Bluebells Galore

I love the sight of a blue carpet of bluebells, so knowing they were in season we set out to find where the best display was this year.

First stop was Saltram, our nearest National Trust property.  In the gardens around the House wild garlic and white bells were more prolific, although there were some bluebells that contrasted the white of the other flowers.

In the grounds between the House and Stag Lodge there were more bluebells.  Again there were white patches of wild garlic.











A few days later we travelled to Lanhydrock House, another National Trust property, renowned for the bluebells in the woods in the Estate.  There were plenty of bluebells to be seen, but the best displays were in woodland either side of the the Reception area.  It is great that this can be seen by anyone visiting this National Trust property, without them having to walk far.

Buckland Abbey was the next place we visited.  Previous years there have been wonderful displays along the walks around the estate.  We were somewhat disappointed as the bluebells were not so prolific this year and so did not give the same sense of a carpet.  However there was one patch that was good - just before you cross fields towards the end of the Red Walk.

As we had a whole day free from Buckland Abbey we drove onto Burrator Reservoir.  We had never been there during bluebell flowering time, but last year I noticed lots of bluebell plants and thought there might be a good display.  We were not disappointed, the bluebells were spectacular and it was lovely walking by the blue waters of the reservoir with a carpet of blue on the other side of the path.
At times the bluebells were right by the waters edge.

We walked along by the reservoir but on the way back came back along the road.  Even on this easy walk you could see bluebells but they were not as spectacular as those inside the woodland.

Photo taken from the road around Burrator

Lanhydrock - Cycle track and Bluebells

It is bluebell season so a lovely time for a walk in the woods around Lanhydrock House in Cornwall.  But before we set off to explore the woodlands we wanted to see the cycle trails that have just been put in near the car park. We obtained a map from the cycle hire centre and followed the signs to the cycle trails.  The first part of the path is for cycles and walkers, but as the paths separated  we decided to follow the green trail, the easiest, which promised 1.5 miles of wide, firm track.  It was an easy walk, mainly through conifer woods, but not much of interest to see.  Many trees had been cut down to make space for the path, and some had obviously been blown down in the storms in the winder.

This is a wonderful facility for families with bikes, but not the most interesting walking routes.  However, we might try some more of the paths another time, in case there is more to see on them.

After lunch we headed down to Lanhydrock House.  As we approached the reception centre we could see bluebells on either side of the path.  The wood on the right was particularly spectacular.

When we entered the gardens at Lanhydrock House  the tulips in the formal beds quickly caught our attention.

The rhoodendrons and azelias brightened the gardens, although some of the rhododendrons were not fully in flower.

From the gardens we walked down through the woods to the River Fowey.  There were bluebells throughout the woods, but some of them were not out as far as those by the Reception Centre.  This meant the looked more like a blue mist in the woods, that was not so spectacular close up but looked lovely in the distance.

Lanhydrock in early autumn

It was a sunny October day so we thought we would have a walk around the Lanhydrock Estate. We often go to Lanhydrock but usually park in the main car park then walk down to the House and Gardens and from there walk through the woods to the river Fowey.  It is a lovely walk, but it is all uphill on the way back.  So today we decided to park the car at Respryn Bridge and do the walk in the opposite direction.

The river Fowey was flowing fast and it looked very muddy as it had been raining hard over night.  I had hoped that the trees would be colourful as their leaves turned to reds, oranges and yellows, but they were mainly green so not very interesting.

When we got to the Gardens around the House the herbaceous borders were still very colourful.

It was very nice walking down the Avenue back to the car.  It was so much quicker and easier than walking up!

Snowdrops at Lanhydrock

Snowdrops are one of my favourite flowers.  I love to see their clean white flowers peeping  through the bare earth.   They remind me of my childhood when each year we would go and pick them. This year has been so wet we knew it would not be possible to walk by the Rivers Yealm or Dart where we usually go to see snowdrops so we thought we would see if there were any at Lanhydrock.

