A day in Mawnam Smith

We are staying at Carwinion Vean, a little cottage in Mawnam Smith, a delightful village filled with history and a quaint pub. And there are two gardens within walking distance, so of course, we are visiting. Today is the day for a relaxing time staying in Mawnam Smith and experiencing the local sights.

The Red Lion Inn with its beautifully detailed thatched roof.

Allan and myself walked the half a mile to Glendurgan Garden, thankful for the separated walking path as the narrow roads don't have much space for walking when cars come along. This garden is run by the National Trust and was first laid out by Alfred Fox in the 1820s-1830s. The garden is set in a valley with hills rising above and a pathway that leads down to the hamlet of Durgan, which sits on the Helford River. This village became famous because 75 years ago the American soldiers were dispatched to Normandy for the D-day landings from this inlet.

Glendurgan has some very old trees including a 170 year old tulip tree which is huge and was in flower while we were visiting.

There is also a laurel maze, planted in 1833, which is one of the more famous features of the garden. It has a small pavilion in the centre.

Above the maze is a seat where we sat watching two young boys as they endeavoured to find their way around the puzzle. Their dad was standing beside us, giving them the thumbs up when they went the right way. It was fun the watch them.

A gigantic rhubarb plant sits impressively near the maze.

The garden has some great activities for children to play on...

Allan was chatting to the lady who was working in the car park as we were leaving when I spotted an eye and a smiley face in the hedge. On closer inspection we saw a dragon.

The lady explained that there was a rumour around that a dragon lived in the river below the garden so the gardeners decided to create some competition for Nessie at Loch Ness. It's amazing that we didn't notice the dragon when we walked in considering how big and impressive he looks.

Now we are off to Trebah Garden, just a little walk up the lane. We met Graham and Ammie there for lunch in the delightful, light filled kiosk. Their Victoria Sponge wins the prize for the best cake we have eaten in England, it was superb. I was disappointed that we were sharing one piece.

This is a most beautiful garden, as good as any I've seen before. There was a lovely white bridge over the water, very Monet-like.

A stunning situation in the garden.

Trebah also had a path leading down to the water, the same cove as Glendurgan. An ice cream shop was waiting for us on a lovely warm and sunny summer's day.

And the dragon appeared again!

We had a great day exploring these gardens and taking way too many photos. Gardens on this scale are inspiring even when we garden on a postage stamp by comparison. Loved every minute of our visit.

We ended our day with another visit to the Red Lion for dinner, a disappointing meal for all of us. But we learnt a bit more about the Red Lion. One of the oldest buildings in Mawnam Smith, this thatched, cob walled pub, converted from three houses, is reputed to date back to the 15th century. When the Americans arrived in Mawnam they frequented the Red Lion finding it a little haven in the war. They had brought their musical instruments with them so played each evening and taught the locals the jitterbug, a new dance in the USA. When the Americans set up in Mawnam they established electricity and wider roads in the area. I can't imagine how narrow they were before! It seemed like they took over but in the long term, this part of Cornwall benefitted greatly from America's input.