Nature lovers have heaped praise on a “hidden gem” in the Cornish countryside. Found in Pentewan, The Lost Gardens of Heligan is an award-winning 200-acre garden, farmland and wildlife estate. Visitors to the estate will find a farm, pleasure grounds, a productive garden, an outdoor jungle, and 60 acres of woodland, which includes a woodland walk featuring several sculptures.
The gardens and estate were praised in a recent TikTok post shared by @cornwallsdaughter, who recommended visiting Heligan in autumn. She said: “It’s October and there’s still so much to see! Love Heligan so much, so lovely here and can really see all the hard work they put into the grounds!”
According to the website, the gardens were on the verge of being lost to history. “Heligan is one of the most mysterious estates in England. Lost to the brambles of time since the outbreak of WW1, this Sleeping Beauty was re-awakened in 1990 to become Europe’s largest garden restoration project. Today Heligan’s 200 acres are a paradise for the explorer, wildlife, plant lover and garden romantic,” the website explains.
It added: “Explore the beautiful Cornish countryside of our working Estate and lose yourself in a world of ancient pastures, hay meadows and woodlands.”
The Lost Gardens are open daily for visitors, with day admission and annual passes available. An adult garden admission typically costs £28. Day admission tickets can be upgraded to a weekly pass for free upon arrival.
The “hidden gem” attraction is popular with TripAdvisor reviewers, with over 4,000 ‘excellent’ ratings. One reviewer said: “Fantastic family day out! I highly recommend the list gardens for a fun family day out. We wandered through the jungle, the stunning gardens, played at the central park area and petted animals. It was fabulous.”
A second fan wrote: “Amazing gardens… bigger than expected! Spent a good few hours there and still didn’t see all of it! Lots of places to eat…. lovely gift shop. Highly recommend a visit. Appeals to all ages.”
Another thought: “Had a great time, the gardens are extensive with different areas to discover, for two adults and two kids thought is was value for money for the time we spent at the gardens, loves all the tall tree ferns and going into the flower meadows, would definitely return and recommend.”
Someone else commented: “Decided to visit this hidden gem. Totally amazing place with surprises at each turn. Great for a slow wander, family fun day or walking the dog. Lots to see and experience definitely worth a visit. Food was lovely and catered for all at a reasonable price.”
A different reply said: “Great place, the gardens are lovely and you could spend hours walking around the extended paths. There are warnings that the woodland trails are steep but they were still steeper than we anticipated, and you have to come back up the hill that you went down in order to get back out.
“If you are fit and well they are worth the walk, but I’d urge anyone with health or mobility issues to try them with caution (if they’d be too steep to climb back up the same way, don’t continue down!) or stick to the garden.
“There are lots of benches to take a rest though, and the jungle path was exceptionally nice! Seems to be a large play area for the children which looked good and some animals to see too. Would return on a day when we were more well rested and tackle some different walking routes.”