Glendurgan Garden — Glynn Dowrgeun, “deep valley of otters” — lies above the hamlet of Durgan on the Helford River, near Mawnan Smith and about six kilometres south of Falmouth.
It was laid out by Alfred Fox in the 1820s and 1830s, and given to the National Trust in 1962 by Cuthbert and Philip Fox. It sits immediately next to Trebah, made by Alfred’s brother Charles, and the two gardens are usually done together.
Three valleys running down to the river, planted through with sub-tropical and temperate exotics under a shelter belt.
The maze is the thing everyone remembers. Planted in 1833 in cherry laurel, it is one of the oldest surviving hedge mazes in Britain and it sits on the valley side, so you can look down into it from the path above and watch other people fail to get out. Children go straight for it.
The Giant’s Stride, a maypole with ropes, on the lawn below the maze — Victorian playground equipment, still in use.
The planting: magnolias, rhododendrons and camellias in spring, a fine tulip tree, tree ferns, bamboo and a valley of primroses and bluebells in April. There is a Schools of Fish planting and a cross-shaped bed spelling a biblical phrase in box, a very Quaker touch.
The Holy Bank and the wildflower meadow.
The path runs down through the garden to Durgan, a hamlet of a few cottages on a small shingle beach on the Helford — no road access to speak of, no shop, and one of the quietest pieces of coast in Cornwall.
You can swim, paddle, or sit. The beach is public. The walk back up is the same climb Trebah demands.
A reasonable question, since they adjoin and cost about the same.
Glendurgan is the more classical garden — lawns, structure, a sense of a family’s pleasure ground, plus the maze and the Giant’s Stride, which make it the better one with children. It is also National Trust, so free to members.
Trebah is the wilder and more dramatic of the two: a deeper ravine, a bigger gunnera planting, a larger beach with a café.
Doing both in a day is entirely feasible and the walk between them takes minutes.
Admission charged; free to National Trust members.
Time: two hours, more with the beach.
Facilities: café — well liked and reasonably priced — shop, toilets, plant sales.
Access: the valley paths are steep, narrow and gravelled. The upper garden and the café are more manageable. This is not an easy garden for wheelchairs.
Opening: seasonal, and it typically closes in midwinter — check before travelling. It is normally closed on some weekdays out of season.
Dogs: assistance dogs only, unlike Trebah next door.
Mawnan Smith, fifteen minutes from Falmouth by road, with a car park. Seasonal buses from Falmouth.
It was planted in cherry laurel in 1833 and is one of the oldest surviving hedge mazes in Britain.
Yes — the path runs down to Durgan, a hamlet on a small public shingle beach on the Helford.
Yes.
Only partly. The upper garden and café are manageable; the valley paths are steep and gravelled.
Glendurgan is better with children because of the maze; Trebah is wilder with a bigger beach. They are minutes apart and both can be done in a day.