Caerhays Castle and Gardens

Caerhays Castle and Gardens sits at Porthluney Cove on the south Cornwall coast, halfway between Truro and St Austell. We went on a sunny June afternoon after a walk down on Porthluney Beach.

Gardens-only entry was £13.50 in 2026. Dogs on leads are welcome throughout the gardens. The castle itself can be visited by guided tour on weekdays during the season, although I would expect dogs not to be allowed inside the tour route – worth checking ahead if you want to do both. Castle tours are on top of the garden price.

The gardens cover around 140 acres on a hillside above the cove. They are best known for the magnolia, camellia and rhododendron collections. The Plant Heritage National Collection of Magnolias lives here – over 750 species and cultivars, one of the most significant in the world. We were a couple of weeks too late to catch the magnolias in flower, but you could see how astonishing they would have been. The bushes themselves were huge. Even past peak the gardens were worth a few hours.

The terrain is hilly. The main paths are well kept but they wind up and down the slopes, and a few of the spurs out to viewpoints are steep. The ladies took it all in their stride. A bit of ham from my cheese scone ploughman’s at the on-site Magnolia cafe helped.

The tearoom is in a low building near the entrance and was open and still serving food until 4pm. We had tea and a cheese ploughman’s scone.

The estate has been owned by the Williams family since 1854. John Charles Williams (1861-1939) was the great plant collector of the family, sponsoring expeditions to China and other parts of Asia and bringing back many of the species that fill the gardens today. The castle was built between 1807 and 1810 for the previous owner, John Bettesworth-Trevanion, to designs by John Nash (later the architect of Buckingham Palace). It is one of only two surviving Nash castles. Bettesworth-Trevanion ran out of money and fled to Paris before the building was even finished. The estate remains a working family home, which is why opening is strictly seasonal.

Parking is at Porthluney Beach car park, just across the road. No need to pay if you are visiting the castle. When you buy your ticket for the gardens, ask for your parking to be validated, and they will ask you to put your reg number into their iPad. Historic Houses members get free entry to the gardens and to the castle.

The gardens are open Monday 2 March to Sunday 14 June 2026, 10am to 5pm, last entry 4pm.

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The facts

Status: Tried and tested
Region: Cornwall
Dog rules: On lead
Walk distance: 1-3 miles
Cost: Paid
Membership benefits: Historic Houses
Website: visit.caerhays.co.uk ↗

Facilities

Toilets
Cafe on site
Accessible parking

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