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A magnificent country estate offering self
catering cottages on The Lizard,
Cornwall, UK |
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LANKIDDEN, SLEEPS 6-8
This
handsome three-bedroom property has
an enclosed grass garden to the
north and a sunken, walled terrace
garden on its south side - a natural
suntrap.
Inside, the ground floor is the familiar open plan combining kitchen, dining and living area. The level of equipment - from the range of low-voltage luxury appliances to a garlic squeezer - matches the standard of fit and furnishing throughout the Great Office.
Sofas,
chairs and dining-table from Heal's
or Conran, the Scan woodburner and
underheated, waxed-ash floor all
contribute to the distinctive sense
of substance with style that sets
Trelowarren timeshare apart.
e-mail: reservations@accommodationincornwall.com
The Trelowarren Estate
Estates and their owners come and go, but Trelowarren can point to 1,000 years of recorded history, 600 of them in the Vyvyan family who run it today.
For Sir Ferrers, the current owner, it remains a work in progress. "Trelowarren is living history, not corporate heritage," he says. "We want to maintain the feel of a traditional working estate that people can share with us."
There is a lot to share: 1,000 acres of woodland, pasture, wildlife, Rococo gardens and walks leading on to the Goonhilly Downs, south to the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI's) on The Lizard, and north-west to the boating paradise of the Helford River.
Arts, crafts, scenic
walks and great food -
all on site
Though there are some of the most dramatic beaches and attractions in Cornwall on the doorstep, there is much to explore on site. The mysterious Halliggye Fogou - a neolithic, vaulted chamber below an Iron Age Hill Fort; the Pleasure Grounds, first laid out by Dionysus Williams in 1750 and now being restored; the Cornwall Crafts Association's main exhibition gallery and permanent display.
Trelowarren
has its own superb restaurant, the New Yard,
which uses fresh local ingredients for all
its dishes. Breakfast patisseries are
available from 10:30 am and wonderful
lunches are served alfresco, with cream teas
to follow an afternoon walk, a day on the
beach or a voyage of exploration round the
National Maritime Museum in Falmouth, The
Tate Gallery St Ives or further afield to
The Eden Project.
A short siesta, or an hour spent gleaning ideas from the Vyvyans' notes on what to see or do tomorrow, and you should be about ready for the dinner menu and wine list lauded by Decanter and awarded two AA rosettes.
The Trelowarren Woodland Walk is justly famous. In the course of it, you can visit a Victorian folly, the highest point on The Lizard, an Iron Age Hill Fort, a river formed by the Ice Age and an 18th century garden.
The
walk is open year-round to timesharers and
self-caterers staying with us, and to the
visiting public between 1st April and 30th
September. A leaflet is available from the
Estate Office setting out the options. The
main walk is about four miles (6.5km) long,
but there are also shorter, circular walks
of one and two miles (1.6 - 3.2km) and an
"extension" to Tremayne Quay, on the Helford,
which is 2.5 miles (4km) each way.
All the walks are varied and provide a wonderful mixed landscape of views, historic features, natural variety and more ordered planting - with the occasional bonus of rare wildlife. Specific points of interest include:
The Turret: A clever Victorian reworking of old stones to resemble part of a medieval fortification.
The Mount: Built with earth cleared to build a drive, again in the 19th century. The highest point on the peninsula.
The
Fogou: A Cornish mystery. A large
underground chamber with a single, narrow
entry beneath an Iron Age Hill Fort.Ilex Avenue: So-called because it is the botanical name for the ancient Mediterranean oaks planted here in the 19th century.
Long Valley: Glorious views and an extraordinary collection of trees, foreign and native: Douglas Fir, Sitka Spruce, Lawson Cypress, Hemlock, Redwood and Radiata as well as Ash, Beech and Oak.
Tremayne Quay: Reached through beautiful National Trust woods and overlooking the sailing and fishing paradise of the Helford River.
The
Pleasure Garden: Dionysus Williams' clever
use of contour and greenery to create a
contemplative masterpiece. Now being
restored on his original 18th century plan.
The Restoration Gates: The Vyvyans were staunch royalists in the Civil War and erected these Grade 1-listed gates to mark the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660.
The walks all end where they begin, at the Stable Yard, where you will find a plant nursery, pottery and weaving, the Cornwall Crafts Association gallery and of course, the New Yard Restaurant.
Having walked up an appetite, where better to satisfy it?