As we walked from the car park down the drive to Lanhydrock House we noticed patches of snowdrops in amongst the trees to the right of the path.

We began by wandering around the gardens at Lanhydrock , but there were not many flowers out, just a few camelias.  From the higher garden we walked down towards the river through the Great Wood.  There were more camelias out along the path and some rhododendrums just breaking into flower and patches of snowdrops on the banks at the side of the path.

As we got nearer the River Fowey the path became very muddy.  A stream that fed the river had broken its banks and there was a lot of water flowing into the main river, which was flowing fast itself.  We did not see any snowdrops by the river but one solitary daffodil.


Once we had crossed the footbridge over the river and walked towards Respryn Bridge the path was dryer and we were able to to walk easily back up to Lanhydrock House and then the car park

Lanhydrock in late autumn

As we drove down to Lanhydrock the trees at the side of the road were very colourful.  But when we walked through the woods from Lanhydrock House to the River Fowey we realised that a lot of the leaves had fallen from the trees so the Autumn spectacular was past its best.  However there was still plenty of colour to see.

We walked along the river bank to Respryn Bridge and then up the Avenue back to Lanhydrock House.  There was not much colour in the gardens either, but it was still a pleasant stroll around it with the far reaching views.

Lanhydrock

It was a lovely summer's day and as we thought it would be too hot to walk out in the open we decided to go to Lanhydrock, where there are lots of walks through the woods.

To begin with we walked around the gardens, which looked as lovely as usual.

We walked up to the Higher Gardens where there were lots of hydrengeas, some of them very dark blue, almost purple.

We then walked down through the woods to the River Fowey.  We walked along the river to Respryn Bridge and then headed back to Lanhydrock.  This time, instead of taking The Avenue, which is straight and rather boring, we turned right at the gatehouse and followed a path to the road.  After a short walk up the road we headed back into the wood and walked up until we were at the visitors reception.  This was a mlust more pleasant walk than up the Avenue.

Lostwithiel to Lanhydrock

The sun was shining as we caught the early train to Lostwithiel.  There were primroses in the hedgerows as we swoosh past and when we got out at Lostwithiel we immediately saw daffodils beside the river.

We walked through the town and up Restormel Road towards the castle.  We had planned to see the castle, but the entrance gate was closed and although we could have walked around the side the hill up to the castle put us off, so we continued walking parallel to the river towards Lanhydrock.  Most of the way was quiet roads, just access roads, and when we did have to go across fields there was a definite path and only one muddy patch.  It was basically a flat walk, but although it followed the river this was usually too far away to see properly.  At one point we looked back and could see Restormel Castle on the hill behind us, but there was a line of tree stopping us get a good view.

After an hour we came to the Lanhydrock Estate.  We continued walking along the path until we came to the Lodge House and then we walked up the Avenue to Lanhydrock House.  We walked around the gardens, where there were plenty of camelias and a few daffodils.

The most spectacular camelia was the one that had been trained to grow up the front of the house.

There were lots of birds around, singing their hearts out.  One robin was happy to be photographed!

Having stopped for lunch overlooking the gardens we walked back down the Avenue to Respryn Bridge and then along the path to Bodmin Parkway Station for the train home.

Lanhydrock in winter

It was a cold February day, but the sun was shining so we decided to see what the gardens at Lanhydrock looked like in winter.

As we walked down from the car park to the House we noticed clumps of snowdrops growing in the wood by the reception.  Men were cutting down trees so I had to just admire them from a distance.

There was not many flowers out in the garden.  Camelias had been out but the frost the last few days had killed the blooms and the white ones were now brown. As we walked around the gardens we came to the small thatched cottage.  I had never noticed this before and it looked so quaint with snowdrops in the front garden.

From the gardens we walked through the woods to the River Fowey.  After crossing the river we walked to Respryn Bridge and then back to Lanhydrock House.  This is always a pleasant walk, but there was not much  to see this time.