Lost Gardens of Heligan

With more than 200-acres to explore, you really can lose yourself for a day in this enchanting restoration garden.

Heligan was recently dubbed 'The Nation's Favourite Garden' by BBC Gardeners' World viewers after the award-winning restoration of its productive gardens, but this is just one of many features that make this a fantastic year-round destination.

The 22-acre 'jungle' was created as a horticultural playground to indulge the passion for sub-tropical plants that swept the country over a hundred years ago. Now some of the most lush vegetation in the country can be found in this steep-sided valley garden, including the largest collection of tree ferns in Europe, thickets of bamboo and a banana plantation. The Lost Valley is the hotspot of this historical garden, its ancient woodlands, water meadows and lakes dating back to a medieval past as a working valley.

Make sure you take the kids to experience the vast beauty of this family friendly garden that is guaranteed to keep small and curious minds captivated. Meander along the boardwalk through the jungle valley and take the children on a horticultural journey far from our temperate shores.

With a jungle, a lost valley and pleasure and productive gardens to enjoy, take time to stroll though this paradise and explore all its four-corners. Whether you skip through the bluebell woods in spring or savour the musty aromas of winter, this is an enchanting garden for walkers. Beyond the gardens themselves, discover woodland, lakeside and farm walks through beautiful Cornish countryside and get a close-up view of wildlife native to the estate. In the Lost Valley follow the Georgian rides beneath the many species of mature trees and discover endless trails of wild flowers, ferns and fungi.

You will find over three hundred varieties of fruits and vegetables growing in the gardens, that you can sample in the highly acclaimed restaurant, or take home in a tasty purchase from the farm shop.