Cornwall may be known for it’s white sandy beaches and delicious golden brown pasties, but this southern county happens to be home to some beautiful gardens too; Trebah Garden in Falmouth being one of them. Although this particular Cornish garden offers vistas that are slightly more unusual to find in the UK, like a giant Rhubarb forest, a bamboo ravine and 100 year old rhododendron shrubs to admire.
Trebah’s sub-tropical garden spreads across 26 acres of leafy valley with approximately 4 miles of winding footpaths to stroll. One of which leads you onto Trebah’s own private beach which played an important role during D-Day in 1944.
Trebah has more substance then simply being a pretty manicured English garden to wander around though. There are different garden zones with varied themes and plenty of nooks waiting to be explored. So if you’re looking for something nice to do in Cornwall, here’s why I recommend a visit to the beautiful Trebah Garden.
In this article...
Map of Trebah Garden
Take a glance at the map in the photo below, there’s multiple trails at Trebah with so much to see. All the white routes weave in and out to explore different sections. Whilst the brown accessible route is step free and provides a direct route down to Trebah Beach.
Lets take a look at some of the things you will come across whilst exploring Trebah Garden.
Admire the Koi pool
This little section isn’t overly obvious when you’re walking around and we didn’t see it sign posted (hint – if you do the walk clockwise then it’s near the end!) But this sweet waterfall pushes it’s way through the dense ivy and gently trickles into the koi pond below. There were some ginormous fish swimming around, and as the water was so clear we enjoyed sitting here for a while watching them in this super peaceful spot.
Explore the giant Rhubarb forest
If you want to be wowed, then you’ll need to visit in the summer to experience this at its best! These giant rhubarb plants can grown up to a towering 3 meters in height, creating an magical rhubarb forest full off prickly stems and gigantic umbrella like leaves.
As we visited in March, sadly this section wasn’t impressive at all. The rhubarb plants were only just beginning to wake from their winter sleep. But although the rhubarb wasn’t thriving during our visit, the flowering rhododendrons made up for it.
Read a book in the Courtyard Garden
This is a fairly new area which had a similar vibe to something I would expect to see at The Newt in Somerset, perhaps it was the symmetrical design or the similar styled circular water feature that did it. It’s a lovely area and a great place to grab a bench and get lost inside a good book.
Soak in the sounds of the water gardens
Trebah Garden is situated inside a Cornish valley, where a natural spring cascades from the top all the way down to the beach at the bottom. It runs right through the heart of Trebah, meaning the entire middle zone will have water of some description. Whether thats sparkling ponds, trickling waterfalls or tumbling cascades.
Cross the bridge on Mallard Pond
The Mallard pond is a large pond near to the beach, with a pretty pastel blue Monet style bridge crossing it. This looked beautiful in spring, but when summer arrives the banks become lined with 2 acres of vibrant blooming hydrangeas. Apparently they put some rainbow trout in this pond, but the fish became sunburnt from swimming near the surface, waiting for visitors to feed them!
Watch a show in the Amphitheatre
Nearer to the top of the valley there is a large stone amphitheatre. Although it’s not as epic as Cornwall’s cliff edge Minack Theatre (which is in a league of its own) Trebah’s is still impressive. They hold different events here from theatre to music and comedy, to puppetry and dance. Check their website to see when and what the next performance is.
Find the monster living in Dinky’s Puddle
We’ve all heard of the Loch Ness Monster, but what about this green creature? An algae covered monster that lives inside Dinky’s slimy Puddle. Kids will love this area of Trebah Garden.
Bamboozle: The Bamboo Grove
We loved the Bamboozle zone, it was full of towering bamboo plants which consisted of 50 different varieties. I know bamboo grows rapidly, but some of these bamboo varieties have shot up 10 meters tall in just one growing season! It’s situated next to a couple ponds, and theres a small bridge you can cross between all the bamboo plants which makes you feel like you’re on a jungle adventure.
Let the kids have fun in Tarzan Camp
Tarzan Camp it located in a gorgeous shaded woodland area, which is perfect on a hot summers day when little ones need to get a bit of respite from the heat.
It looked like a fun park for children to enjoy, with balance beams, ropes and a slide. They even had what looked like a suspended net type thing which was attached to the surrounding tree trunks.
Take a swim at Trebah’s secluded beach
As I touched upon earlier; Trebah Garden leads you out to it’s own secluded beach on the Helford River. There was a sign here which explained how this beach was partially concreted over to help load tanks and equipment onto the landing craft when 7500 US soldiers got ready for the D-Day landings in Normandy.
You’ll go through a gated archway where the South West Coast Path runs overhead, preventing walkers on the trail from gaining access to this private beach. It’s a gorgeous vista as you make your way through the archway and spot the bright blue sea lapping the shore. Over to the left you can spot the beach at Glendurgan’s Gardens.
