was a tall stone chimney and we discovered that the house was built for the manager of the local copper and tin mine, on just the spot where he could keep an eye on his mine across the valley. Sadly the bare spot on the forested slope was where the washing of the minerals had polluted the ground and nothing would grow.

We were far too early to check in, so we set off for that country walk while the weather still promised sunshine (in England you have to seize the best of the weather, especially in Devon). Of course we could have gone hunting the Ash Black slug on Dartmoor, right on our doorstep, or walked from Tor to Tor, but I just fancied a bit of sea air. Down to Looe we drove, taking the bridge across the river and up a narrow road that looked like a dead end, where the vista opened up to a long seaside promenade and we parked the car. My parents had walked this route before and told me we could follow the cliff path as far as Polperro and stop at a tea shop half way. I love cliff walks, and love tea shops that serve cream teas even more.

The weather was with us and we walked for an hour in brilliant sunshine, passing the little island  and skirting the headland until we reached Talland bay where the promised Talland Bay Beach Café awaited us. It’s open from spring to autumn and is popular throughout the summer season as people come to visit the sheltered beach at Talland Bay with plenty of rock-pools for dabbling and crabbing. We could have walked on another hour to the picturesque village of Polperro, a tourist magnet in summer with narrow lanes that are best avoided in a car, but by the time we had sat in the autumn sunshine with a cup of tea and a teacake with clotted cream and jam, we thought it was best to retrace our steps and be back to the car by 5ish.

Driving back to the Horn of Plenty, we settled into our very nice room (the one we had to cancel in August) and then drove into Tavistock for dinner in the restaurant of Brown’s Hotel. We could have eaten at our hotel of course, which is known in the area as quite a gastronomic destination but as it was the £50 set menu or nothing, we decided to go in search of something more modestly priced. The Browns restaurant was lovely with food that was very prettily presented although smallish portions, but we got some free bread and olives thrown in as well as the water from their own well.

Gardens at Antony - National Trust House in Cornwall

Gardens at Antony - National Trust House in Cornwall

The next day we really enjoyed our cooked breakfast at the Horn of Plenty, with more of that fantastic view over the valley from our table in a glazed extention with picture windows that had been built over the original terrace. We decided to visit Antony, a National Trust property that was half an hour’s drive away, overlooking the estuary towards Plymouth. It’s recent claim to fame is that the house and gardens were used as the setting for the Tim Burton film of Alice in Wonderland, with huge yew hedges, and some topiary shapes such as the cone with a door carved into it, from which the game of croquet taking place on the lawn could be watched. There was an incongruous conical water sculpture that apparently was covered with yew clippings to make another topiary feature when the Alice in Wonderland was being filmed. I’d really like to see the film to try and recognise the different locations, although from the trailer it all seems a bit dark and Gothic, rather than the lighthearted children’s tale that we think of.

We got a timed ticket to the house which was unusual in that it is still lived in by the Carew Pole family whose ancestors built the house in 1724. Although the National Trust own the house, the family still own all the contents and it was fun to see all the coffee table books and family photographs, as well as the magnificent furniture and portraits. I was really pleased to find that photography was allowed which is extremely unusual in National Trust properties where they usually look at you in horror as if you’d asked to take home one of the priceless family heirlooms. In the library we found the portrait of the ill fated Sir Alexander Carew next to the leather jerkin that he wore in the portrait – you can read the story of Sir Alexander’s leather jerkin and how he ended up on the wrong side in the English Civil War which cost him his life.

Upstairs, you could peep into all the bedrooms with antique furniture and portraits with the odd bit of clothing left on a chair indicating that many of these were also in daily use. It must be a mixed blessing for the Carey Pole family living here – at least they managed to retain the use of their ancestral home, where many others had to sell off these stately homes, but I bet you it’s a relief for them when the visitors have gone home and they can mess the place up again.

After our look around the house we circled the enormous walls of the kitchen garden and were struck by an unexplainable smell of toffee which turned out to be from the Cercidiphyllum japonicum tree in the arboretum – I saw the name on a notice but couldn’t work out which tree the smell was coming from. Our final stop was at the tea shop where we sat outside with our Earl Grey and scone with cream and jam (shared to preserve the waistline) and caught the last of the afternoon sunshine.

