The Trebah garden is a work of art. I feel as if I have entered Claude Monet’s painting ‘The Water Lily Pond’.
Thousands of flowers (two acres’ worth) in blue, magenta, cream and iridescent purple surround a sky-blue bridge over a lily-covered pond in a scene that reflects the artist’s famous work.
Hydrangea macrophylla. Gunnera manicata. Nymphea. The Latin plant names, detailed on small plaques next to the flowers, sound like whispered spells, and I am enchanted by this subtropical paradise on the south-west coast of Cornwall.
Great British Gardens was also fascinated: it ranked the 26-acre paradise as one of the best gardens in England.
And like any magical garden worth its salt, it hides secrets. One of them is the recently opened Trebah Lodge, at the head of the valley that covers the garden. I stay there with my equally mesmerized husband and arrive on the GWR Night Riviera train from London Paddington.
Sophie Foster checks into Trebah Lodge on the south-west coast of Cornwall, which offers out-of-hours access to the magical Trebah Garden. Above is a place she compares to Claude Monet’s painting ‘The Water Lily Pond’.
Luxurious: Sophie describes Trebah Lodge (above) as “a cozy and comforting abode”
We disembark, bleary-eyed, at 7am in Truro, from where it’s a 40-minute taxi ride to the lodge, tucked away in an area of outstanding natural beauty south of Falmouth.
We stepped out of the car into the morning sunshine and entered our home for the weekend: a cozy, comforting abode furnished with elegant Edwardian antiques, but dotted with enough modern conveniences to make us believe we’d stepped back in time.
But the most joyful aspect of staying at the lodge is not what’s inside, but having after-hours access to what’s outside: four miles of trails through a garden with nearly 200 years of planting history.
Enough foliage to keep us in awe throughout the weekend.
Each morning, we stroll through the valley, past the Trebah Kitchen restaurant, and into the lush garden basin that is organized by a series of paths named after nearby plants, animals, landmarks, or notable contributors. to the farm.
The fun name Bamboozle is surrounded by towering bamboo stalks.
Dreamer: Shown above is one of the lodge’s elegantly decorated rooms.
Sophie says of the lodge: “(It is) furnished with elegant Edwardian antiques, but endowed with enough modern conveniences to prevent us from completely believing we have stepped back in time.”
Walking through Gunnera Passage, a walkway of giant rhubarb or ‘gunnera’ plants, is like walking through Jurassic Park, with its enormous leaves spreading into a canopy and giant pink buds surrounding us up to our knees.
Fortunately, the only dinosaurs we find are ancient trees, some of which are the oldest living specimens of their kind in the UK.
We admire berries, seed pods and flowers as we pass the koi pond, the Stumpery with its felled trees, and the water garden, where a man-made stream babbles.
The “Monet Bridge” is reached by walking through the sparkling Hydrangea Valley. And a little further is the second secret of the garden.
A private beach.
Pebbly Polgwidden Cove, also known as Trebah Beach, lies on the Helford River, a beautiful coastal cove tucked between the western edge of Falmouth Bay and the eastern side of the Lizard Peninsula.
The water is crystal clear, but extremely cold. Despite this, people come in with their pants rolled up to their knees.
Trebah Garden is on the doorstep of the hostel, although there are no views of ‘paradise’ from inside.
Trebah Lodge prices start from £112 per night with a three-night minimum stay.
Small plaques next to garden flowers, Sophie says, “sound like whispered spells”
The garden contains four miles of paths with almost 200 years of planting history and is home to some of the oldest trees in the UK.
Bloomin’ wonderful: British Gardens rated Trebah Garden as one of the best in England
Out of the water, they buy ice cream (try the tart cherry sorbet), beer, local cider and snacks at a small store and gather around signs to learn about the cove’s role in World War II and its nickname, ‘Yankee Beach ‘. .
The shoreline was covered in concrete and transformed into a D-Day embarkation point by the US 29th Infantry Division from which they launched an assault on Omaha Beach in Normandy in 1944.
What’s left of the concrete at the back of the beach is now a handy picnic spot with wooden tables where we sat eating sandwiches for lunch.
Trebah Garden Private Beach – Pebble Polgwidden Cove, also known as Trebah Beach
Polgwidden Cove is located on the Helford River. The shoreline was covered in concrete and transformed into a D-Day embarkation point by the US 29th Infantry Division from which they launched an assault on Omaha Beach in Normandy in 1944. Today, it What remains of concrete constitutes a practical picnic area.
The garden paths are named after nearby plants, animals or landmarks, or after notable contributors to the estate.
During the day, we leave the waders and ice birds to their fate and return to the lodge, knowing that we will be able to return to the secret cove after the visitors have left.
Every night, when the light fades and the sky turns a blur of pink and orange, we find ourselves alone on the beach and go swimming. It feels lazily decadent.
One night, as we float on the water, a two-masted, galley-like ship emerges from the River Helford.
‘Smugglers?’ asked. ‘Or pirates?’
“You haven’t gone back in time, you know,” my bewildered spouse responds. Spoilsport.
I feel transported, for a moment, to one of Thomas Buttersworth’s naval paintings.
After the bath, cold extremities are soothed by a soak in the lodge’s clawfoot tub, and we snuggle up in plush blankets spread throughout the property as the night air turns crisp.
Above is the village of Helford Passage, home to The Ferry Boat Inn pub, which serves “excellent prawn tacos” and has outdoor seating overlooking the bobbing boats.
Trebah Garden is open daily from 9:30am Access is free for hostel guests and £16 for visitors.
The kitchen has everything you need to prepare dinner, but a 15-minute walk to try the food at The Ferry Boat Inn is a must.
This waterside gem, a little further up the River Helford in the village of Helford Passage, has outdoor seating with views of bobbing sailboats and the clever Helford ferry, and makes excellent prawn tacos.
Boarding our train home at Truro station, I feel like I’ve stepped out of a lost kingdom.
Here’s to the next 200 years of heavenly landscaping.