The Lost Gardens of Heligan

Our third visit to these wonderful gardens. Each time we find something new and, I am sure, if we visited many times the same would be true. I must admit though, as we get older, there are parts that are strenuous to explore. Thank goodness we did the deeper parts earlier in our lives. One difference this time, which we didn't know about until we had parked up, is pre-booking. We had to book in on my iPhone and wait until a slot was available. No problem. Also, more food and drink outlets throughout the gardens.

Tourist trap. Poorly managed. All about the benjamins and they've let it go to s*** since the last TV show aired where they spent 10 minutes talking about the pineapple pit and they didn't even bother to keep it up/use it. Too difficult and costly? You know they did this before WWII... with less resources and technology than you have at your disposal, right?
Really, just watch the TV show on the gardens because now instead of trying to restore it to its past glory, the management grow flowers to sell. If they took all the flowers in their gift shop and planted them in their gardens then maybe they'd be a step closer to restoring anything. But they've had this land for many many years now and they only do the bare minimum to get ppl there.

Great history and potential but the management needs to step up! If you're a gardener, you'll be sorely disappointed.

A beautiful gardens with an amazing back story. The 'memorial' in recognition of the workers & gardeners that left Cornwall to fight for their country and paid the ultimate price is particularly of note. Finally, the restaurant and farm shop are the best in the area so enjoy!!

As a day out with the young kids this would be a great day out.
As a trip heading to see the sculptures was a little underwhelmed. There could have been more. What they have done to restore the grounds is a remarkable work in progress.
The cafe was very very overpriced. Theme park prices.

The Lost Gardens of Heligan is a FANTASTIC day out for the family. I visited here my family recently, and was amazed by the family activities they have there. The gardens were fascinating as you could see all types of wildlife and explore the wilderness with ease. They have a huge field were I sat and ate some Cheese twists from a nearby Morrisons.

I live very far away (300+ miles) from here, so it was a lovely treat to visit, and I was not let down.

I would recommend this site of natural beauty to ANYONE, as I believe it could even mesmerize bored children.

I wandered around these lovely, peaceful, totally enchanting gardens and could only wish that my late mother might have visited. She would have loved it.
We did too. Somehow they have retained an air of mystery and even though you meet other people on the numerous walks around, you still find hidden corners and spaces that allow you to sense what it might have been like when first completed. Others much more qualified than I have spoken of the different sculptures and types of garden, so my offering is much more about the feelings of the place!
I think the fact that they are still independent of any 'corporate' influence has a lot to do with it! Long may it continue and thus the entrance cost is fine!

A fantastic place. The Gardens themselves are fabulous and take hours to get around. The icing on the cake was the fantastic cafe with the great food and lovely staff. A rude ignorant visitor shouted unfairly at one of the girls but she stayed professional and laughed it off afterwards. A credit to her employers. We popped back into the cafe at 5.30pm to get some scones and there was an end of day sale on. We got lots of loot!

Having just got back from a weekend away and visiting here, we came away gobsmacked. It really is a lovely place, the gardens were beautiful and all well sign posted. We bought the guide book too which helped identify the different plants and trees and helped the children too as they had to work to find out what something was.


It was a bit chilly but there is so much to see that you're constantly on the move so don't seem to notice it so much.


There was adequate parking, disabled facilities and a lovely tea shop.

The Lost Gardens of Heligan were rediscovered and restored by the creator of the Eden Project - Tim Smit. If you're down in Cornwall then both gardens are worth a visit.


The Lost Gardens are a large, open site. The garden is divided up into sections, and I certainly didn't see all of it when I visited. There's a lovely walled vegetable garden, planted up year round with heritage crops and managed as closely as possible as it would have been when this was a working estate.


There are also formal pleasure gardens, restored to their former glory with sympathetic planting and landscaping. And a tropical garden where you can get lost in a jungle that thrives in Cornwall's mild climate.


Visitor features include ample car parking, a cafe and a gift shop - but make sure you take directions along with you, because it's not the easiest place in the world to find!

Beautiful place to visit with so much to see. The grounds are huge, I think I will go back a second time to make sure I see it all. Be prepared for some steep climbs if you intend to walk the whole grounds.
Definately visit the tropical gardens and walk along the boardwalk, very interesting.


The tea rooms served delicious food and cakes. Many plants and other items for sale in the gift shop.