Antony - National Trust House in Cornwall

Antony - National Trust House in Cornwall

We drove back to the hotel and once again decided to eat out, this time hoping to find an atmospheric country pub on Dartmoor that had good food. Our first choice, the Dartmoor Inn at Lydford was all in darkness and so we manged to miss it on the main road, spending a while driving around the village itself . When we finally located it, it was shut except for residents – very annoying as we were getting hungry by this time. On the road back we spotted a sign for the Elephant’s Nest and drove through the dark, narrow lanes for a great meal in quirky pub surroundings with only a few locals for company. We spent our second night at the lovely Horn of Plenty before we set off the next morning, back up the M5 for Bristol, feeling that we’d really blown the cobwebs away on our October weekend break.

Links to the places Mentioned

The Horn of Plenty - A Small luxury hotel with a gastronomic reputation. We shared a Deluxe Double in the main house which cost £175 per night and they also have ground floor rooms in the Garden block at the back of the hotel which you have to walk outside to get to. The dinner menu is a fixed price £49.50 menu although on Monday there is a cheaper ‘Pot luck’ menu and in November they have an a la carte menu on offer. We sound this rather expensive with no flexibility, so we decided to eat elsewhere, but it would be lovely if you were there for a special celebration. You should be aware of their cancellation policy which requires 14 days notice if you wish to avoid any cancellation charges. Compare prices and book hotels in Tavistock through Hotels Combined

Talland Bay Beach Café - Right by the Talland Bay beach and coastal path with a large field for private parking as long as you are eating there, and a small shop selling everything you need at the beach from buckets and spades to body boards.

Brown’s Hotel in Tavistock - where we ate in the restaurant. The food was delicious and beautifully presented, although small portions and on the expensive side. They also have a more modestly priced brasserie menu which is served in the small lounge area and conservatory. Our meal cost around £35 per head.

Dartmoor Inn at Lydford - looked very nice but sadly was closed on the Sunday night we wanted to eat there.

Elephant’s Nest at Horndon - a country pub on Dartmoor with a large garden – we enjoyed our meal here with interesting food and a specials menu. Our meal cost around £25 per head

Antony - a National Trust property near Torpoint in Cornwall, with a beautiful 18th century mansion, and landscaped grounds and topiary gardens where the film Alice in Wonderland was filmed.

More things to enjoy in Devon and Cornwall

Hunting the Ash-black slug on Dartmoor – in Devon
A visit to Padstow and a walk through the dunes to St Enodoc
Walking on Exmoor and staying at Catsheys luxury B&B – in Devon

www.flickr.com heatheronhertravels’ Cornwall photoset

This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com – Read more travel articles at Travel Blog Home

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Glorious Autumn Colour at Hidcote Manor Gardens – Video

We visited Hidcote Manor Gardens just as August turned to September, on a weekend where the warm sunshine was tempered by a slight autumn chill to the air and the surrounding countryside was brown with recently harvested stubble.

This Cotswold garden was created by an American, Lawrence Johnston who came to Hidcote when the estate was purchased by his wealthy mother. Here he was able to indulge his passion for gardening and plant collecting in the garden that he developed between 1907 and 1930 as a series of garden rooms, contained by hedges and surrounded by avenues of trees and woodland. The garden was acquired by the National Trust in 1948 and was one of the first properties to be taken on just for its gardens.

Once you’ve passed briefly through the house and the study, the view as you step down into the garden is over a low wall and down a long avenue of trees. But from here on, it’s a case of meandering through one enclosed garden after another, through the maple garden with the thatched cottage peeping over the wall to complete the English scene and then into the white garden with clipped box birds at the four corners and white roses reliving a little of their summer glory.

Dahlias at Hidcote Manor Gardens

Is that a thistle? at Hidcote Manor Gardens

We skirted around the lawn with old Cedar of Lebanon that is the focus point beside the house and into The Old Garden with herbaceous borders in soft colours with pink dahlias and purple Michaelmas daisies, and a bunches of orange lilies, perfectly set off by the old brick garden wall.

Soon we come to the magnificent Red border – with the perfect colour scheme for an early autumn day. Crimson dahlias are flying like flags, backed by chocolate foliage and scarlet geraniums in pots on the steps where ferns and clematis scramble through the beds and grasses rustle in the breeze. We look back along the vista towards the Cedar of Lebanon and then climb the steps to admire the miniature summer houses on either side, one with pretty painted tiles and the other that frames the view down the steps towards the fields and countryside beyond. Next there’s a Stilt garden where the trees are bare trunked on gravel, with a dense canopy that’s clipped into straight lines, very French looking.

