Lanhydrock

Lanhydrock is one of the loveliest National Trust estates in Cornwall, and is an easy drive from Bude, so I have visited on a few occasions now.

I have friends staying in Tintagel for two weeks, so when they said they wished to visit and invited me along, then I was keen to accept. We took a picnic with us, but the 2 cafes were both open and had a good selection of cold and hot food available. It's a fair walk from the car park to the main house, so one friend hitched a lift on the vehicle ferrying visitors back and forth while 2 of us opted to walk down to meet her at the gatehouse. 

After scanning our National Trust membership cards at the Gatehouse, we walked through into the lawned area with tall topiary pillars. We were saddened to see that the rose beds have gone since our last visits. There used to be about 8 beds on each side of the wide path, but now there are just rectangular areas of longer grass marking where they used to be. 

The weather today has been glorious, so we agreed to make the best of it by spending our visit in the gardens and leaving the house for another time. It's a great excuse to go back, as I still haven't been inside - it has been closed due to Covid on my recent visits.

I thought the flower garden might look a bit bare after the lack of rain this Summer, but it was looking wonderful. It is very well tended, and the borders are still in their prime with asters, dahlias and heleniums all taking pride of place.

We visited the church next to the house, and were pleased to see a small table had been placed in front of the altar displaying a photo of our late Queen Elizabeth alongside a prayer. 

Behind the house and the church, the paths take an uphill direction through magnolias, acers and woodland trees. The hydrangeas are looking beautiful at the moment, and we were taken aback by the different colours of the flower heads. As well as the usual pinks and blues, there were pale greens, maroon, white and purple. There are plenty of benches to sit and enjoy a rest after the climb up, and the views across the house and towards the surrounding countryside are stunning. It is also a lot quieter as most people don't seem to make the effort to visit this area. That's a shame, as it is one of the highlights of the estate.

We all took the little taxi truck back to the top of the drive before having a cup of tea and chocolate brownie at the Park Cafe next to the car park.