Garden of EdenWith sprawling secret gardens, a history of literary

triumphs and England’s best beaches, Cornwall is calling.

EOPLE SAY IT is spoilt. I still think to catch a mackerel in a Cornish bay is the greatest achievement under the moon,” wrote Virginia Woolf when she visited Cornwall in the 1920s. Only a few years earlier, DH Lawrence declared the place to be “very primeval, like the beginning of the world, wonderful and so free and strong.”

What would these two think of Cornwall today? They would probably complain about the summer crowds, the gentrification of villages and the hike in property prices – and be utterly baffled by Cornwall’s reputation as a cultural, surf and foodie destination.

Talk about a turnaround. Only a few years ago, the sloping fields and windswept moors were scenes of devastation as livestock succumbed to a devastating epidemic of foot-and-mouth disease that destroyed the livelihoods of many farmers. Scared by what they saw on the news, visitors avoided that part of Britain. Industry in the region had already collapsed with the closure of the coalmines in the 1980s

WORDS CAROLINE BAUM

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Don’t wake the Mud Maid

at the Lost Gardens of

Heligan

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Described as the Disneyland of the plant world, Eden is more than just a green theme park‘‘

– all that remained were occasional clay pits (signs of what lay beneath the rich soil) and green pasture.

Now the area is undergoing a renaissance of sorts, powered by an entrepreneurial spirit that embraces local food production, art and a new appreciation of nature’s abundance.

Cornwall gained a reputation as a counterculture retreat in the 1970s, when icons such as former model Jean Shrimpton opened a hotel there. Now the county in the south-west of England has become a fashionable year-round destination for those seeking a slower pace. The Brits affectionately refer to these holidaymakers as the “green welly brigade”. If there is a UK seachange trend, this is where you’ll find it.

The best time to visit Cornwall is outside school holidays and the peak summer months, when the road from London can be heavily congested, especially as it becomes narrow and winding through the tiny fishing villages along the coast.

The major success story in the region is the Eden Project, a large-scale environmental complex that boosted Cornwall’s international profile more than

the famous Cornish pasty ever did. Often described as the Disneyland of the plant world, Eden is more than just a green theme park. The brainchild of a former archaeologist turned pop music producer, Tim Smit, it is a garden with a message. The Eden Project is primarily about man’s relationship with, and dependence on, plants. In just seven years it has become one of Europe’s top destinations, attracting 1.25 million visitors a year.

The star performers are two giant biospheres (modern glasshouses) in a disused china clay pit crater. These provide ideal conditions for a vast array of plant species from the tropics in one, and Mediterranean in the other. At 55m high, 100m wide and 200m long, the tropical biome (a climatically defined plant ecosystem) is touted as the largest greenhouse in the world, high enough to hold the Tower of London or 11 double-decker buses piled on top of each other. Both biomes are lined with recyclable, self-cleaning foil tiles guaranteed to last 25 years. A third dome, The Edge, now in the planning stage, will house plants from desert climates and showcase innovations in water use. The emphasis of the project is on the connection between plants and human life, on organic practices and on fair trade between the industrialised and developing worlds.

The scale and ambition of the plantings is immense (more than one million plants represent 5000 species from around the world). And the people love it: rainy days can attract crowds of up to 4000 seeking shelter, so pick your day carefully. Eden is a registered charity with

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Aerial view of the Eden Project; find the Lost Gardens of Heligan; tawny owl at Screech Owl Sanctuary, outside Newquay (from top)

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a dynamic education centre, The Core, where the latest ideas and inventions provide plenty of inspiration to lead a more environment-ally aware life without preaching. As for the merchandise, there’s everything from handcrafted gardening tools to nest cams (so you can play Big Brother with the birds that call your garden home), plants, seeds and paper fibre clothing. Inspiring and a little overwhelming, this is big-vision stuff . You’ll need at least half a day to get around, and that’s without closely inspecting some of the specially commissioned art installations outside (several Australian artists, including Jenny Mehra, have featured).

As well as bringing much-needed employment to the area – Eden has pumped $1650 million into the local economy since it opened. It has also renewed interest in many other neighbouring gardens, all blessed with the area’s mild microclimate and fertile soil.

Not far from Eden, Smit has nurtured another garden project. Romantically called the Lost Gardens of Heligan, this is the largest garden restoration program in Europe. The project focused on bring-ing the 32ha property, which had belonged to the Tremayne family for 400 years before falling into neglect during WWI, back to glory. Members of the family were noted botanists and horticulturalists, and

The Tate Gallery, sitting above the glorious surf beach at Porthmeor, features works by Francis Bacon ‘‘

The St Ives coast attracts the “green

welly brigade” (top); art also hits

the beach at the Tate Gallery,

St Ives (right)

in the 19th century the gardens were among the finest in England. Today, it is famous for its lavish Himalayan rhododendrons (visit in April to enjoy the display), walled vegetable garden and forest walks leading to hidden valleys (some trails are steep, so walking shoes and a stick are recommended). After a hurricane in 1990 destroyed many trees on the property, artists were commissioned to create sculptures with the fallen limbs: don’t miss the Mud Maid, in shady glades near the entrance. The excellent farm produce shop outside the main gates showcases local organic meat, vegetables and cheeses.

