Just over twenty years ago, during a long camping weekend in Polruan, Andy, myself, and a friend took a ferry to Mevagissey (or Megavissey as our friend insisted on calling it) with the objective of visiting the Lost Gardens of Heligan. In what sounds like an ironic joke, we didn’t manage it as we couldn’t actually find the Lost Gardens. Nearly quarter of a century later, and this time assisted by Google Maps, satnav, and better signage, we finally rectified this failure.

Where are the Lost Gardens of Heligan?

The gardens lie a couple of miles inland from Mevagissey, which is probably why we failed to reach them on foot.

Parking

Despite advice on the website that there was no need to book in advance (July 2025) the car park was already full when we arrived shortly after 10:00. It’s limited and preference is given to blue badge holders, local pass holders and Heligan members. The good news is that there is a large overflow car park. The bad news is, it’s owned by Lobbs Farm and there is a charge to park there (max £3.50). This irked us initially as the price to get into the gardens is hefty enough. To be fair, the owners of Heligan try to counter this fee by issuing anyone who parks there with one free drinks voucher.

First steps

We paid for our tickets and picked up a complimentary leaflet which has two maps (the gardens and the estate), history, information about places to eat, and estimated walking times. It’s a good little map, and we successfully negotiated the gardens using it, but it might confuse people who can’t read maps.

Our arrival coincided with an introductory talk in Flora’s Green (immediately after the entrance). This focussed on the history of the gardens – established four hundred years ago, sold off in the 1970s, rediscovered in 1990 – and added a lot more detail to the background outlined in the leaflet. For example, how American soldiers concreted the gardens during WWII, pre-empting Joni Mitchell’s “They paved paradise, put up a parking lot…” by some decades. Initially, the talk was amusing and interesting, but it went on for too long. By the end, people were visibly twitchy, wanting to get away to do what they were there for – explore the gardens.

The Lost Gardens of Heligan

Despite what some reviewers say on TripAdvisor, there is masses to see, and it is varied. The map accurately shows where everything is located. First up are the more conventional and sculpted gardens. These include kitchen, Italian, and flower gardens – in glorious bloom in July even though some reviewers (on TA again) complained about a lack of colour (see the photos taken at the same time as these negative reviews).

It takes some time to wander these gardens, especially if you explore every path, as we tend to do, ticking off all the highlights marked on the map.

The Estate

Beyond the gardens lie two hundred acres of, well, more to discover – from animals and a play meadow for families to wooded trails through the Lost Valley and, one of the highlights for us, The Jungle. This is a humid (it was an extremely hot day anyway) section of the gardens with giant ferns, dappled pools, and wooden walkways. Exploring it felt like being transported to the Amazon Rainforest. The best bit is the Burma Rope Bridge across a small ravine. Some intrepid, but nervous, women took a long time to get across it ahead of us. All credit to them, despite their obvious anxiety at its swinging personality, they persevered. I mention this because it illustrates something worth knowing about the ‘Estate’ in general. Parts aren’t ideal for visitors with mobility issues. Some paths are very steep. These are clearly signposted, but it does put some areas out of bounds, something which contributes to negative reviews.

Food

On the face of it, with around five cafes and restaurants, there seems a decent selection of places to eat. Some, like the Heligan Kitchen and Takeaway, are located at the entrance, which makes them a trek if you’re still wandering the estate. The BBQ hut (closed), Play & Graze (Play Meadow), and Steward’s House are all located at the start of the Estate part of the gardens. As Play and Graze was mostly pasties and sausage rolls (there are only so many Cornish pasties I can eat) we opted for the Steward’s House and a croque monsieur and smoked mackerel salad.

It took just under an hour from ordering to it arriving at our table, and only then after a couple of prompts. In their defence, the printer stopped working, so staff lost control of orders. Acting for the prosecution, they should have dealt with this more efficiently; apologised for the delay and kept diners informed; and not left hot food sitting on the counter while they plated cakes ordered long after our and other diners’ meals. The worst offence of all was my croque monsieur was awful – congealed cheese and dry bread (it felt stale) that was hard to swallow. It wouldn’t even have passed muster as a cheap toastie – more croque mon dieu than croque monsieur. At £14, it was a disgrace.

The way out

We planned it so that our route to the exit took in the Grey Lady (quite lost in the undergrowth), the Mud Maid (enchanting), and the Giant’s Head. The latter putting smiles on our faces as we left the Lost Gardens of Heligan over four hours after arriving.

After twenty years, were we disappointed? Not a bit. We found the gardens fascinating, fun and worth every penny of the entrance fee. It was only the appalling dining experience which let them down.

The Lost Gardens of Heligan are open from 10:00 to 18:00 (last entry 16:30); entrance is £28.50 (adults 18+), £12.50 (children 5-17).