I hope you enjoy the video below from our visit to Hidcote Manor Gardens

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On the terrace below we find the Pillar garden of clipped yews twined with ivy, yellow oregano and lavender. The terraced stone walls and pine trees, give a Mediterranean feel, a reminder of Lawrence Johnstone’s other garden, Serre de la Madone, in the South of France. A meander along the stream bed, dried out for the summer and a glimpse of the ha-ha that keeps the sheep in picture, but out of the garden and then we come upon an arched Billy-Goat-Gruff bridge that’s the start of a grassy avenue.

Lily Garden at Hidcote Manor Gardens

Lilies at Hidcote Manor Gardens

Here are children running races and collecting pine cones, and a perfect picnic spot in the wilderness on the other side of the hedge, where a pair of metal wart-hog sculptures are standing guard in the damp grass with, a little way off, another pair of giraffes have a view of the fields. We return to the house and stop for a coffee and cake in the tea shop before exploring the garden on the other side of the house. There’s a rectangular lily pond through the gate, with a purple and yellow theme of nicotiana, siberian wallflower and daisies, with the Plant House beyond. In the summer the side is open and you can sink into wicker chairs under the glass roof and make yourself at home as if you owned the place, while you contemplate tender greenhouse plants punctuated by spiky foliage. Although the Plant House is made from dark wood, I notice that all the other gates and garden doors are painted Hidcote blue, a shade that’s somewhere between green and peacock blue washed over with grey.

Around the lily pond are succulents in old stone troughs covered with lichen, and the bees buzz around through the clouds of waist high stems with delicate purple flowers and a few more pines for a hint of the exotic. We walk on through the orchard where there are another pair of animals released from the Ark, this time two solemn emu. The Rose border is past it’s best but the occasional striped, scented old-rose is still blooming. On the other side of the border from the orchard is the kitchen garden where a couple of pigs look up hopefully but then decide we have nothing to offer them. The pumpkins are swelling nicely and turning golden ready for harvest festivals and Halloween celebrations.

Consulting the garden plan, we realise the only bit we’ve missed is the Bathing Pool garden, with green water and an ornamental fountain in the middle. Yet look closer and you’ll see that the knee high water is deeper to one side, where one could have a cooling dip on a hot summer day and then run into the painted arbour to one side where bright young things from the 20s are playing croquet on the lawn. Our parting view of Hidcote is of families play ball on the grass and a gentleman in his 80s quietly enjoying a Magnum ice cream. It’s a place for all generations and all seasons.

Information for visiting Hidcote Manor Gardens

• Hidcote Manor Garden, Hidcote Bartrum, Near Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire, GL55 6LR
• Hidcote Manor Garden is run by the National Trust and is open March to December – you can find more details on their website here 
• Entrance prices at the time of writing are Adults £9.05 and Children £4.54, family tickets £22.72
• We visited Hidcote Manor Gardens while staying nearby at the lovely country house hotel, Ettington Park Hotel, booked through Secret Escapes who offer special rates at Luxury hotels.
• For a pub lunch or evening meal nearby we recommend the Howard Arms at Ilmington

 More things to enjoy in the area

Naked? not me! at the Abbey House Gardens in Malmsbury
The Tower and Other transformations at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford
A day out in Tetbury – Gloucestershire

www.flickr.com heatheronhertravels’ Hidcote Manor Gardens photoset

This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com – Read more travel articles at Travel Blog Home

You’ll also find our sister blog with tips on how to build a successful travel blog at My Blogging Journey

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Naked? not me! – at the Abbey House Gardens in Malmsbury

I might describe the Abbey House Gardens in Malmsbury as a gorgeous Cotswold garden that typifies the English country style, but the name doesn’t always ring a bell – until I mention the Naked Gardener and there’s an Ahhh moment  ”Oh yes, I saw it on Gardener’s World!”

The Naked Gardeners are Ian and Barbara Pollard and they love to garden – well, naked. If you see their publicity material you find a couple of naked Adam and Eve style figures to remind you what you might expect when you visit and there are even postcards on sale with them lingering naked amongst the flowers and foliage with a leaf here or flower there tastefully covering the naughty bits.

