Cornwall with four schnauzers, days two and three: Heligan, Caerhays and Golitha Falls
Day one was a write-off in the nicest possible way. We arrived in torrential rain, had paid for early check-in, and spent the afternoon and evening watching it hammer down from the comfort of the hot tub. Days two and three were when we got out and about, weather permitting. The weather did not always permit, but we worked around it and still managed a good run of things.
Day two – Tuesday
We started the morning with breakfast at the Forest Retreat, the cafe and restaurant at the heart of Deerpark. I had a full English and Ros had poached eggs on toast, and both were excellent. We set the ladies up in their pop-up pen beside the table, and got a few comments from other guests about what a good idea it is. It is the first of many times the pen earned its keep this week.
The forecast was better than day one, with intermittent showers rather than the solid wall of rain we had arrived to. Good enough to make a plan.
The Lost Gardens of Heligan
First out was the Lost Gardens of Heligan, about a 45-minute drive from the cabin. The car park is paid, with machines that take card and contactless, and the first hour is free. We were sent to the overflow car park, but it was all well signed and a quick question at reception sorted us out. The welcome in the gift shop was friendly, we were handed a map, and we were told about the new fox sculpture, which we decided there and then we had to see.
We started in the formal gardens, which are easy walking, with paths lined by trees and shrubs that gave us some shelter when the showers came through. All around them are plaques to the gardeners who worked here in the early 1900s and left to fight in the First World War. Each one gives a name, an age, and what became of the man. It is a quietly moving thing to walk past, and it is the reason the gardens were lost in the first place: when the men did not come back, the place was locked up and slowly disappeared for the better part of seventy years before it was rediscovered and reinstated.
From there we headed out into the estate woodland. The paths get steep and uneven in places, and after all the rain we came back with mud spattered up our jeans, but it was worth it. The fox sculpture is magnificent. She is huge, rearing up out of the trees, carved from Cornish red rhododendron wood that came down at Heligan during Storm Darragh in December 2024. As the wood ages it will fade to a silver tone, which the artists intended as a nod to the way a vixen’s fur changes after she has had cubs. We carried on round to the jungle area, all lush subtropical planting and tree ferns. Dogs cannot go over the rope bridge, so we took it in turns to have a look.
According to the ladies’ Pawfit Lite trackers, we covered around 2.3 miles, with the four of them averaging something like 15,000 steps. Heligan is the kind of place where you walk all day without noticing.
Porthluney Beach
Next was Porthluney Beach, about ten minutes from the gardens. The beach and the car park were both quiet and the tide was right out, so there was acres of space. The thing to know is the water: the River Luney flows down across the sand to the sea, year-round, splitting into shallow channels that were ankle-deep in places when we visited. You pick your way through, so waterproof shoes or sandals are the answer. We got down to the sea, had a wander and a sit on the rocks, and with the sun out it was glorious to be by the water. It was Wilma’s first time at the sea, and she took it all in.
Caerhays Castle
From the beach we crossed the road to the gardens at Caerhays Castle. The beach parking is included in the price of a gardens ticket, so you just validate your registration when you buy. We had a bite to eat in the Magnolia Cafe before it closed, a cheese scone ploughman’s and a pot of tea, with a little ham finding its way to the ladies, then walked several of the routes around the gardens. The magnolias and rhododendrons here are enormous, and although we were a couple of weeks too late to catch the magnolias in full flower, you could see how astonishing they must have been. The terrain is moderate with a few steep slopes, and the ladies took it in their stride.
We left around 5pm, drove back to the cabin, fed everyone, and spent the evening in the hot tub with a glass of fizz while the ladies snoozed. A good day, all told.
Day three – Wednesday
A very mixed day, weather-wise, but it started well.