If you plan on spending some time on the beach, you might want to bring some drinks and snacks down with you. The Boat House cafe does provide ice creams and drinks, but this is only open during peak season.
Parking for Trebah Garden
Parking is free and plentiful here. Theres a decent car parking area, and a gravelled overflow carpark right next to it. You shouldn’t need to worry about not being able to park. We had no trouble finding a parking space when we visited at the start of March.
Is Trebah Garden good for kids?
With bridges to cross and ginormous bamboo and rhubarb plants to make your way through, I think the garden walk is varied enough to keep children engaged whilst making their way down to the beach. Plus there’s the trickling waterfalls, fish to spot inside the ponds and the green algae covered monster inside Dinky’s Puddle too! Not forgetting Tarzan Camp where they can have lots of fun playing in the woodland park,.
Trebah Garden also offer children’s trails for a perfect blend of education and fun. They have free trails or you can pay £2 and your child will receive a small prize upon completion. If you would like to take part in one of the children’s trails, just ask at the entrance desk when you buy your entry tickets.
Get something tasty at Trebah Kitchen
After completing our circular walk around the gardens, we paid a visit to Trebah Kitchen – the on site café which is located at the entrance building.
Originally we were going to have a coffee and a huge slab of delicious cake that was cut into a generous door wedge. But then we saw some other peoples meals and they looked and smelt mouth-wateringly good, which swayed our decision to go for the Korean style pulled pork loaded fries. I’m so glad we got these as it was super tasty and filled us up ready to explore Glendurgan Garden afterwards – I’ll be writing about our visit there next.
All the produce is locally sourced which is great, and the reverse of the menu shows you a map of where they get all their ingredients from. For an on site café, we thought the prices were reasonable, as a lot of places can really ramp up the price when it’s the only option for food.
Here’s a look at some of the menu items, which includes vegan and vegetarian options along with the prices.
The café design is very welcoming, with a high pitched sloped wooden ceiling and large wooden support beams which are fixed to exposed concrete blocks. Pretty pendant lights hung from the ceiling, and the yellow wall lights added a pop of colour to the space. There’s a selection of indoor and outdoor seating available, with some of the wooden tables marked as dog friendly, allowing you to bring your pooch along too.
It feels really bright and airy inside, everything looked clean, the service was speedy and the staff were friendly too. Overall it was faultless, and we had a lovely experience dining at Trebah Kitchen.
Trebah gift shop and plant centre
I loved Trebah’s gift shop, the walls and centre displays showcased a gorgeous selection of knick-nacks and gifts to suit all ages.
I didn’t end up buying anything, but there were some lovely items in here. My favourite was a monochrome artwork of a badger. But its body was created from smaller drawings of different things, like leaves and blackberries all merged together to create the picture. It was £99 though, so I had to leave it behind this time.
They also had hand creams, candles, cards, clothing and all Raynor Win’s books (I’ve read all three now, but The Salt Path is my favourite) It’s a gorgeous gift shop to peruse, and treat someone or yourself to something lovely.
Outside they had Trebah plant centre, so you could take a little slice of Trebah’s tropical garden home with you.
Trebah Garden entry prices
We actually got in for free, as Trebah Gardens is one of the gardens that’s included with our Newt Garden membership. Along with The Eden Project and The Lost Gardens of Heligan.
We hadn’t pre-booked, and just showed our membership code to the lady inside the bright and airy visitor centre. She scanned us in, handed us a map of Trebah and we set off to explore.
There are a few different ticket options for visiting Trebah Garden, and at the time of writing this they are:
Is it wheelchair/ pushchair friendly?
Yes, Trebah Gardens are accessible for wheelchair users and pushchair friendly. However, this is only one certain trail route.
Dog friendly?
Dogs are welcome to explore Trebah Garden too, but they must be kept on a lead at all times (and obviously any messes picked up) There are dog friendly tables up in the cafe too.
Places to stay nearby
Cornwall has so many gorgeous places to stay, one of the closest options would be to stay in pretty seaside town of Falmouth.
When we visited Trebah Garden we were staying about an hour away at The Dutchy Barn in Tregoose which was a gorgeous converted barn. Bodmin Jail Hotel is also about an hours drive away, and perfect if you fancy something a little unusual! Or if you want to head further south, The Artist Residence in Penzance is a lovely boutique hotel.
Conclusion
We loved our gentle stroll around Trebah Garden. They aren’t quite as pristinely manicured as perhaps you would find at a National Trust garden, but they are beautiful and we enjoyed all the different sections and variety it offered. As we visited on the 1st March, it meant not everything was in bloom like it would be during the summer. I can imagine Trebah Garden being extra beautiful when everything has flourished.
There was plenty here for all ages to enjoy, and the food at Trebah Kitchen was delicious. It was a brilliant on site café and the gift shop was lovely to peruse and look for presents too.
I certainly recommend paying a visit if you’re near Falmouth and the sunshine’s out!
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