We’re back from our two week trip to England!
So much to say and show (of course) and so little time. I’ve thought about how to best show all that we did and saw while across the pond. Gardens and gardening are, of course, central to my travel plans so I am starting with this post. We moved around several times which we now realize was a mistake. It is tiring. Packing and unpacking, catching trains and buses, dragging suitcase up long hills and then trying to relax. We are not tour people partly for this reason; we prefer to stay in one place and really settle in. With that said… I will begin with our stay in Cornwall.
Our longest stay was in Mousehole. Cute name, no? Well, it is NOT pronounced as it is spelled (much to my husband’s disappointment) The correct pronunciation is mow-zel . Got it?

This entire area, for those who are not familiar, is the southwest corner of England. To the west is the Atlantic ocean and to the south the beginning of the English Channel.
So much to see! But without a car (we just cannot imagine driving on the other side of the road..) we were somewhat limited; trains and buses are fine but can get long and tedious day after day. So we did one major day trip each day be it hiking, garden tour or general tourist.
My garden of choice to visit was
Trengwainton
Trengwainton is known for its rhododendrons. I have never, ever seen such enormous and beautiful rhodies. The reds, in particular, really stood out. But the pinks were glorious as were the corals.
The estate is 25 acres, clearly marked, and very comfortable paths and roadways to walk. These were on the main roadway up the hill. To the left is a rill or small stream bordered with the most glorious flowers: iris, astilbe, helianthus, calla lilies, foxglove and so many more.
Be sure to turn up your volume here:
At the highest point of the property, known as The Terrace, is the most wonderful long distance view:
If you look past the green horizon line you can see the faint colors of the water. So this is looking South out at the bay which must be (I was never able to find out) five miles away. We sat in a gazebo just watching the cattle and soaking in the peacefulness.
Two buses later and we were back in Mousehole. This was the scene in the harbor:
In a few days I’ll show you where we stayed in Mousehole !
Well done! Makes me want to go back…
We’ve never made it down to Cornwall, but I’ve always wanted to go ever since reading all the Victoria Holt and Daphne Du Maurier books in high school. Now after your posts, I want to go even more. I can’t wait to see where you stayed. My Mr. is pretty good at driving in British territories & countries, but it does take a lot of concentration (I’m just glad that I don’t have to do it). Looking forward to your next posts.
Beautiful. Cornwall is renowned for its rhodies. The gardens of South West England are looking so very lush this year and of course there’s a reason for that. Hope you managed to dodge the showers!
Beautiful scenery. You picked well on the garden choice. I’d have been disappointed with the pronunciation of Mousehole too. They missed out on a marketing opportunity – think of the t-shirts they could have sold ;)