I love the tradition of mildly eccentric English men and women who follow their fancy and do just as they please – why shouldn’t you wander around with no clothes on in your own garden? If you like the idea of enjoying this garden with the freedom of no clothes then check the Abbey House Gardens website for the dates of the Clothes Optional Days, although personally it never quite gets hot enough in the English summer for me to be tempted.

As we walked around the garden we came across the Naked Gardener, not quite starkers as it wasn’t the hottest day but wearing a loose shirt, that just about covered him up as he went to work on deadheading the roses. I thought it would be a little rude to point the camera (we English are so polite) so you’ll have to content yourself with lovely floral photos instead.

There are plenty of statues of naked statues around the garden, from the two masculine figures locked in a wrestling match at the entrance to the perfectly toned torsoes with a lizard running over their privates and ivy creeeping over them on the river terrace.

But don’t let me distract you from the general gorgeousness of the garden which is truly a labour of love. We took the suggested route through the knot garden with an Alice in Wonderland feel of yew and box hedges, clipped into shapes and a giant face staring out at you from one end. The ruined arch of the Abbey loomed just outside the garden and once extended right along the borders of the garden.

We moved on to the lawned area where the hedging traces the shape of the walls of the Lady Chapel that once stood on this spot and in the flowerbed you can see a medieval coffin that once housed the body of a monk who lived here. He was featured on the BBC TV programme, Meet the Ancestors, and apparently his skeleton offered clues that he was brought up near the sea and suffered from periods of food shortage throughout his childhood.

There are many more connections in the garden with the Abbey next door and the current Abbey House was built in the 16th century on the site of an older 13th century Abbot’s house, while just beyond the river are the Monastic fish ponds that enabled the monks to have fresh fish on Fridays. Under the apple tree you’ll find a statue of the Cistercian monk, a mysterious figure with his face hidden by his cowl.

In every direction you look as you pass through the garden you’ll glimpse vistas created by hedged walkways and arches and punctuated by statues and water features. There are the classical English herbaceous borders and when we visited the roses were still in full bloom, planted according to a rainbow of colour with just the odd misfit to keep things interesting. The gardens are a photographer’s dream and it is really quite difficult to take a bad shot, so beautifully has the garden been planted for form and colour with a  painter’s eye.

Past the Serpentine rose bed and through the old orchard with fruit trees dotted around that are used to make fresh juices and you”ll come to the sunken herb garden. It’s surrounded by a pergola planted with climbing roses and clematis and the raised beds are full of herbs that might have been used by the monks for their medicinal properties as well as their perfume, making a waist high mass of green. gold and purple.

Having worked our way around the gardens on the south side of the house we stopped in the small cafe for a light lunch of quiche and salad, waiting our turn while a very patient young man helped a German lady count out all her pennies of unfamiliar currency. There were tables around a pond with huge goldfish or you could eat your lunch inside a conservatory room with views over the back of the house.

Finally we made our way through the river garden behind the house where the ground drops steeply away to the river at the bottom of the hill.This part of the garden was completely overgrown when the owners arrived and it has now been planted with water loving plants and iris that flower in spring with a wooden bridge to take you across the river for a view back towards the house from the mound.

We visited the Abbey House Gardens in July when it was a riot of summer colour but I believe that it would be beautiful at any time of year with frost tracing out the knot garden in winter, tulips and colourful bulbs in the spring and golden foliage and berries in the autumn. And of course if you have Naturist tendancies, you can also enjoy the garden naked during the Clothes Optional open days –  although with the English summer being somewhat illusive I’ll prefer to enjoy the garden with my clothes on!

The Abbey House, Malmesbury, Wiltshire, SN16 9AS - open daily March-October

Find the Naked Gardeners on Social media

Twitter: @nakedgardeners
Abbey House Garden – Videos on Youtube
Abbey House Gardens – Photos on Flickr

More lovely gardens to visit

Spring flowers and romance in the Mirabell Gardens in Salzburg
A gardens open day at Emmaus House in Bristol
The botanical travels of Marianne North at Kew Gardens

This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com - Read more travel articles at Travel Blog Home

You’ll also find our sister blog with tips on how to build a successful travel blog at My Blogging Journey

 Don’t miss out – subscribe to Heather on her travels

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