Breakfast at the Duchy of Cornwall Nursery
We drove over to the Duchy of Cornwall Nursery Cafe for breakfast, and it surpassed our expectations. Dogs are welcome in the cafe, and the staff could not have been kinder to them, bringing over a handful of crunchy fishy treats before we had even ordered. We set the ladies up in their pen, had a superb cooked breakfast and pots of tea, and enjoyed it so much that we booked a table to come back on the Friday for their Breakfast Royale, a tiered breakfast to mark my birthday. They ask for a bit of notice for that, so we sorted it on the spot and made a note to browse the deli and gift shop when we returned.
Golitha Falls
After breakfast we drove about 20 minutes to Golitha Falls, a series of cascades where the River Fowey runs through ancient oak woodland on the edge of Bodmin Moor. Parking and entry are both free. The weather was changeable, but it held for us while we were there.
Good footwear is the thing here. I was glad of my hiking shoes. The terrain is mixed, uneven and steep in places, and if you take the paths down to the river you may find yourself climbing over rocks. I took Nell and Silky down to the water, and Ros had Wilma and Gertie, though Wilma was unsure about the sound of the rushing river and did not want to get too close. We followed most of all three trails, starting on the green Beech Tree route, picking up the orange Leat Path to the falls, then looping round part of the pink Woodland Glade. Being wooded, it gives you some shelter from a light shower, although you would still get soaked in heavy rain. The falls are home to otters, salmon and sea trout, and dogs are asked to stay on short leads between the start of March and the end of July. We did not spot an otter this time, but I am sure we will be back to try again.
We spent a good while there, stopping to take it all in and to take photos, so I was surprised when the Pawfit Lites told us we had only walked about a mile. It is a beautiful spot, and the sound of the water stays with you.
A change of plan: Polperro, then Looe
With the sun out, we decided to head to Polperro for a look around and a cup of tea. I had been keen to see it, as it is meant to be one of the prettier Cornish harbours, and I had an idea about walking the coast path round to Talland Bay. We found the car park on the edge of town and even found a space, then discovered the parking was payable in coins only, and we had no cash on us at all. Disappointed but not defeated, we changed tack and drove to Looe instead.
By now the weather was turning and the showers were coming through more often. We parked in the main car park by the harbour and found a sweet little Italian coffee shop called La Piccola. The ladies got a warm welcome, as did we, and we had a pot of tea each and a delicious pistachio pastry, imported from Italy. The lady running it was lovely.
The plan from there was to walk round to dog-friendly Hannafore Beach, about ten or fifteen minutes away. We got halfway and the heavens opened. We were drenched, the ladies were sopping and shivering, Silky and Wilma especially, and so were we. We cut our losses, headed back to the car, and put the ladies into their drying coats to warm them up and dry them off. Back to the cabin we went to change into dry clothes before heading out again for an early dinner.
Dinner at Jamaica Inn
Dinner was at Jamaica Inn, about half an hour from Deerpark, high on the moor at Bolventor. We arrived to darkening skies and a blustery wind, which felt about right for the place. The inn has stood here since the 1700s, with a long history tied up in smuggling, and it is best known now as the setting for Daphne du Maurier’s novel of the same name, which she wrote after staying here. It is a large pub with rooms, decked out to suit its history.
We found a table, set up the pen for the ladies, and ordered. I had steak and ale pie and Ros had fish and chips. Warming, enjoyable pub food, exactly what the day called for. There is a smuggling and du Maurier museum on site, but it was getting late and we decided to leave that for another visit, so we headed home through the dark.
How the first half went
Those first two days out threw a fair bit of weather at us, and a couple of our plans did not survive contact with it. But we found our way around the showers, saw some beautiful places, and had enough dry spells and sunshine to enjoy the outdoors when it counted. The drying coats and the pop-up pen earned their place in the boot more than once, and the Pawfit Lites kept a quiet tally of just how far four little legs apiece can carry them.
The next day’s forecast looked worse still, with rain set in, so we made our plans accordingly and booked tickets for somewhere with a roof. More on the Eden Project and Charlestown harbour in the next post.
If you have walked Golitha Falls or been to Heligan with your dogs, I would love to hear how you found it. And if you are heading to Polperro, take some coins for the car park, and learn from our mistake.
