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A historic and exotic wooded valley garden leading down to the River Helford.
Mawnan Smith, Falmouth, Cornwall, TR11 5JZ
Asset | Opening time |
---|---|
Garden | Closed |
Car Park | Closed |
Tea-house | Closed |
Second-hand bookshop | Closed |
Last entry into the garden is 16:00pm Last orders in the teahouse is 16:30pm
Ticket type | Gift aid | Standard |
---|---|---|
Adult | £12.10 | £11.00 |
Child | £6.10 | £5.50 |
Family | £30.30 | £27.50 |
One adult, up to 3 children (aged 5-17) | £18.20 | £16.50 |
Group Adult | £10.45 | |
Group Child | £5.25 |
We have a second-hand bookshop.
Steep slopes with steps, cobbled sections and loose gravel.
Purple route is step free with some steep sections.
We have one tramper available to hire. Please call ahead to book or email glendurgan@nationaltrust.org.uk
Benches are scattered throughout the garden.
Available at visitor reception.
From Truro/East Take the A39 to Falmouth as far as junction with A394 at Treliever Cross Roundabout, and then follow brown and white tourism signs to Glendurgan Garden. From Helston/West Take the A394 to Falmouth as far as junction with A39 at Treliever Cross Roundabout. Turn right and follow brown and white tourism signs to Glendurgan Garden. Please note if using Sat nav from Helston it may take you on scenic back roads via Gweek, Constantine and Port Navas. These roads are very narrow so check the settings on your sat nav if you’d like to avoid this type of driving.
Parking: Our car park will be locked at 5pm every day. All-day parking is £4 per vehicle or £2 for two hours. Parking free for National Trust members.
Sat Nav: Sat nav postcode TR11 5JZ. If follwing sat nav directions please use the National Trust main entrance, not the entrance to the private house.
Take the Southwest coastal footpath from Falmouth (starting at the seafront at Gyllyngvase beach) to Durgan village. You can enter the bottom of the garden from the village. Total Distance 5.9 miles (9.5 kilometres). Time: 2 hours 30 minutes approximately.
Our nearby town of Falmouth is on a branch line from Truro. Take the First Great Western Train from Truro to Falmouth Town Station (24 minutes). From the station walk to the Moor, Falmouth TR11 3RB (About 17 minutes). 1. Head east toward Avenue Road. 2. Turn left onto Avenue Road. 3. At the roundabout turn left onto Arwenack Street which leads onto Church Street and then Market Street. 4. Turn left onto Killigrew Street. 5. The street soon opens out to Falmouth Moor. Buses leave from just beyond the large paved area on the right. Catch a bus from The Moor to Glendurgan Garden TR11 5JZ (About 30 minutes). Service 35 from Falmouth to Helston (Direction Helford Passage) via Gweek and Constantine. Service run by First Travel. Bus drops off outside the entrance.
From Falmouth. Catch a bus from The Moor to Glendurgan Garden TR11 5JZ (About 30mins). Service 35 from Falmouth to Helston (Direction Helford Passage) via Gweek and Constantine. Service run by First Travel (please note, this bus does not run on a Sunday). From Helston. Catch a bus from Blue Anchor Inn, Coinagehall Street Helston to Glendurgan Garden (About 55 minutes). Service 35 from Helston to Falmouth run by First Travel (please note, this bus does not run on a Sunday). Bus drops off outside the entrance.
We’re ½ mile south-west of Mawnan Smith, on road to Helford Passage. Sustrans route. The entrance is on the left. You can park your bike in the racks by the garden entrance.
There are no ferry services from Falmouth to Glendurgan. Access from the Lizard Peninsula by ferry from Helford village to Helford Passage. Take the Southwest coastal footpath from Helford Passage to Durgan village. You can enter the bottom of the garden from the village. Total Distance: 0.8 miles (1.29 kilometres). Time: 20 minutes.
Find out more about walking your dog around the North Helford countryside, where waymarked walks take in woodland, the South West Coast Path, secluded stony paths and dog-friendly beaches.
If you’re planning a group visit to Glendurgan Garden, here’s everything you need to know to organise your visit.
Visitors to Glendurgan Garden can hire an all-terrain Tramper vehicle. They’re available through a partnership with Countryside Mobility.
A beautiful, distinctive and intriguing collection of horticultural specimens interspersed with wildflower meadows.
The cherry laurel maze is based on a design taken from the Sydney Gardens in Bath by Alfred Fox and planted in 1833.
A small pebbly sheltered beach on the banks of the Helford River connected to the South West Coast Path.
With many children to entertain the Fox family installed a simple yet enjoyable rotating rope swing.
This is a recreation of the first school opened by Alfred and Sarah Fox in 1829 and where, for more than 15 years, local children including some of the couple’s 12 sons and daughters attended lessons.
Tucked away en route to the school room sits the Olive Grove and Glendurgan’s little-known apple orchard and Apple Shed, full of nature-based activities.
The tea-house at the top of the garden offers a range of refreshments, afternoon cream teas, cakes, ice cream and light lunches.
Glendurgan is home to a beautiful mix of exotic and native plants, as well as peaceful orchards and a 19th-century maze that has puzzled visitors for decades.
Discover what family-friendly activities are on offer at Glendurgan Garden, from getting lost in the maze to sketching in the orchard.
Find out where to eat at Glendurgan and shop for second-hand books
After exploring the garden, take a well-earned break at the Glendurgan Tea-House, tuck into an ice cream at the Durgan fish cellar, or find a good book at the second-hand bookshop.
A timber-built thatched cottage nestling amongst the trees with views over the Helford River.
Victorian school turned beachside retreat, full of original features and sea-view windows.
Just metres from the water’s edge, you’ll be guaranteed a room with a view in this stone cottage.
A traditional stone cottage just a few metres from the shores of the Helford Estuary.
Part of a large country house on the Helford, brimming with Arts and Crafts elegance.
Part of a large country house, brimming with original features and views over the Helford River.
Stay in the east wing of this country house for views over the Helford River and fine interiors.
A tiny but well-equipped cottage nestling in a large country estate, above the Helford River.
Glendurgan Garden was described by its creators, the Quakers Alfred and Sarah Fox, as a 'small peace [sic] of heaven on earth'.
There are three valleys of Glendurgan to lose yourself in - full of amazing plants. Sun-loving specimens enjoy the upper banks, and plants with big leaves and exotic flowers thrive in the jungle-like lower valley. In spring, an abundance of wildflowers fill the sloping sides of the valley.
Wandering through the garden leads you down to the unspoilt hamlet of Durgan on the River Helford.
Walking up from Durgan you can find a boat-seat, a gigantic tulip-tree and ponds teeming with wildlife. You can also learn about the Fox family who created this 'small peace of heaven on earth.'
The maze has been foxing people for nearly 200 years. Who will be first to reach the middle of our living puzzle?
Keep up to date with what's going on at Glendurgan on our Facebook page or read previous visitors' reviews on TripAdvisor.
Family fun has been at centre of Glendurgan since the 1820s when it was created by the Fox family, who developed an exotic garden and a mighty hedge maze for their 12 children to explore.
'Autumn is a time at Glendurgan that I feel is really beginning to improve – either that or I am noticing it more as time goes on… It has not historically been our most extravagant of seasons but we do display a great range of autumn colour around the garden' - Assistant Head Gardener, Tom Cutter
There’s a variety of volunteer roles at Glendurgan Garden, from gardening to helping in the fish cellar and assisting with family-friendly events. Find a volunteer role that’s right for you.
Enjoy access to more than 500 places with National Trust membership. Join today and help protect nature, beauty and history – for everyone, for ever.