Why We Actually Prefer Cornwall in Winter

People think we're slightly mad when we say this, but January is our favourite month in the garden. The visitors have gone. The paths are quiet. And the Winter Garden – which Tony Russell once called one of the three best in Britain – finally gets the attention it deserves.

Gardens Don't Sleep in Winter

Most people think gardens sleep in winter. They don't. They just speak more quietly.

Walk through our Winter Garden on a cold morning and you'll see what we mean:

• The bark of the Tibetan cherry gleams copper-red when it's wet
• The witch hazel smells extraordinary – sweet and strange, like nothing else
• Hellebores are pushing through everywhere
• The structure of everything becomes visible

We spent years getting this right. Choosing plants for their winter stems. Their berries. The way frost settles on their seedheads. It's a different kind of beauty, but once you see it, summer gardens can feel almost cluttered.

The Coast in Winter

The coast is better in winter too. Walk Gribbin Head when the weather's rough – you can feel the spray from fifty feet up. Par Beach empties out completely. Even Charlestown, which heaves with Poldark tourists in August, becomes a proper working harbour again.

And the pubs. The Rashleigh at Polkerris has a fire that's been burning since October. The landlord knows your name by your third visit. That's not something you get in July when there's a queue out the door.

Heligan in the Mist

If you only know Heligan in summer, you've seen half of it. Winter mist sits in the valley there. The Jungle feels properly mysterious. You might be the only person walking through it.

"By February, our Woodland Walk fills with snowdrops. Thousands of them. People drive from London to see them."

An Honest Word

Will you get rained on? Probably. Will you need layers? Definitely. Our café does excellent hot chocolate for exactly this reason.

But you'll also get Cornwall to yourself. The light is better for photographs. Accommodation costs half what it does in August. And you'll actually hear the birds. That's the trade-off. Some people prefer crowds and guaranteed sunshine. Others prefer this.