Charlestown & Lost Gardens of Heligan - Tuesday, 6 October 2026
First things first: breakfast here is as good as dinner. All the standard hot items (actually hot!), a good range of pastries and cereals, teas and coffees. No porridge! Margaret asked a waiter. “I’ll have some made to order for you” and 5 minutes later, there it was, with pots of honey and fruit compote.
We set off at 09:30 (well 09:40, as some people’s watches don’t work!) and arrived in Charlestown, St Austell around an hour later.
It’s a small place with several quirky, arty shops and an historic harbour. There’s nothing too exciting but it was restful and pretty, and passed the time nicely. There was a really welcoming pub serving morning teas with outdoor tables overlooking the harbour. One of the quirky shops (a converted chapel) had lots of unusual items on display, a few of which will be transferred to our suitcases.
At 12:15 (12:22 😡) we moved on to “The Lost Gardens of Heligan” about 25 minutes away. Pretty vast in scale, but TBH, perhaps as it’s late season, they’re more woodland trails than “gardens”. A few well set out beds, but not really enough to justify the name. Nonetheless, we had a good walk, exploring the pathways and, briefly, the sun popped out from time to time. And, of course, they had a café 😁.
We left there just before 15:30, back at the hotel for a very civilised 16:25. A super day out.
Weather:
From overcast to part-cloudy to a bit of sunshine, then back to cloudy; 14ºC-19ºC
Butternut Squash Soup; Fish Goujons; Caprese Salad