The steep, tiny village of Fowey (pronounced Foy), on the south coast of Cornwall, is a picture-perfect sailors’ haven. Whitewashed houses perch above the sheltered inlet. Fishermen return to the jetty with lobster, crab and that mackerel Virginia Woolf famously prized. Once a base for pirates who raided French and Spanish ships in the time of Elizabeth I, the village now trumpets its abundant literary heritage – it was here that Daphne du Maurier spent much of her time writing the bestselling novels Rebecca, My Cousin Rachel, and Jamaica Inn. The inspiration she drew from this part of the world is celebrated each May with a well-attended literary festival. Kenneth Grahame, author of The Wind In The Willows, also lived here, reputedly using P

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Serious foodie action takes place at Newquay’s Fistral Beach where fi ne restaurants dot the coastline‘‘

Fowey Hall as the model for Toad Hall. The streets are one-car wide and parking is limited. This is a place best explored on foot. Good delis and waterside restaurants line the main street and a branch of Cornish company Seasalt sells great organic cotton clothing.

Just as the Guggenheim has franchised itself in other cities around the world, the Tate Gallery has expanded its reach regionally – the one at St Ives, on the south-western tip of Cornwall, is arguably the most beautifully situated gallery of them all, sitting above the glorious surf beach at Porthmeor. It features a collection of works painted by Francis Bacon while he lived in a laneway cottage around the corner, as well as important ceramics by Bernard Leach, who also lived in the area. Walk around the corner into the cobbled lanes and up the hill to visit the garden studio of sculptor Barbara Hepworth, a contemporary of Henry Moore, who worked in marble and timber, creating solidly organic geometric shapes.

Locals of Padstow, in the north of Cornwall, have rechristened it Padstein in honour of “seafoodie” Rick Stein, who has reinvigorated interest in the local fishing trade and now runs several popular businesses. Families on a budget can enjoy takeaway at his fish and chips shop

(there are long queues on public holidays and over Easter) and finish off with a cake from his patisserie. Casual food is served at the bistro adjoining Stein’s St Petroc’s Hotel, while those interested in fine dining will head to his restaurant opposite the tiny harbour. Turbot is a highlight if it’s in season. Stein pays premium prices for the best of the local catch as well as having fishing boats of his own, so what you get here will be more varied and superior in quality.

Only a few kilometres north, along the coast at Watergate Bay, Jamie Oliver has opened another of his Fifteen restaurants. But the serious foodie action takes place nearby at Newquay’s Fistral Beach where fine restaurants dot the rugged coastline.

It’s worth making a stop at the Screech Owl Sanctuary outside Newquay. It is staffed by dedicated and knowledgeable handlers who have hand-reared many of the birds on display. The aviary has a superb collection of large Siberian Owls and a Snowy Owl just like Hedwig in JK Rowling’s Harry Potter films. After daily flight displays, some birds can be stroked if they are in the mood.

Newquay has yet to benefit from the makeover it needs to turn it into an appealing destination. At present, it’s ripe for a facelift that could take the edge off its slightly tawdry British seaside resort atmosphere. But with global warming making its famous climate even milder, Cornwall might forget any minute now that it’s part of England and become an offshoot of the Mediterranean coast.

Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen is one of Cornwall’s many foodie haunts; fisherman’s paradise at Fowey (below)

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STAYST PETROC’S HOTELNew Street, Padstow.(01841) 532 700. www.rickstein.comA Georgian house with its own car park – an advantage in this tightly knit village. Bed and breakfast from £135 ($285).

ST EDMUNDS HOUSESt Edmunds Lane, Padstow.(01841) 532 700. www.rickstein.comRooms have four-poster beds at the more upmarket of Rick Stein’s two hotels. Bed and breakfast £265 ($560).

FOWEY HALLHansons Drive, Fowey.(01726) 833 866. www.foweyhallhotel.co.ukPart of a luxury hotel group that makes a point of welcoming families with small children. It has a heated swimming pool, supervised activities for children and pureed food available on request. Be prepared for a traffic jam of strollers at the

DOSCREECH OWL SANCTUARYIndian Queens, on A30 near Newquay.(01726) 860 182. www.screechowlsanctuary.co.ukLearn everything about these creatures of the night. Enjoy close encounters with tame owls; observe the rehabilitation of rescued and sick owls. TATE ST IVESPorthmeor Beach, St Ives.(01736) 796 226. www.tate.org.uk/stivesArt by the beach – location, painting and ceramics. �EAT

THE SEAFOOD RESTAURANTRiverside, Padstow.(01841) 532 700.Book well in advance – at least two months ahead at peak times.

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front door and an army of nannies in the grounds. Bed and breakfast from £140 ($295).

HOTEL TRESANTON Castle Road, St Mawes.(01326) 270 055. www.tresanton.comOriginally a yachtsmen’s club, and decorated by the stylish Olga Polizzi, this is Cornish chic that works. Favoured by Trinny and Susannah of What Not To Wear fame, all rooms have sea views and the hotel has its own cinema. Bed and breakfast from £240 ($510).

THE ABBEY HOTELAbbey Street, Penzance.(01736) 366 906. theabbeyonline.co.ukStill owned by ex-model Jean Shrimpton, this feels like a cosy family home filled with antiques. The restaurant has an excellent reputation. Bed and breakfast from £150 ($320).

FIFTEEN CORNWALLWatergate Bay.(01637) 861 000. www.fifteencornwall.co.ukA great spot for a hearty breakfast while watching the wave riders.

Rick Stein’s St Petroc’s Hotel (far left); the narrow lanes of Fowey (left); sculptor Barbara Hepworth’s studio (below)

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